“Those are the things that you just try to play through and try to figure out how to build momentum,” Curry said (h/t ESPN’s Anthony Slater). “We all know what the schedule’s been like. We try not to think about it too much, knowing it is what it is. You have to find a way to overcome it.”
After missing three games due to an illness, Curry joined the Warriors on the road and has been on a heater. In five games, he’s averaging 29.8 points on 48-percent shooting from the field and 39 percent from 3-point range in 30.4 minutes.
In Tuesday’s loss to the Magic, Curry scored 34 points in 34 minutes.
After the game, he told reporters he would see how he felt before determining his status in Miami.
“We’re just looking at how it responds because I did it again in the first half tonight,” Curry said Tuesday. “I don’t think it’s anything crazy, but we’ll see how it responds during the flight and how I feel tomorrow.”
Steph Curry tweaked his right ankle in the second Spurs game and again in the first half tonight. He said he will see how it responds after flight/sleep, but seems very iffy for the Heat game in Miami tomorrow night. pic.twitter.com/82dnwgr03q
Warriors center Al Horford (toe/injury management) will miss the second game of a back-to-back. Jonathan Kuminga, who’s been sidelined for the last three games while dealing with bilateral knee tendonitis, will miss his fourth consecutive game on Wednesday.
For Miami, Tyler Herro (ankle) is out and Bam Adebayo (toe sprain) is questionable against Golden State.
Every season, we tie ourselves is knots trying to figure out if there are any not-so obvious bellwethers for the success of the Boston Celtics.
Give us a small enough sample size and we can convince ourselves that the presence of Kelly Olynyk’s headband or the color of Jayson Tatum’s shoes can, on their own, predict the success of those individual players on a night-to-night basis. Sometimes it feels as if the color of the Celtics jersey is enough to determine the final result.
It is, of course, deeper than that. Crunch the numbers over a larger sample and most of these sartorial predictors get exposed.
But over the past three seasons, there is one very telling, non-apparel-related indicator of Boston’s success: Did the Celtics outscore their opponent during Derrick White’s fourth-quarter floor time? If so, there’s a good chance they won that night.
You see, “Fourth Quarter Derrick” and his knack for winning plays on both ends of the court is a very real thing.
On Tuesday night in Brooklyn, as the Celtics stumbled their way through a turnover-plagued outing against the lowly Nets at the Barclays Center, White channeled some of his familiar fourth-quarter heroics. He knocked down two timely 3-pointers. He drew a charge. He swatted Michael Porter Jr. to force a 24-second violation.
White finished with a team-high eight points in the fourth quarter as the Celtics outscored the Nets by 10 and emerged with a 113-99 triumph.
The Celtics are now 67-7 over the past three seasons when they outscore opponents during White’s fourth-quarter floor time. That’s a .905 winning percentage. Boston was 33-1 last season when the team won White’s fourth-quarter time. The C’s are 6-2 this season.
On the flip side, when the Celtics either tie or are outscored during White’s fourth-quarter floor time, they are 40-27 over the past three seasons (.597 winning percentage). That includes a 2-4 mark this season, as White has struggled to have his familiar fourth-quarter impact in the infancy of this new campaign.
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Balk if you’d like. We wouldn’t blame you for saying, “Thanks, Captain Obvious: If the Celtics’ starters outscore their opponent in the fourth quarter, there is a very good chance the team wins.” But we ought to know by now: As goes Derrick, so go the Celtics. And his fingerprints were all over getting Boston to the finish line of an otherwise sloppy night in Brooklyn.
Like everything White does, the numbers don’t leap off the page. He didn’t even rank in the top 30 last season for fourth-quarter scoring. But he simply had a knack for big plays in big spots, especially on the road. White did rank fifth in the NBA in fourth-quarter 3-pointers made last season, with 66. Only Stephen Curry, Malik Beasley, Anthony Edwards, and Zach LaVine made more.
This season, White ranks 21st in the NBA in fourth-quarter points (26). He easily leads the NBA with 43 fourth-quarter 3-point attempts (eight more than second-place Grayson Allen), but has only connected on 30.2 percent of those shots. On the bright side, White is sixth in the NBA in fourth-quarter assists with 21 final-frame helpers (with only four turnovers in 139 minutes of floor time).
In an eyesore of a game in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, a rare glimpse of Fourth Quarter Derrick was an encouraging sign, especially as he pulls himself out of an-early season shooting funk. We have a lot of data now, and all signs point to the Celtics’ success when White is at his best in the final frame.
If you told the NBA superstars 10 years ago that they’d be sitting side-by-side doing a podcast together, they probably wouldn’t have believed you. But growing in the game over the last two decades has made James and Curry as close as ever, and it’s something James is deeply appreciative of.
“When you’re trying to rise to the top of the mountain, you have guys that’s trying to stop me from getting there and vice versa,” James said after making his 2025-26 season debut Tuesday night. “Steph has been one of those guys throughout our career, we’ve been trying to get to the mountaintop, and we’re trying to knock each other off of it. That competition was brewing for a long time and every time we play against each other, it still brews.
“When you get to a certain age and you get to a certain level and you understand that appreciating greatness and appreciating things that you won’t be able to have for a long time ever after, when you’re done. You can look back on those moments, you don’t want to waste an opportunity to be able to build a relationship with somebody that you kind of share some of the same, I guess, goals in life. Our families. The way we go about our profession. The way we go about our everyday, trying to uplift people, inspire.”
"There's so much mutual respect [between us] and now it's like just even more respect just out of the simple fact that we can hop on a phone call or text."
LeBron James on Steph Curry being on 'Mind the Game' 🗣
James recently had Curry as a guest on his “Mind the Game” podcast that he co-hosts with NBA great Steve Nash.
The three discussed a variety of topics, including a nearly 10-minute segment where they broke down and analyzed their NBA Finals film from their many championship clashes.
Two of the greatest to play the game, breaking down film — it’s like being a kid in a candy shop for basketball lovers around the world.
“There’s so much mutual respect,” James shared, “and now it’s just even more respect just out of the simple fact that we can hop on a phone call or text or whatever. It was great [for] us to talk basketball in just the most easy, organic way with the two episodes and have that time, so it’s been cool.”
A month past your fantasy basketball draft, initial fantasy basketball rankings matter less than analyzing real-time production. With the injury report constantly shuffling NBA starting lineups, impacting stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paolo Banchero, values are shifting rapidly. This week, we'll be talking about buying low on Desmond Bane, selling high on Michael Porter Jr., or holding VJ Edgecombe. Use our updated NBA player projections and the latest fantasy basketball news to capitalize on these opportunities.
Fantasy Basketball Trade Tips in Week 5
Buy
Desmond Bane, Orlando Magic
Bane began his career with the Magic on a rough note, crashing his value in fantasy basketball rankings. Over his first 10 games, he averaged just 14.2 points and 1.2 three-pointers. He shot 43.1% from the field during that span, including 29.3% from behind the arc. The only saving grace was that he still provided 4.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists during that span.
Bane has shown signs of turning things around lately, shooting 44.3% from the field and 34.4% from behind the arc over his last five games. During that stretch, he averaged 22.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.2 three-pointers. While he has been given more shot attempts with Paolo Banchero (groin) out, it's his improved efficiency from behind the arc, which should excite fantasy managers. His buy-low window might be closing.
Myles Turner, Milwaukee Bucks
In his first eight games since signing a big contract with the Bucks, Turner averaged just 9.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. His minutes were down a bit at 28 per game, and he shot just 40.0% from the field. Since then, Turner has averaged 15.3 points and 32 minutes across his last seven games. He shot 47.9% from the field during that span, while also averaging 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 1.3 blocks and 3.0 three-pointers.
Turner seems to be getting more comfortable in his new surroundings. His efficiency should continue to improve as the season moves along, given that he has shot at least 48.1% from the field in each of the last four seasons. Another reason to consider buying low on him is that Giannis Antetokounmpo landed on the NBA injury report with a groin strain Monday that is expected to sideline him for at least 1-2 weeks. Turner could see significantly more shot attempts during that stretch.
Sell
Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets
Porter has been nothing short of dominant with the Nets. He is currently on pace to set new career highs in points (24.2), rebounds (7.7), assists (3.2) and three-pointers (3.2) per game. His usage rate is up to 29.0%, which is more than seven percentage points higher than his career mark. With Cam Thomas (hamstring) sidelined, Porter should continue to receive all of the shot attempts that he can handle.
As good as Porter has been, the Nets are 2-12 and barreling towards another dreadful season. Amazingly, the Pacers and Wizards have fewer wins, while the Pelicans have equaled the Nets with two victories. Since the Nets are in the early stages of a rebuild, we might not see much of Porter down the stretch as they try to improve their lottery odds. Porter is at his peak right now, so start shopping him to see if someone will take the risk of rostering him off your hands.
Andrew Wiggins, Miami Heat
Before his 3-for-15 shooting performance against the Knicks on Monday, Wiggins was playing well for the Heat. Even with that line factored in, he is shooting 48.4% from the field for the season. That has helped him average 16.7 points and 1.8 three-pointers, to go along with 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
Wiggins' improved efficiency is masking the fact that his usage rate has fallen from 26.7% with the Heat last season to 20.9% this season. That's with Tyler Herro (ankle) yet to play and Bam Adebayo (toe) having missed six games. When those two get healthy, they will combine with Norman Powell to lead the Heat's scoring attack. With even fewer shots possibly coming for Wiggins, now is the time to try and trade him.
Hold
VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
Edgecombe provided 19.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.6 three-pointers over his first seven games. Since the 76ers were missing so many players because of injuries, Edgecombe was immediately put in a prominent role. As the team's health situation has improved, the rookie has started to see his production slide. Over their last six games, he has averaged 11.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.5 three-pointers.
It was too much to expect Edgecombe to continue producing at the rate that he did out of the gate. It's also not a good thing for him that Paul George made his season debut Monday against the Clippers. However, George and Joel Embiid have a checkered injury history, so they could be in and out of the lineup for much of the season. Even with George back in the fold, Edgecombe isn't going to relinquish his starting role. Don't let George's return force you into a panic move. Hang onto Edgecombe for the long haul.
Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs
A deep Spurs team has suddenly become very thin. De'Aaron Fox is back, but Victor Wembanyama (calf), Stephon Castle (hip) and Dylan Harper (calf) are all currently sidelined. With that trio out Tuesday, Vassell played 35 minutes versus the Grizzlies. He finished the game with 10 points, three rebounds, five assists, two steals, two blocks and two three-pointers.
Although he is only averaging 13.6 points per game right now, Vassell had averaged at least 16.3 points in each of the last three seasons. Wembanyama, Castle and Harper could be out for at least a couple of more weeks, so the Spurs are going to need more scoring and minutes from Vassell. We could be getting at least a couple of weeks of improved production from him, so don't look to sell low on him right now while he could provide fantasy basketball sleeper value.
Last season James became the first player in NBA history to score 50,000 combined points across regular season and play-off games [Getty Images]
LeBron James became the first player to take part in 23 consecutive NBA seasons when he stepped onto the court for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old, who missed his side's opening 14 games of the season because of sciatica, contributed 11 points, 12 assists and three rebounds in 30 minutes of a 140-126 home win over the Utah Jazz.
James - the NBA's record scorer - overtook Vince Carter's mark of having played in 22 successive NBA seasons, while his two three-pointers also moved him above Reggie Miller into sixth place in the NBA's all-time list of most three-pointers made.
"It's been a long time since he played basketball, so I think for the first game back, he looked amazing," said Lakers team-mate Luka Doncic.
"He's going to keep getting his rhythm, and help us a lot."
Doncic had a game high 37 points and four steals in the win against the Jazz as he also contributed 10 assists and five rebounds.
Austin Reaves scored 26 points for the Lakers, while Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen scored 34 and 31 points respectively for Utah.
The win puts the Lakers fourth in the Western Conference, with the Jazz in 10th place.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 29 points, Payton Pritchard had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-99 on Tuesday night to move above .500 for the first time this season.
Derrick White added 15 points for the Celtics, who won their third straight game to improve to 8-7. They played the Nets even for about three quarters before smothering them defensively in the fourth, allowing just one basket for the first 10 minutes of the period.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points for the Nets, his career-best seventh straight game with at least 20. But after his 3-pointer gave Brooklyn a 90-89 lead with 9:08 left, the Nets didn’t make another basket until 1:56 remained.
Day’Ron Sharpe added 16 points for the Nets, who fell to 2-12 overall and 0-7 at home.
The Celtics started the season 0-3 and then won their next three. They dropped the next two games and hadn’t gotten their record back to even again until beating the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Porter had 18 points at halftime and Pritchard scored 17. The teams combined for 22 2-pointers and 21 3-pointers in the first half, which ended with Boston leading 62-61.
The Celtics opened their first double-digit cushion when Brown followed a three-point play with a 3-pointer to cap an 8-0 burst and make it 75-65 with 7 1/2 minutes remaining in the third. Brooklyn cut it to one late in the period before Brown made another 3-pointer to send the Celtics to the fourth with an 89-85 edge.
With the Celtics leading 97-92, they chased down three missed shots on one possession to set up White’s 3-pointer. After a Brooklyn free throw, he made another 3 to make it 103-93. Brown’s 3 with 2:55 left capped an 18-3 run to make it 107-93.
"I thought he looked great," Lakers coach J.J. Redick said of LeBron's practice with the team Monday. "He's smart enough and there's enough carryover from last year, both with personnel and with our schemes, that I think it'll be, you know, easy for him to be integrated right away."
LeBron started suffering from sciatica on his right side back in August, and it caused him to miss all of training camp as well as the first 14 games of the season. The Lakers and James' medical team had agreed not to rush his return, and mid-November has long been the target date.
LeBron was assigned to the Lakers' G-League team last week to get in a couple of full practices, then was recalled and went through a full practice with the varsity Lakers on Monday. "Got to see how the body responds over the next 24 hours-plus," he said after the practice.
He obviously felt well enough to play.
LeBron James warming up pregame before his 23rd season debut (that’s not technically official yet, but…) pic.twitter.com/5N6cpPd5pF
"My lungs feel like a newborn baby," LeBron said after Monday's practice. "That's the most important thing: I've got to get my lungs back up to a grown man. My voice is already gone (from) one day back barking out calls and assignments and stuff. Got to get my voice working again. Be a lot of tea and rest tonight. Feels good to be out here with the guys. Missed them."
By stepping on the court tonight, LeBron will set a record by becoming the first player to play in 23 NBA seasons.
LeBron averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game last season, earning Second Team All-NBA honors and coming in sixth in MVP voting. He makes the Lakers' offense much more dangerous. While Redick has the Lakers running the offense through Luka Doncic, more and more teams are blitzing and trapping Doncic more to get the ball out of his hands and dare any other Laker on the floor to beat them. That ball now goes to LeBron, who gets to lead an attack on the defense in a 4-3 situation when that happens.
After Tuesday's game, the Lakers are off until Sunday, when they face the Jazz in Salt Lake City. At that point, they return home to face the Clippers in a critical West Group B NBA Cup game, which you can watch on Nov. 25 on NBC and Peacock.
How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
LeBron James will make his season debut tonight at Crypto.com Arena when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
LeBron James will make his season debut Tuesday when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity, after sciatica kept James sidelined for the Lakers’ first 14 games.
James is “trending in the right direction,” coach JJ Redick said before Tuesday's game, which will mark the beginning of James' NBA-record 23rd season. The 40-year-old missed the beginning of a season for the first time in his NBA career after starting to feel discomfort in his right side this summer.
James missed all of training camp and the preseason. The Lakers put together a 10-4 record despite playing without their biggest star. In his place, Luka Doncic has emerged as the NBA's leading scorer and guard Austin Reaves is off to a career season.
The star trio played together for several months last year after Doncic joined the Lakers in a blockbuster trade, helping the team grab the third seed in the Western Conference. Redick expects the experience to help James integrate smoothly this year.
“He's smart enough and [there's] enough carry over from last year, both with personnel and with our schemes, that I think it'll be easy for him to be integrated right away,” Redick said.
James said after practice Monday he was not yet pain-free, but he has been able to manage the nerve injury enough to progress through practices with the G League team, the full NBA squad and then Tuesday's shootaround. James said dealing with sciatica came with unexpected challenges. He often could only hope he wouldn't feel pain when he woke up in the morning or when he went to sleep.
Redick said the team and James are approaching “uncharted territory” when it comes to managing the superstar's health. Conversations have been consistent and will be ongoing as the season progresses.
“We'll figure out ways to get him rest when he needs rest,” Redick said.
Staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.
Here are the latest news updates and possible return dates for Knicks players...
Nov. 19, 9:05 p.m.
Jalen Brunson (ankle) will return to the court and start on Wednesday night in Dallas against the Mavericks, the team announced prior to tip-off.
Brunson suffered a Grade 1 right ankle sprain against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 12 and missed the team's next two games against the Miami Heat. New York split the two contests, winning at home and losing on the road. The team is still searching for its first road win of the season, dropping all four games away from the Garden.
Over 11 games this year, Brunson is averaging 28.0 points on 46.7 percent shooting and 6.5 assists per game.
Meanwhile, the Mavs will be without rookie Cooper Flagg (illness) on Wednesday night as he'll miss the first game of his career.
Nov. 18, 6:50 p.m.
The Knicks upgraded Jalen Brunson (ankle) to questionable for their Wednesday tip against the Mavericks in Dallas.
Brunson had missed the team's last two games since suffering a right ankle sprain back on Nov. 12 against the Orlando Magic at MSG. Already without OG Anunoby (hamstring), the Knicks could use their captain to try and get their first road win of the season.
Oct. 28, 7:18 p.m.
Before the Knicks' tip-off against the Bucks, the Knicks announced that Towns (right quad strain) will play, but Yabusele (left knee sprain) will be out, joining McBride (personal) and Robinson (ankle sprain management) as players who are unavailable for Tuesday's game.
Oct. 28, 3:35 p.m.
Miles McBride has been downgraded from questionable to out for the Knicks' game on Tuesday at the Milwaukee Bucks, the team announced. This is the second-straight game the guard missed due to personal reasons. He was out for Sunday's loss against the Miami Heat.
Oct. 27, 6:45 p.m.
Mitchell Robinson still isn't ready to make his season debut, as the Knicks have officially ruled him out again for Tuesday night's game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Robinson has been sidelined for the first three games due to left ankle injury management, and it's still unknown when he'll make his return to the court.
New York has also listed Karl-Anthony Towns (right quad strain), Miles McBride (personal reasons), and Guerschon Yabusele (left knee sprain) as questionable for the contest.
Yabusele is the only new addition to the injury report. Towns has been included heading into each of the first three games, but played in all three, and McBride missed Sunday's game against the Heat for personal reasons.
Yabusele left Sunday's game at one point and had his knee checked, but he was able to return and saw regular time off the bench down the stretch.
Oct. 23, 6:10 p.m.
The latest NBA injury report has been released and the Knicks have designated center Mitchell Robinson (left ankle injury management) as out for Friday's home game against the Celtics.
Robinson missed Wednesday's season opener and the Knicks are being cautious with their big man this season as they want to have him at close to full strength for an anticipated long playoff run.
The Knicks have also designated both Josh Hart (lower back) and Karl-Anthony Towns (right quad strain) as questionable.
Hart also missed the season opener but has not seen action since the first preseason game where he tweaked his back. Towns almost missed Wednesday's game but toughed out his quad strain and to help the Knicks' win against the Cavaliers.
OG Anunoby, who played Wednesday despite being questionable with an ankle sprain, is probably for Friday's game.
Oct. 22, 10:59 p.m.
Karl-Anthony Towns was questionable, then doubtful, then questionable again in the hours leading up to the Knicks' win over the Cavaliers and now we know exactly why.
The Knicks forward told reporters after Wednesday's win that he is playing through a Grade 2 quad strain.
"I’ve been banged up and haven’t really got a chance to practice or play in the last two preseason games," Towns said. "I didn’t want to disappoint the fans, dealing with a Grade 2 quad strain. It’s not something that’s easy to do. We made it happen tonight. Glad the fans respect the effort I put in to play tonight, and my teammates, too. Shoutout to them for supporting me, knowing the situation that I was in."
Towns played through the pain to give the Knicks 19 points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to miss one to two weeks due to a "low-grade" groin strain, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
The Bucks are not required to make anything official until Tuesday, and the team did not practice or meet on Monday. However, coach Doc Rivers did appear on the Bucks' official podcast Courtside and said this (hat tip Eric Nehm of The Athletic):
"I don't know what grade it is, but I know it's not a bad one, so that's good news for us...Probably two weeks he'll be out — hopefully less."
Antetokounmpo had to leave Monday night's game against Phoenix late in the second quarter after injuring his groin on a drive to the rim, though it might have started earlier, coach Doc Rivers said after the game.
"He grabbed his groin, I think in the first quarter, and I asked him right away. He said it was fine," Rivers said, via the Associated Press. "Then I think he grabbed it again and said it was fine. And then on the third time, you know, that's when it happened. But I think it happened before, in my opinion."
Antetokounmpo is playing at an MVP level early in the season, averaging 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists a game, carrying the Bucks early in the season. The concern for the next two weeks is that the Bucks have a -13 net rating when he is off the floor. The Bucks' offense is 21.8 points per 100 possessions better when he is on the court.
Jericho Sims started the second half on Monday with Antetokounmpo out, and both he and Bobby Portis likely see increased run until the Greek Freak returns.
The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a critical loss on Monday, as star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo exited the team's defeat in Cleveland with a right groin injury. Ahead of the team's practice on Tuesday, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said that Giannis would likely be out for two weeks.
BREAKING: Giannis Antetokounmpo injury update via Milwaukee #Bucks HC Doc Rivers.
"I don't know what grade it is, but I know it's not a bad one, so that's good news for us...Probably two weeks he'll be out — hopefully less."
ESPN's Shams Charania reports that the forward has been diagnosed with a low-grade strain. Let's look at how Antetokounmpo's absence will impact the Bucks' rotation and fantasy basketball.
Who will move into the Bucks’ starting lineup?
With Kyle Kuzma (24 percent rostered, Yahoo!) already in the starting lineup, filling that role the last four games, the Bucks will need to turn elsewhere to fill the void. One possibility is that Gary Trent Jr. (seven percent) returns to the lineup after coming off the bench the last three games. As a starter, he's averaging 10.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.3 three-pointers in 28.1 minutes, shooting 37.7 percent from the field and 70.6 percent from the foul line. Trent has primarily been a points and three-pointers option, offering limited value in the other categories.
Another option, if Milwaukee were to go big, would be veteran forward/center Bobby Portis (25 percent). However, like Trent, his fantasy production has been underwhelming this season. Averaging 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 three-pointers in 20.9 minutes, this is the least productive that Portis has been since his second season in the NBA (2016-17). However, according to Cleaning the Glass, Portis and starting center Myles Turner have only shared the court for 120 possessions this season. Given that number, Portis' chances of starting may be slim.
Even if he comes off the bench, there will be opportunities for Portis to provide greater value, but fantasy managers can't assume that he'll come through.
How does Giannis’ absence impact the entire rotation?
The gravity that Antetokounmpo has offensively opens things up for the entire team, even with his lack of a reliable perimeter shot. Ryan Rollins (51 percent) has emerged as a fantasy standout this season, sitting just outside the top-50 in nine-cat, per-game value. Turner (97 percent), one of the league's better pick-and-pop big men, will also be impacted by Antetokounmpo's absence. AJ Green (seven percent), who has provided solid three-point value, could be in a challenging spot in terms of delivering consistent value while the Bucks await Giannis' return.
Turner and Rollins are the safest bets to benefit from Giannis' absence, with the latter being the only appealing option who's still available in 12-team leagues. Outside of those two, fantasy managers may be best served taking a patient approach to see how Rivers handles the rotation, or simply looking to other teams to help account for Antetokounmpo's absence.
On Nov. 12, the Cleveland Cavaliers were on the front end of a tough back-to-back, playing in Miami on Wednesday night then flying home to Cleveland to host Toronto on Thursday night. Cleveland chose to rest both Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley for the game in Miami, both were healthy scratches.
That cost the Cavaliers $100,000. The NBA announced the fine on Wednesday, saying it was "for violating the league's Player Participation Policy."
That policy states teams cannot rest two healthy star players — defined as having made an All-Star team in the past three years, which both Mobley and Mitchell have done — for the same game. If Cleveland had rested one player against the Heat on Wednesday and one against the Raptors on Thursday, that would have been allowed, but resting both on Wednesday violated the policy (which was created to reduce load management of stars in major games). The first fine for violating the policy is $100,000, a second violation would cost $250,000.
The Cavaliers won the game where they were shorthanded, beating Miami 130-116. They fell to the Raptors at home the next night, in a game where Mitchell and Mobley combined for 38 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.
All signs are pointing toward LeBron James making his season debut on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. He went through a full practice with the team on Monday and said, "Got to see how the body responds over the next 24 hours-plus." He has been officially listed as "questionable," which is standard for a player returning from injury who is very close to a return.
Now comes a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania that LeBron is "aiming" to make his debut on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena against the Jazz.
Add that to the evidence that Tuesday night will be the night — and once he plays, LeBron will become the first player in league history to reach 23 seasons on the court. By tradition, Lakers' coach J.J. Redick will likely not make anything official until he has to turn in the starting lineup card 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
Starting in August, LeBron began experiencing sciatica on his right side, which caused him to miss all of training camp as well as the first 14 games of the season. Everyone was cautious with his return.
Last season, LeBron averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game, earning Second Team All-NBA honors and an All-Star selection. There have been questions about how LeBron will fit in a more Luka Doncic-centric offense, but the guess here is very well. LeBron is a high IQ player, he sees defenses blitzing and trapping Doncic more to get the ball out of his hands and dare any other Laker on the floor to beat them. That's a much riskier strategy when it's LeBron and Austin Reaves in the 4-on-3 created by doubling Doncic.
We may bet to see what all this looks like tonight.
Don’t blame the three veterans in the starting lineup. Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green each played imperfect games Tuesday night, but they surely did enough to give the Warriors a reasonable chance at a victory that would have pushed their win streak to four games.
Several factors contributed to Golden State’s 121-113 loss to the Orlando Magic, but the most disappointing was the bench production. Or lack of it.
Orlando was without star forward Paolo Banchero, who averages 21.7 points per game. Yet he was not missed, as a 21-year-old wing named Anthony Black came off the Magic bench to torch the Warriors with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. He played 33 minutes and posted a team-best plus-18.
Orlando’s bench piled up 35 points, while Golden State’s reserves totaled 22 points on 8-of-23 shooting, including 2 of 10 from deep.
Folks, a minus-13 bench output is not a winning formula – particularly for a team that starts three men in their mid-30s.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, however, remains optimistic.
“We have good team,” he told reporters at Kia Center. “We’ve got a lot of depth, we’ve got a great approach, our players are connected, chemistry is good.”
The Warriors qualify as a “good” team. Their approach is mostly solid. The players generally seem to be pulling in the same direction.
The depth? It’s a tour of highs and lows. And it hit another low against the Magic.
Al Horford led the bench crew with nine points and six rebounds and two steals, but he finished minus-11 over 27 minutes. Brandin Podziemski contributed five points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field, finishing minus-7 over 27 minutes. Gary Payton II, who scored four points, somehow finished minus-15 in 10 minutes. Quinten Post scored two points and finished with an even plus-minus.
And then there is Buddy Hield, the team’s most explosive bench player. The guy who over the last five seasons has drained more 3-pointers than anybody besides Curry. The guy who scored 33 points, dropping nine triples, to lift the Warriors to a Game 7 win over the Houston Rockets in a first-round NBA playoff series last season. Hield came off the bench Tuesday, contributing two points and finishing minus-5 over 15 low-impact minutes.
The 32-year-old guard did not find his rhythm during the first four weeks of the 2025-26 NBA season. Since scoring 17 points – and banging five 3-pointers – on opening night, he is shooting 40.8 percent from the field and only 28.3 percent beyond the arc. He has scored in double figures only three times.
This Buddy isn’t helping the Warriors, and he’s trying the patience of his teammates. There is a reason why Butler, peeved committing a first-quarter turnover on a pass to Hield, barked at his teammate and friend.
“I’m never passing you the ball again,” Butler said.
No doubt, Butler will pass to Hield again. He’ll be a lot more comfortable doing so if he knows Buddy’s head is in the game and he’s playing at the level everyone knows he can reach.
Again, inefficiency and low production of the bench was the most disappointing factor. Turnovers, once again, damaged the Warriors. They were outrebounded (43-36) and punished in the paint (Orlando posted a 64-46 edge), as will happen to the smallest team in the league. Players not named Curry shot 6-of-21 from distance.
But to be destroyed by Black is a demerit for Warriors, and most of it lands on their bench.
“Anthony is a really good young player,” Kerr said. “He’s aggressive. I thought his defense was good and he attacked the rim and got some buckets.”
No lies detected, but the Warriors are in trouble if Black is outscoring their entire collection of reserves.
Black was leading an Orlando bench that entered the game ranked 28th in scoring, averaging 30.1 points per game. Golden State’s reserves, by contrast, were ranked 10th, averaging 37.1 points per game.
Insofar as this was Game 5 of a six-game road trip, the trio of heavy-minute veterans – who combined to commit 11 of Golden State’s 18 turnovers, clearly hurting the cause – really needed a boost from the bench. Not a lot, with Curry scoring 34 points, Butler dropping 33 and Green totaling 12 points, six rebounds, six assists and two blocks.
For the Warriors to become the feared offense they aim to be, there will have to be nights when they prevail with neither Curry nor Butler wearing a cape. As prolific as the Curry-Butler combo was, it was not enough.
Golden State’s bench, which has had some terrific games, must find ways to generate offense with more consistency. Even if it requires the support of the entire team to nudge Hield closer to his career shooting metrics.
After weeks of whispered optimism and cautious updates, the moment has finally arrived. LeBron James will make his long-awaited season debut tonight at Crypto.com Arena when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Utah Jazz, according to sources.
The 39-year-old superstar, who missed the team’s first 14 games with a right-side sciatica injury, has been cleared to return following a steady rehab process that tested both patience and belief. And with his first steps onto the hardwood tonight, James will cross a threshold no player in NBA history has ever touched — a 23rd NBA season, a landmark that bends the timeline of what longevity in sports was ever thought to be.
Thanks in large part to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, the Lakers have raced out to a 10-4 start, good for fourth place in the Western Conference. But James has always been the franchise’s gravity, the emotional and tactical engine that changes the shape of games just by existing on the floor. His presence stabilizes everything — pace, spacing, confidence — in ways analytics struggle to fully measure.
Tonight’s matchup against the Jazz suddenly becomes more than a mid-November meeting. It becomes a night where history and urgency share the same stage. Fans will see a player who refuses to age quietly, a man carrying the weight of two decades and still choosing to chase the game with the same fire he once brought as a teenage prodigy from Akron.
James said on Monday that he feels like “the new kid at school,” as far as re-entering the lineup on a team that added a few new faces in the offseason. Both James and head coach J.J. Redick said it could take some time for James to acclimate with new teammates DeAndre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia among others.
James agreed, but it more concerned with his conditioning after he said his lungs “feel like a newborn baby” following a full practice with the Lakers on Monday morning at the team’s UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo.
Tipoff is set for 7:30PM PT tonight in downtown L.A., where the arena lights will feel just a touch brighter. The Lakers get their leader back. The league gets another chapter in a story still refusing to end. And basketball, once again, leans in to watch the King walk out of the tunnel and into history.
Raphielle Johnson