Category: NBA

ATLANTA — The Lakers are getting their superstar guard back for Monday’s road game against the Hawks. 

But the status of his backcourt co-star was uncertain as of six hours before tipoff.

Luka Dončić was taken off of the injury report ahead of the Lakers’ matchup against the Hawks after sitting out of Sunday’s 121-116 win over the Pistons because of low back tightness.

Austin Reaves stepped up in light of Dončić’s absence, scoring a season-high 43 points to lead the Lakers to their fifth straight win and putting them at 9-2 entering Monday. 

Reaves was listed as questionable on the team’s injury report against the Hawks because of an illness. 

Quentin Grimes, who started in place of Dončić against the Pistons, was ruled out against the Hawks because of a sprained finger on his right hand.

Coach JJ Redick said Grimes banged his finger during the game agains the Pistons, leading to the 6-foot-5 guard going back to the locker room during the fourth quarter on Sunday with a member of the medical staff. Redick said Grimes’ X-rays came back negative. 

Dončić is the league’s leading scorer, averaging 40.1 points per game entering Monday.

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UPDATE: Austin Reaves has been ruled out due to illness for Monday’s contest against the Hawks. He’ll miss his first game of the season.

Austin Reaves has been downgraded to out tonight in Atlanta with an illness, the Lakers say

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 9, 2026

As predicted, with both Grimes and Reaves out, Cameron Carr will be inserted into the rotation for the first time this season, according to head coach JJ Redick pregame.

Cameron Carr will play rotation minutes for the Lakers tonight, JJ Redick says

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) November 9, 2026

Original story follows.

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After a shorthanded win over the Pistons on Sunday afternoon, the Lakers look set to be shorthanded in a different way on Monday.

Ahead of their game against the Hawks, the Lakers released their injury report with three notable changes, including the removal of Luka Dončić but the addition of Austin Reaves and Quentin Grimes.

Austin questionable and Grimes is ruled out for tonight. pic.twitter.com/XaqlITWB5a

— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) November 9, 2026

Reaves’ illness is legitimate as Dan Woike of The Athletic noted that Reaves told him he had been feeling sick since arriving in Detroit on Saturday. His performance against the Pistons, then, was a flu game on top of being his best game of the season.

As for Grimes, he left the game during the second half against the Pistons and did not return. After the contest, head coach JJ Redick did not have a full update on Grimes other than noting that x-rays were negative.

Luka would be able to step in if Grimes is the only one missing and the Lakers could largely replicate the rotation from Sunday’s win. If Reaves is also out, though, it could mean Cameron Carr’s first real minutes of the season.

Carr made his debut and has played in a pair of blowouts late, but hasn’t played meaningful rotation minutes. If the Lakers are down two guards, it’s likely one of he or Bronny James would be the next person up.

The Lakers were able to respond while undermanned on Sunday, though. Even with a shuffling of players, it’ll be interesting to see if the Lakers can make it two for two to kick off the road trip.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

‘Let's check the ball up': Jaylen Brown ready for first game against Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Jaylen Brown was asked Sunday whether he and Jayson Tatum had spoken since the former teammates addressed their relationship during the preseason.

“No,” Brown said.

Does he plan to approach Tatum before Tuesday night’s game at Xfinity Mobile Arena?

“I mean, he’s on his side, I’m on my side,” Brown said. “We’re playing basketball. Both of us are trying to win. So it’s nothing to talk about. Let’s check the ball up.”

After months of public comments, documentaries and questions about how their partnership ended, the basketball will finally take over.

Brown will face Boston for the first time since the Celtics traded him to Philadelphia for Paul George and four future draft assets in July. He spent his first 10 NBA seasons in Boston, played nine alongside Tatum and helped the Celtics win the 2024 championship, earning Finals MVP honors.

Tuesday’s 8 p.m. game on NBC will also bring together the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers are 9-2. Boston, riding a three-game winning streak, is 8-2 and sits a half-game behind Philadelphia.

“Another good opportunity for our team to be able to show what we’re made of,” Brown said. “I’m looking forward to it. Big-time matchup, two heavyweights in the East. Let’s get it.”

A reunion without the small talk

Brown has not hidden his appreciation for Boston, even as more has emerged about the deterioration of his relationship with Tatum and the organization.

“I love Boston,” he said Sunday. “Boston’s a great city. A lot of people I developed relationships with, you know what I mean? But I’m just focused on what’s in front of me right now. And that’s the most important thing.”

He also acknowledged everything that accompanies an abrupt end to a decade with one organization.

“Decisions were made,” Brown said. “It’s life. It’s business. Move on. It’s OK. … It’s emotions. You’ve got to pack up and move your stuff. Your family’s got to pack up and move. But it’s life. It’s happened to numerous amounts of people, myself included.

“So I just look forward to being able to build with my team over here, trying to make the best of my situation.”

Brown faced the Celtics during the preseason, but Tuesday will be the first meeting that counts. He said he did not know whether that would introduce emotions that were absent during the exhibition schedule.

“We’ll see how I feel when we get out there,” Brown said. “As of now, I’ve got no emotion toward nothing. So I’m just ready to go.”

Tatum was similarly restrained after Boston’s 117-97 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday.

“It’s another game on the schedule,” Tatum said. “It’s the Celtics versus the Sixers. In the words of Brad Stevens, they all count as one.”

Tatum called the Sixers “an incredible group” with a “great coaching staff,” but declined to add to the discussion surrounding his relationship with Brown.

“Drama gets clicks and views,” he said. “That’s not my thing.” CBS Sports reported Tatum’s full comments Sunday night.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was even more concise.

“It’ll be fun,” Mazzulla said. “It’ll be a good atmosphere.”

The other side of the trade

Brown is not the only centerpiece of the July deal who will face his former team.

George has settled quickly into Boston’s lineup, averaging 20.4 points and supplying the high-volume outside shooting the Celtics have long prioritized. He scored 27 points and made five three-pointers Sunday as Boston beat Milwaukee for its third consecutive victory.

The Celtics have not needed George to duplicate everything Brown provided. He has fit alongside Tatum, Derrick White and Boston’s returning core as another willing shooter and versatile defender.

Tatum is averaging 27.1 points, six rebounds and 7.8 assists. His playmaking has been especially important for a team that replaced Brown’s downhill pressure with more shooting and ball movement.

Boston enters Tuesday ranked third in offensive rating and fourth in defensive rating. It is one of two NBA teams currently inside the top five on both ends of the floor.

The Celtics have also made 15.6 three-pointers per game, the second-highest average in the league. They set an NBA Cup record by hitting 24 against Charlotte on Friday, then made 18 more Sunday in Milwaukee.

That presents a clear challenge for a Sixers defense that has generally performed well but has occasionally surrendered clean perimeter looks after committing extra help toward the ball. Tatum, George, White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser can all punish late rotations.

What the matchup could reveal

The Sixers have reached 9-2 without depending upon the same formula every night.

Tyrese Maxey leads them at 26.9 points per game. Brown is averaging 22.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and four assists while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from three. Joel Embiid and LeBron James have supplied scoring, passing and defensive flexibility around them.

Brown has repeatedly described the team as unfinished despite its record.

“From our perspective, it’s been some growing pains for sure, even though we’ve been able to win,” he said. “The result, we’re not so much fixated on the result. It’s more so about the process, and we’ve got to improve our process and our mentality to creating a winning environment.”

Boston should provide the clearest early measure of that process.

The Celtics play considerably slower than the Sixers, but their half-court execution has been more efficient. Philadelphia will want to create turnovers and run before Boston can set its defense. The Celtics will attempt to control the pace, generate three-pointers and make the Sixers execute against a defense that has yet to allow an opposing player to score 30 points this season.

There is also the unavoidable Brown matchup. Boston could use Tatum, George and White against him at different points, giving the Celtics several defenders capable of absorbing his drives without immediately sending help.

Nick Nurse expects Brown to bring something extra, even if Brown has publicly downplayed the emotional component.

“It’s going to be very different for him,” Nurse said. “I think probably a little bit of emotion in there, too, but also I think he’s going to be very motivated to play.”

What the odds say

Boston’s rotation is healthy entering the matchup. Two-way guard Devin Carter is out because of an illness.

Dominick Barlow and Ariel Hukporti remain out for the Sixers. Adem Bona could return after missing Sunday’s contest.

The betting market views the matchup as essentially a toss-up. Monday afternoon listings had the spread moving between Boston minus-1.5 and Philadelphia minus-1.5, depending on the sportsbook, with the total at 215.5.

That fits the larger picture. Philadelphia owns the East’s best record. Boston has the conference’s strongest point differential and has outscored opponents by 10.7 points per game.

The surrounding conversation will center on Brown and Tatum until the opening tip. Brown does not intend to contribute any ceremonial small talk.

“He’s on his side,” Brown said. “I’m on my side.”

Then they will check the ball up.

Set aside their ugly loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Cup on Friday, and the Sixers are otherwise having a largely dreamy start to the season. They still sit atop the Eastern Conference at 9-2, and they’ve shown a far higher ceiling on defense than anyone expected this early in the season.

The Sixers have already hit a critical benchmark, too. This is the fifth time in LeBron James’ career that he’s been on a team that started the season 7-1, according to ESPN’s Kris Rhim. All four of the previous teams that he’s done it with made the NBA Finals that season.

As long as their starting five stays healthy, the Sixers figure to be a preferred landing spot for ring-chasers later this year. They already have one open roster spot, and they could create another one by salary-dumping Justin Edwards ahead of the trade deadline. If Kevin Love is already queued up as one future signing, the Sixers might prefer to have additional flexibility to explore all of their pre- and post-deadline options.

However, the NBA’s new draft-lottery system could impact which players are available on the buyout market.

“Philadelphia would be an attractive destination in the buyout market after the Feb. 11 trade deadline, when the Sixers could squeeze a pro-rated minimum onto their books,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon wrote Friday. “But several executives around the league wondered how much the new anti-tanking lottery rules will weaken the buyout market.”

The new lottery punishes the teams with the three worst records by giving them lower odds than the other seven teams that miss the play-in tournament. They can fall no lower than No. 12—the other 13 teams can drop as far as No. 16—but they have only a 16 percent chance at a top-three pick, a 28 percent chance at a top-five pick and a 61 percent chance at a top-10 pick. The other non-play-in teams have a 24 percent chance at a top-three pick, a 39 percent chance at a top-five pick and a 73 percent chance at a top-10 pick.

Teams that don’t control their first-round pick in 2027—a group that includes the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns—shouldn’t be particularly concerned with the new lottery rules. The second round will now be arranged in reverse order, meaning whichever team lands the No. 1 pick will drop to No. 46 in the second round, but that shouldn’t deter teams without a 2027 first-round pick from selling off veterans at the trade deadline.

The question is how many teams will buy out their unwanted veterans on expiring contracts if they’re unable to offload them at the trade deadline.

Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine might be the big test of the new system this year. The Kings are already flying dead stick, and it might be tough for them to find a taker for LaVine’s $49.0 million expiring contract by the trade deadline. However, they have control over their own 2027 first-round pick, which means they have clear incentive not to finish with a bottom-three record. Would they keep LaVine around after the trade deadline to help them accomplish that?

Granted, even if the buyout market is largely limited to teams that don’t control their own first-round pick in 2027, the Sixers could still have some decent options available to them. Clippers center Brook Lopez is on the tail end of his career and wouldn’t do much to help the Sixers’ rebounding issues, but he can space the floor and protect the rim, which would give them a valuable change-up whenever Joel Embiid is off the floor.

The Clippers presumably wouldn’t want to waive Max Strus, Derrick Jones Jr. or Kris Dunn, if only to ensure they maintain their Bird rights on them heading into free agency next summer. The same goes for the Nets with Michael Porter Jr. and the Chicago Bulls with Jalen Smith. But agents will still have the same motivation to get their clients to winning environments, even if teams have less incentive to buy out their veterans on expiring deals.  

Whenever the NBA implements a rule change as drastic as the new draft lottery, it inevitably has trickle-down effects, many of which are unintended consequences. It’s unclear if the league intended to whittle down the buyout market as part of its anti-tanking push, but executives are already wondering how it will look this year, as MacMahon relayed Friday.

The Sixers can only hope those fears are unfounded. Otherwise, they might have to pivot to a plan B regarding in-season improvements to their roster.

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.

Follow Bryan on Bluesky.

In a salary-capped league, or “apron world” as president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka once referred to it, you need players to outperform their contracts. Even more so when they’re on minimum deals. 

Besides LeBron James, who is not your normal minimum signing, it can be argued the Lakers have the best one in the league in Matisse Thybulle. 

The two-time All-Defensive selection has started every game for the 9-2 Lakers, who own the best record in the NBA. That includes multiple back-to-backs, despite his health being a primary concern when he signed. 

His defense has been as advertised. LA had their most impressive win of the season Sunday. Without superstar Luka Dončić, they went in and beat the 6-2 Pistons on the road.

While only scoring four points, he collected four steals in his 28 minutes. It was his fourth game already this season with at least three takeaways. 

The purple and gold force the second most turnovers in the league. Thybulle’s relentless pursuit and, at times, unorthodox style is a major reason why. Watch his activity below on the first defensive possession of the game.

While closing out to the initial offensive player, he allows him to get a step in front of him to poke the ball away from behind. It’s a defensive approach you would never teach, but is successful due to the combination of feel, a seven-foot wingspan and great hands. 

Then, the lazy flat angle pass is deflected and eventually stolen. Thybulle leads the Lakers in steals and deflections and is tied for third in the entire league in the latter.

Like a hawk waiting in the wings for its prey, Thybulle will subtly maneuver himself into position to get a steal. He’s taken numerous full court passes by opponents by making the read and pouncing after the pass is already in flight. 

The best defenders in the league can somehow operate in two places at once. Watch below as he not only takes away the outlet to the corner, but then comes back to deflect and steal the dump off pass to the rim. 

Two-man combinations are mainly thought of in terms of offensive fits, but Thybulle and Walker Kessler have been a defensive match made in heaven. The Lakers have an 11.8 net rating with both of them on the court, holding a 108.9 defensive rating, which would rank in the top 10 in the league. 

With Kessler behind, Thybulle is free to poke at the ball and be his aggressive self. At times, it can be a detriment to the team with his gambles, but overall, it fits into a more active than reactive defensive identity. 

LA throws him on the best opposing ball handlers every night at the point of attack. Watch him below on Cade Cunningham, who was held to just 14 points on 6-15 shooting Sunday. 

Good defense is not always about getting the steal, but deterring the offensive player from getting to their spot on the floor. Thybulle forces Cunningham to change directions laterally twice and gets a hand on the pass to the corner. While the Pistons score on a putback, LA held the Pistons to just 36% shooting in the first half.

In addition to the steals and deflections, Thybulle is second on the team with nine blocks. He comes from the weak side at times to protect the rim and recovers ground to block 3-point attempts on the perimeter. 

As the superb defense was expected, the offense has blown up his expected value. He’s been a ball mover and connector, while finding his spots as a cutter against compromised defenses. 

The shooting, while it’s cooled off a bit, is still at 39.5% on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. He’s even added a no-dip 3-pointer, as shown below. It allows for a quicker release against potential close outs from defenders. 

It’s a long season, and after playing just 45 games total over the last two years, Thybulle still has to make it through the 82-game grind. So far, he’s far outkicked his salary. 

The defense will always be there, but if the shooting holds, the Lakers may have a championship-caliber wing on a minimum contract.  

​You can follow Raj on X at @RajChipalu.

Welcome to Week in Review: a Monday feature that looks back at the week that was for the San Antonio Spurs, takes a look at the week ahead, and more. Enjoy!

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Week 2: After a rough opening week of the season, the Spurs took advantage of an easy schedule against the sinking Kings and Jazz and injured Timberwolves to get right again, going undefeated with Victor Wembanyama absolutely dominating by averaging 36 points per game to win Western Conference Player of the Week.

Week 3: 4-0 (8-2, 3rd in West)

119-97 win vs. Utah Jazz

It was a rare game where Wemby was not hot, with just 12 points 5-15 shooting, but the Spurs didn’t need him to be in another match-up against the lowly Jazz. He deferred to the hot hands, and they used a balanced attack with all five starters plus Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson scoring in double figures, as well as dominant first and third quarters to put the game away early.

112-111 win vs. Dallas Mavericks

Unlike the week prior, the Mavericks had Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving available this time, and the match-up lived up to the hype. The Spurs dominated the first half and led by as much as 19, but their inability to protect big leads reared its ugly head again as it completely evaporate in the second half, not helped by the Spurs being ice-cold from three (5-36). But, Wemby once again proved he’s on another tier this season with a historic 53-point, 24-rebound, 8-block night to rescue his team from the jaws of defeat (although it would have been easier had he made his last 4 free throws).

124-109 win at Sacramento Kings (NBA Emirates Cup)

In their first Tournament game of the the season, the Spurs made quick work of the cellar-dwelling Kings on the first night of a back-to-back to allow their players to rest in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates (although point-differential does matter in the Cup standings, and the Warriors now lead the group thanks to a 17-point win). Wemby again dominated, with 30 points and 14 rebounds in a quick 26 minutes of work.

125-103 win at Portland Trail Blazers

After a sluggish first half featuring two teams on a back-to-back, poor shooting and a heavy whistle (for a total of 41 first-half free throws), the Spurs exploded in the second half against their first-round opponents from last season. Another dominant Wemby game and 17 threes helped the Spurs get out to a 30-point lead in the third quarter, leaving the Portland crowd in stunned silence and heading for the exists early.

Power Rankings

John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 1 (last week: 4)

OffRtg: 117.2 (5) DefRtg: 107.1 (5) NetRtg: +10.1 (3)

The Spurs’ winning streak is at eight games, over which they’ve ranked in the top three on both ends of the floor. They’re 8-2 for the second straight season, though they have a better point differential than they had through 10 games last year.

Two takeaways

1. Victor Wembanyama scored 52 points (adding 24 rebounds and eight blocks) against the Mavs on Wednesday … with a broken jump shot. After that game, he was 7-for-29 (24%) from mid-range and 12-for-50 (24%) from beyond the arc. But he scored 45 of those 52 points in the restricted area (13-for-16) or at the free throw line (19-for-23), and he may have found his shooting stroke over the weekend. He wasn’t as dominant inside, but made seven of his 12 3-point attempts in Sacramento and Portland.
2. The Spurs’ starting lineup still doesn’t play a ton of minutes; at 10.5 minutes per game, it ranks 13th among lineups that have played at least five games together. It was also outscored by the Kings on Friday. But it’s allowed just 85.8 points per 100 possessions, the best mark among the 22 lineups that have played at least 50 total minutes, and it’s been much better offensively (114.9 scored per 100) than the Spurs were when De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle shared the floor last season.

Coming up: The Spurs had the league’s best interconference record last season, going 26-4 in regular-season games (that counted in the standings) against the East. Their first interconference game this season is Wednesday in Chicago, the end of a four-game trip.

Law Murray, The Athletic — 1 (last week: 4)

The slate has been favorable, but the Spurs are doing what they need to do, and that’s win the games and progress accordingly. On that front, Victor Wembanyama is back to reinventing stat lines, so that’s cool.

What is more meaningful is that the Spurs might just wind up keeping this starting lineup that features all four of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell. It’s been working out nicely, with the Spurs outscoring foes by 69 points in the 105 minutes that the five-man starting lineup has been out there together. The three-man lineup of Fox, Castle and Harper specifically has seen the Spurs outscore opponents by 72 points in 113 minutes, with Wembanyama being out there for all of that time.

Tobias Harris (calf) will undoubtedly need a ramping-up period, so he isn’t guaranteed a starting role when he gets healthy. Fox has been efficient, Harper has kept turnovers down and Castle has launched more 3s than ever. The Spurs have Wembanyama, and he more than makes up for the lack of fit perfection when it comes to his co-starters.

Kurt Helin, NBC Sports— 2 (last week: 7)

Unexpected standout:Julian Champagnie. He’s not really an unexpected standout, but is there one on a high-profile team that was in the NBA Finals last June? When Mitch Johnson decided to start three guards — De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper — Julian Champagnie was the odd man out and got pushed to the bench. He’s handling it like a pro, and he’s still producing, shooting 42% from 3, giving them almost 10 points a night, and defending well.

Brett Siegel, Clutch Points — 2 (last week: 4)

Since dropping the first two games of the season, the San Antonio Spurs have rattled off eight straight wins, the longest active win streak in the NBA. However, the combined record of the teams they played during this eight-game span is just 20-26 overall, with six of these wins coming against Dallas, Sacramento, and Utah.

Victor Wembanyama has been on a tear lately, averaging 30.8 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 54.1 percent from the floor over the last week. In the Spurs’ 112-111 win over the Mavs on Wednesday night, Wembanyama recorded 52 points, 24 rebounds, and eight blocks.

Aside from recording career highs in points and rebounds against Dallas, Wemby joined Bob McAdoo as the only other player since 1973 to have at least 50 points, 20 rebounds, and five blocks in a single game. Wembanyama has posted MVP-like numbers and carried the Spurs to the No. 2 spot in the NBA power rankings.

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Coming up

• Mon. 11/9 at Phoenix Suns (8:00 PM CT)
• Wed. 11/11 at Chicago Bulls (7:00 PM CT)
• Fri. 11/13 vs. Golden State Warriors (Emirates Cup, 8:30 PM CT)
• Sun. 11/15 at Utah Jazz (4:00 PM CT)

(After 12 of the Spurs’ first 20 games are 8:00 tip-off times or later, I’m looking forward to the Nov. 29 – Jan. 17 stretch, when NONE of them are later than 7:00. My sleep schedule thanks you, NBA.)

Prediction: 4-0 — I doubted and got burned last week (although the Spurs almost made me right with that Dallas game), but I fully believe they’re back now. The only game that should present a challenge (if they keep playing the way they are and don’t relax) is the Warriors, with rookie Yaxel Lendeborg bringing new life to the twilight years of Steph Curry and Draymond Green’s careers. It will likely be a must-win game if the Spurs want to advance in the In-Season Tournament again. (Oh, and if you aren’t tired of the Jazz yet, here they are AGAIN.)

LeBron James says that his loved ones are not in danger after multiple media outlets reported that a man was arrested outside the former Lakers star’s Brentwood home late last week.

According to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson, officers responded to a reported burglary in progress in a Brentwood neighborhood on Friday at around 9:40 p.m. A 22-year-old male identified as Jaliere McWhite was taken into custody without incident and booked for felony stalking.

As of Monday morning, McWhite was being held on $150,000 bond at the Van Nuys Regional Jail, according to online inmate records.

Read more:Plaschke: LeBron who? Lakers happily shed the burden of departed star

James, who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, was asked about the incident following his team’s 127-121 victory over the Bulls in Chicago on Sunday.

“My family is safe, and that’s the most important,” James said. “We’re still looking into everything.”

Read more:Lakers assign Bronny James, Cameron Carr to G League team

A 24-year NBA veteran, James spent the previous eight seasons with the Lakers before signing with the 76ers as a free agent this summer. His wife, Savannah James, and 12-year-old daughter Zhuri still live in Los Angeles.

James told reporters last year that his oldest son Bronny James, a third-year Lakers guard who was assigned to G League Coachella Valley last week, had moved out of the family home. Middle child Bryce James is a redshirt freshman guard at Arizona.

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.

Just as the Warriors were beginning to hit their stride, a surprise appeared on the injury report Sunday night that threatened to halt their momentum in its tracks.

Will Richard was suddenly listed as out for Golden State’s game against the Pelicans on Monday night and will likely miss more time than that. The second-year guard was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, though the Warriors have not commented.

The injury isn’t uncommon among NBA players and typically requires surgery that comes with a recovery timeline in the neighborhood of six weeks. However, Richard did seem to catch somewhat of a break, given that it occurred in his non-shooting hand.

Richard, 23, had been playing well since a slow start to the season and carved out a role in coach Steve Kerr’s rotation. He was in their starting lineup two of their past three games.

He attempted only one shot in 12 minutes in Saturday’s win over the Magic but showed no sign of injury, making his sudden appearance on the injury report heading into Monday night a surprise.

The Warriors have won seven in a row since losing their first three games of the season, and Richard has been a small part of the turnaround. Although he has scored in double figures only twice, the former 56th overall pick has earned praise for his hustle and basketball IQ.

In 17.2 minutes per game, Richard was averaging 5.1 points. He appeared in 69 games as a rookie, starting 21, and averaged 6.4 points in 20 minutes per game, cooling down after a hot start.

Gui Santos, who recently returned from knee tendinitis, reclaimed his spot in the starting lineup Saturday against the Magic and will likely pick up some of Richard’s minutes. The rest will be spread around between De’Anthony Melton, Brandon Williams, LJ Cryer and Gary Payton II.

Kerr opted to insert Richard, a 6-foot-3 guard, into the starting lineup while Santos, a 6-foot-7 wing, was forced to miss two games with knee tendinitis. The silver lining for Golden State was that Richard’s injury coincided with Santos’ return in their win over the Magic.

The Warriors, however, should prepare to play without Richard for an extended period.

Despite Luka Dončić’s absence, the Los Angeles Lakers won their fifth straight game Sunday night with a 121-116 victory over the Detroit Pistons and moved to 9-2 on the young season. Spearheaded by a 43-point performance from Austin Reaves, their offense led the way as they recorded a 127.4 offensive rating — their fourth-highest mark of the year, per Cleaning the Glass — against Detroit’s third-ranked defense.

The Lakers roared out to 38-14 advantage after the first quarter before scoring just 50 points the next two periods. Then, as the Pistons inched closer, they slammed the door shut with a 33-point final frame to secure the win.

“Love the way we started the game. There was a tremendous amount of, even in the pregame tape, a tremendous amount of focus on our part on handling their activity, pressure, their fouling, all of that stuff,” head coach JJ Redick told reporters following the win. “Outside of the third, and particularly, those four straight possessions in the third, I thought we did a good job of that. Overall, having three turnovers in that fourth quarter, when they were really trying to ramp up their defense, we just showed a lot of poise throughout.”

Among the hallmarks of the Pistons’ stingy defense is their ability to generate takeaways — they rank third in opposing turnover rate at 17.9% this season and were first a year ago. Even without Dončić, the Lakers managed to dip below Detroit’s season average and produced a 16.8% turnover rate.

They’ve had plenty better showings this year (five, to be exact) but it’s a vastly improved number compared to their other Dončić-less outing, when they turned the ball over 23.3% of the time against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 28. For his part, Reaves was superbly economical and committed just one turnover on his 79 touches Sunday.

The West-leading Lakers will aim for a sixth consecutive win Monday night against the 7-4 Atlanta Hawks, which are riding their own four-game winning streak and tout the NBA’s fourth-highest opposing turnover rate. Los Angeles will hope this one features Dončić back in the fold. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. PST.

You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.

The start to this NBA season just went from bad to worse for the Charlotte Hornets.

Kon Knueppel is expected to miss an extended amount of action after reaggravating the same left hamstring injury that forced him to miss the beginning of the 2026-27 NBA season. The latest setback was particularly cruel, just six minutes into his season debut for the Hornets.

Charlotte had been eagerly awaiting Knueppel's return to the lineup after he led the NBA in 3-pointers and finished runner-up to former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg in Rookie of the Year voting. But the latest update from team officials confirmed Knueppel won't be back on the court soon to help a Hornets team in a rough patch earlier than expected this season.

Here's the latest on Knueppel's injury situation and how it affects the Hornets:

NBA ROOKIE RANKINGS: Top player so far wasn't a top-10 pick

Kon Knueppel injury update

The Hornets announced Sunday that Knueppel has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in four weeks. The injury is a recurrence of the issue that sidelined him for the first eight games of the season.

The team had initially termed Knueppel's injury as "left leg soreness" when he left the Hornets' Nov. 4 game against the Brooklyn Nets.

Although there didn’t appear to be a specific play in which Knueppel got hurt, he exited shortly after he dribbled the ball off his foot. During the play, Knueppel tried to dribble the ball behind his back, but it caromed off his right leg, forcing him to take a small step as he tried to recover it. Immediately after the play, Knueppel limped but tried to stay in the game before quickly heading to the bench. He eventually went into the locker room and did not return.

Knueppel scored 3 points, all from free throws, missed his only shot attempt, a 3-pointer, and committed 2 turnovers in 5:51 on the floor against the Nets.

Why Kon Knueppel's injury hurts the Hornets

Knueppel's return seemed to be coming at the perfect time for the Hornets, who had been reeling from a barrage of injuries early on this season. Instead, Knueppel is out for the foreseeable future and the Hornets have lost much of the momentum they generated last season.

Charlotte (3-7) enters Monday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on a six-game losing streak. It has already been without key players like Brandon Miller (strained right hip), Grant Williams (right hamstring strain), Dennis Schroder (left hamstring strain), center Moussa Diabate (right quad tendinopathy) and guard Coby White (left calf) due to injury through 10 games this season.

The lack of continuity is in stark contrast to last season, when the Hornets' top eight scorers all played at least 65 games and they were one of the NBA's biggest surprises. Charlotte finished with the franchise's best record in a decade (44-38) and qualified for the Eastern Conference play-in tournament as the No. 9 seed. Knueppel played 81 games as a rookie.

The injuries have also exposed the risks that came with the Hornets' offseason decision to trade LaMelo Ball. Knueppel's emergence as a rookie helped justify the move, but Charlotte's roster looks far different when he's unavailable. It certainly doesn't work without Miller, White and Diabate, too.

The good news is the bottom of the Eastern Conference appears soft. The Hornets, as much as they've struggled so far, still sit in 10th place in the standings. They might be able to stay in the postseason race without Knueppel for a month, particularly if Miller and Williams are back.

But if his absence lasts beyond Christmas, the Hornets could be staring at a lost season after finally seeming to find themselves over the past year.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kon Knueppel's latest injury setback could be crushing blow for Hornets

Teenage life is complicated, and while we’re in the 2020s, it seems that the Toronto Raptors are going through an awkward phase right now. With a big brother (Kawhi) out of the house for college (injury treatment), they’re having to find themselves in a big and scary high school (Eastern Conference) as they’re trying to develop an identity for themselves in an unforgiving world (the National Basketball Association).

More threes, and a Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes centred offence, would have both been logical progressions from last year’s Raptors’ squad. But, Leonard out and some streaky shooting has meant that the Raptors are looking like quite a different beast entirely. Tonight, the Raptors are matching up with the Grizzlies, a familiar foe from the Vancouver days, with the possibility to have three starters out, due to Leonard’s injury management and some issues exhibited from Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley.

Scottie Barnes (adductor) and Immanuel Quickley (hamstring) are both questionable for tomorrow's game against the Grizzlies, per Raptors.

Both were limited participants in practice today.

— Zulfi Sheikh (@zulfi_sheikh) November 8, 2026

Barnes and Quickley are both focal parts of the Raptors’ offence, but didn’t play in the team’s last game, a victory against the Milwaukee Bucks. Across the four game road trip, the Raps went two and two, picking up wins against two really, really bad teams (Clippers and Bucks) and losing to a great team and a fine team (Lakers and Nuggets). Not super heartening, but again, the first major road trip, and all of those games were played with at least one starter down.

The road trip continued to showcase Scottie Barnes’ development into a type of player that we only saw glimpses of during the last playoffs. Barnes, this season, has transformed himself into a rebounding, midrange shooting, volume scorer as opposed to the pass-first point forward that he had developed a reputation as.

As of time of writing, Scottie is second in the league for midranges attempted, and third in the league for midranges made. This is, quite frankly, bananas, considering that Barnes was never known to be a primary scorer; it seems that one summer with Kawhi Leonard has rubbed off a lot on the younger player. Barnes has never been more fun to watch, while still maintaining his responsibilities on the defensive end, averaging 2.3 steals on the season so far.

Barnes has shown that he’s able to do something that superstars are often called upon to do: prop up a mediocre team with great scoring, taking over like he did during the win against the Clippers. And indeed, the Raptors have thus far been unfortunately mediocre.

“We’ve been very underwhelming to start the season,” said Jamal Shead after the Raptors’ win against the Bucks last week. “We have so much more to put out, and I think today was a start,” he continued.

A complete team effort.
Jamal Shead knows there's more to come. 😤 pic.twitter.com/kASe867rEK

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) November 7, 2026

Consistency is a big part of that. Kristian Cuaresma pointed to the loss to the Denver Nuggets being a tale of four quarters: the Raptors take 12 threes in the first quarter, and make six. Immanuel Quickley gets 10 points and six times in 12 minutes. But then, the Raptors shoot 6-22 from three for the rest of the game, and Immanuel Quickley ends the game, scoring just three more points, and getting one more assist.

In the game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Barnes finished with 22, but only had seven before the fourth quarter.

And, in the game against the Bucks, Jakob Poeltl plays 31 points and gets a 19 point, 11 rebound double-double. Yes, the Bucks are abysmal, but when Poeltl does that in one game, but has a rough stretch like he does at the beginning of the season, it’s difficult to know what version of the big man the Raptors are getting on a night-to-night basis, at this juncture.

Understanding team identity is important, and clearly, the idea of Scottie Barnes as a point forward supporting Kawhi Leonard, and the Raptors developing a major three point shooting offence isn’t developing quite as anyone thought it might. And ultimately, that’s okay. But this lack of dependable production (and availability) from just about everyone on the Raptors means that every game is shaping up to be a very different kind of contest, where weapons end up being used in majorly different ways.

If Darko Rajaković understands, and is able to harness his players’ varying levels of production going forward, there won’t be an issue. But, the alternative, a confusing and inconsistent team, would be devastating after making such a big swing for Kawhi Leonard.

Jamal Shead might have been speaking for his team with his statement: the Raptors can be doing a lot more, and perhaps will be able to turn the corner now into a more polished version of what they bring to the hardwood. But finally cementing the identity of this iteration of the Raptors is a project that seems far from finished. Growing up takes a lot of time, and a lot of pain for everyone involved, and Toronto seems to be no exception.

In the third week of the NBA season, the Phoenix Suns had four games, the same number they played in the first two weeks combined. Losing the first two and winning the last two, the team has established some momentum after a rough 1-5 start to the year, but there’s a lot they need to fix if they want to return to the playoffs.

Alas, here are the questions we want your answers on for this week’s edition of Bright Side Wonders:

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The Suns finally beat Kevin Durant

It took them four games, but the Phoenix Suns have beaten the Houston Rockets for the first time since trading Kevin Durant to Texas. In a back-and-forth second half, the team eked out the victory thanks to an all-around scoring effort and holding the Rockets’ top scorers (Durant and Alperen Şengün) under 36% shooting from the floor.

Leading as much as 19 in the first half, the Suns didn’t let blowing their massive lead stop them from closing out a contested final minutes.

While the win started the team’s first win streak of the season and helped build some momentum, beating Durant for the first time is noteworthy, considering the back-and-forths he’s had with the franchise since his departure.

How do you feel about the Durant trade now that the Suns have finally beaten him?

A starting lineup change

After starting the year 1-5, the Phoenix Suns made a change to the starting lineup. And no, Collin Gillespie is still a reserve. Oso Ighodaro has replaced Khaman Maluach at the starting center spot, and the team is 2-0 since. The two’s playing time hasn’t altered much since the move, but who they’re playing with has, and the Suns’ starting lineup’s net rating goes up by 16 points when Ighodaro is the starter, according to HoopsJunkie.

Ighodaro isn’t the rebounder or the physical presence that Maluach is, but he’s more experienced, and adds another playmaker to a starting lineup that lacks them. Additionally, the fact that he doesn’t need to have the ball to make an impact helps a starting five full of ball-dominant scorers.

Albeit a small sample size, how are you feeling about the lineup change?

A more efficient Dillon Brooks?

When the Suns traded for Miles Bridges, it was known that someone in the starting lineup was going to have to make a shot attempt sacrifice, but it was hard to believe it’d be Dillon Brooks after his career year and it’s been him, and the Suns aren’t benefiting from it.

While he’s shooting career-highs from the field and three, the team is 14 points worse on offense when he’s on the floor. Even though he makes up for it by being such a major impact on defense, one of the reasons the Suns surprised many last season was because of his offensive aggressiveness, and with him taking nearly five less shots per game than he did a season ago, they’re struggling?

What impact would a more aggressive Brooks make on the team’s offense?

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Weird, but True

The Suns’ win against the Rockets was their first win against Houston in 982 days. The only other team they haven’t beaten in that stretch is the Boston Celtics, who they haven’t beaten since February 3rd, 2023. 1,374 days ago.

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On the Suns’ Plate This Week

It’s another four-game week for the Suns, but this one is all at home. This week they’ll host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday for their game against the Eastern Conference of the season and then they’ll finish the week off on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

All games start at 7 pm AZ time except for the game against the Lakers, which starts at 2 pm.

DETROIT — Austin Reaves couldn’t pretend it was a good shot. 

Even with the Lakers star guard having the greenest of green lights after going on a personal 7-0 run as the hosts attempted to come back from down 26 points, Reaves kept it real about what followed. 

After John Collins nudged the ball out of his hands after running a pick and roll with Walker Kessler, Reaves lost possession of the ball in his left hand with his momentum taking him toward the sideline opposite of the Pistons’ bench. 

But he was able to get the ball back to the hottest hand on the court throughout Sunday night, regaining possession and taking a single dribble before firing up a 27-footer with 11 seconds still on the shot clock.   

“It was a terrible shot,” Reaves admitted postgame. “Absolutely.”

It didn’t matter, with the ball bouncing off the top of the backboard before falling through the net to give the Lakers a 78-61 lead and putting Reaves at 32 points after scoring 10 points in just over two minutes of game time for his first 30-point game of the season. 

The 6-foot-5 Oklahoma product didn’t even try to act like he called bank, with the shot reminding him of the kind of miraculous looks his backcourt co-star regularly attempts.

“Oh, it was 100% lucky,” he said. “Honestly, when I stepped back and shot it, I was like, ‘this is some b——- Luka [Dončić] would shoot.’ And I didn’t try to bank it in. It went in, it looks the same in the stat sheet.”

The 3-pointer was just one of the many wild shots Reaves made en route to scoring a season-high 43 points in the Lakers’ 121-116 win over the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.

He also hit a fadeaway from behind the backboard midway through the first quarter for his seventh and eighth points of the night which gave the Lakers an early 18-7 lead.

“Lucky shot,” Reaves said. “I was a lucky player [Sunday night].”

And with Dončić, the league’s leading scorer with an average of 40.1 points per game, watching from the sidelines against the Pistons because of back tightness, the Lakers greatly benefitted from Reaves’ luck.