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Embiid fined once again for DX chop celebration vs. Celtics

Embiid fined once again for DX chop celebration vs. Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW YORK —The NBA has not stopped fining Joel Embiid for his signature celebration. 

The league announced that Embiid has been fined $50,000 “for making a lewd gesture” during the Sixers’ loss Friday night to the Celtics.

Embiid’s been fined on multiple occasions for his DX chop celebration, a professional wrestling-inspired move the NBA has previously called “obscene.” He used it Friday in the first quarter after converting an and-one leaner.

The star big man responded to the latest fine by tweeting that the NBA “better starting fining the refs for doing the ‘lewd’ ‘blocking foul’ gesture since I’m not allowed to do it.” 

After scoring 20 points in a season-high 25 minutes against Boston, Embiid’s been ruled out with a “left knee injury management” designation for the 4-1 Sixers’ Sunday night matchup with the 0-5 Nets.

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Referee explains why Russell Westbrook wasn't called for flagrant on Giannis

Referee explains why Russell Westbrook wasn't called for flagrant on Giannis originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Following the Kings’ 135-133 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night at Fiserv Forum, Crew Chief Mitchell Ervin clarified why Russell Westbrook wasn’t hit with a flagrant foul after wrapping up Giannis Antetokounmpo on a hard play near the rim.

In a Pool Report interview with Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Ervin said the officials reviewed the sequence under the “player altercation” trigger and determined the contact didn’t rise to a flagrant level.

“During that review, there was no windup, impact or follow through by Westbrook and the contact by Westbrook was at shoulder level,” Ervin said. “Therefore, a common foul was ruled on the play.”

Ervin added that because the incident was reviewed as a “player altercation,” the crew was able to examine every part of the scrum for possible unsportsmanlike conduct.

“Player altercation — I could have said a double trigger,” Ervin explained. “I could have said player altercation and flagrant foul review. During a player altercation review, we really have an opportunity to review the play and any acts within the scrum at the end — we could review everything and any possible unsportsmanlike act after the foul.”

A few possessions later, tensions flared again when DeMar DeRozan fouled Milwaukee’s Gary Trent Jr. What looked like a standard shooting foul quickly escalated when Trent was hit with a technical for his reaction.

“The technical foul on Trent Jr. was assessed for unsportsmanlike flail after the personal foul assessed to DeMar DeRozan,” Ervin noted.

The third quarter wasn’t the only stretch that saw tempers flare. Earlier in the game, Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis was assessed a technical foul after shoving Domantas Sabonis in the back, leading to a brief scuffle between the teams.

Later, Bucks guard Cole Anthony was ejected with less than 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

From the opening quarter to the final minutes, the officiating crew was tested on multiple fronts. In a later sequence before Bucks guard AJ Green’s last free throw — when Westbrook appeared to grab Antetokounmpo — Ervin said officials “did not observe that part of the play” and determined no foul or violation occurred.

In a game defined by its physical tone and frequent reviews, Ervin’s comments helped clarify the officials’ decisions on several key moments. It wasn’t pretty, but after a hard-fought 48 minutes, Sacramento ended a decade-long win drought in Milwaukee and secured its second win of the season. The Kings now prepare to face the 3-2 Denver Nuggets on Monday.

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Fantasy Basketball Week 3 Schedule Primer: Hawks continue without Trae Young

The calendar flipping from October to November also means the end of Daylight Saving Time on Sunday. Monday begins Week 3 of the fantasy basketball season, and there have been many notable injuries for managers to be mindful of. Atlanta's lost Trae Young for at least four weeks, while the Lakers welcomed back Luka Dončić on Friday. Add in Ja Morant's one-game suspension that will be served on the final day of Week 2, and there will be a lot for managers to sift through.

The Week 3 schedule has a one-game day (Thursday), but the other six days will have between six and 11 games on the slate. Let's look at the Week 3 schedule and a few key storylines.

→ Watch the NBA on Peacock on Monday night, as the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Nets in Brooklyn. The action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET!

Week 3 Games Played

4 Games: BOS, BRK, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, OKC, PHI, SAC, WAS

3 Games: ATL, CHI, CLE, LAL, NOR, NYK, ORL, PHO, POR, SAS, TOR, UTA

2 Games: CHA

Week 3 Back-to-backs

Sunday (Week 2)-Monday: BRK, LAL, MEM, MIA, NYK, UTA

Monday-Tuesday: LAC, MIL

Tuesday-Wednesday: GSW, NOR, OKC, PHI

Wednesday-Thursday: None

Thursday-Friday: None

Friday-Saturday: ATL, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, MIA, SAS, TOR, WAS

Saturday-Sunday: IND, PHI

Sunday-Monday (Week 4): DET, MIL, MIN

Toronto Raptors v Atlanta Hawks
Fantasy Basketball Stock Up Stock Down: Should we be concerned about Dyson Daniels?
Grizzlies rookie Cedric Coward has quickly caught the attention of fantasy managers while the slow start from Hawks’ Dyson Daniels is raising some concerns.

Week 3 Storylines of Note

- Atlanta's Trae Young will reportedly miss at least four weeks.

The Hawks are one of 12 teams that will play three games during Week 3, and they'll do so without their most important player. Young suffered a sprained right MCL during Atlanta's October 29 win over the Nets. While the Hawks have not provided a definitive update on their point guard, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Saturday that Young will be re-evaluated in four weeks. Depending on the grade, an MCL sprain can cost a player a few weeks beyond Young's reported evaluation timeline.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker has started Atlanta's last two games and should remain in that role. Even though the Hawks won't play their second and third games of Week 3 until Friday and Saturday, NAW is a player that fantasy managers need to hold onto. On the other hand, someone like Luke Kennard may be expendable for the 11-game Wednesday slate. Young's absence impacts the entire rotation, with Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson in a position where they'll have more opportunities to facilitate. In Daniels' case, this may help him bounce back from a slow start to the season.

- Kawhi Leonard is not restricted in any way and plans to play both games of the Clippers' Week 3 back-to-back.

In the immediate aftermath of Friday's win over the Pelicans, which Leonard won with a jumper as time expired, he revealed that he is not restricted in any way. That means he'll be available for the Clippers' Monday/Tuesday back-to-back to begin Week 3, as they'll host the Heat and Thunder.

One Clipper who may not be available for both games is Bradley Beal, who recently returned from a back injury and is also working his way back from offseason knee surgery. A four-game week for the Clippers will likely be a three-game week for Beal. With Tuesday's game against the Thunder being nationally televised (11 PM Eastern on NBC and Peacock), Monday's matchup with the Heat may be the one that he misses.

Beal hasn't been impactful in fantasy basketball thus far, but fantasy managers aren't going to seek out Bogdan Bogdanović or Nicolas Batum if they receive a spot start. Derrick Jones Jr., already in the starting lineup, is ranked just outside the top-100 and rostered in just three percent of Yahoo leagues. He's worth a look regardless of Beal's availability.

- Philadelphia has two back-to-backs during Week 3, which is bad news for Joel Embiid managers.

Embiid has already been ruled out for the 76ers' final game of Week 2 on Sunday against the Nets. Hopefully, he'll be good for Tuesday's game against the Bulls in Chicago. However, the 76ers' four-game Week 3 consists of two back-to-backs: Tuesday/Wednesday and Saturday/Sunday. In all likelihood, Embiid managers are looking at a two-game week for "The Process." Andre Drummond has been more productive than Adem Bona thus far, but neither has done enough to make themselves a must-stream option when Embiid sits.

Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes are rostered in less than 40 percent of Yahoo! leagues, so the Week 3 schedule and availability questions surrounding Embiid make them worth a look. Another question for the 76ers heading into Week 3: Will Paul George (knee) be cleared to return? NBA insider Jake Fischer reported recently that George could be targeting early November for a return to action. Of course, the back-to-backs will be a factor, but getting George on the floor would be great for those who have him rostered.

NBA: Charlotte Hornets at Miami Heat
Fantasy Basketball Minutes Report: Kon Knueppel seeing minutes increase with injuries
Each week we’ll dig into shifting rotations, uncovering which players deserve more attention in fantasy basketball.

- Charlotte is the team to avoid when seeking fringe fantasy options.

The Hornets are the only team that plays two games during Week 3, with their last being against the Heat on Friday. With Brandon Miller (shoulder) sidelined, Kon Knueppel and Collin Sexton have seen their opportunities increase, with Sexton being the more productive offensive player. However, the most interesting Hornet going into Week 3 may be rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner.

Shooting 82.9 percent from the field, the second-round pick provides sixth-round value in nine-cat formats while being rostered in less than 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues. With a two-game schedule, is Kalkbrenner a "hold," or should managers move on and gamble that he'll be on the waiver wire at the end of the week?

- Cleveland and Dallas are among the teams that will play three games between Wednesday and Sunday.

With Thursday being the only "light" day on the Week 3 schedule, there's a lack of clear-cut streaming nights. However, some teams will play three games between Wednesday and Sunday. The Cavaliers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Heat, Spurs, and Wizards will play three games over the course of four days starting on Wednesday. And there are teams that will play three games in five days, including the Celtics, Warriors, Rockets, and Pacers.

In the case of the shorthanded Pacers, they end Week 3 with a Saturday/Sunday back-to-back. Obviously, Pascal Siakam won't be available in any fantasy league. However, Quenton Jackson and Aaron Nesmith had career nights in Indiana's November 1 win over the Warriors, with the latter snapping out of a severe shooting slump to begin the season. There will be a lot of options on league waiver wires towards the end of Week 3, so save a few transactions if your league has a limit.

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Shaikin: Why Magic Johnson believes Dodgers' World Series success is good for baseball

Toronto, Ontario, Saturday, November 1, 2025 - The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after winning Game seven of the 121st World Series between the LA Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Lakers legend Magic Johnson, middle left, celebrates with players and coaches after the team's World Series triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Beneath his feet, confetti decorated the turf. Behind him, the video boards congratulated his team on its latest championship.

The Dodgers owner who lives and breathes championships smiled broadly. Magic Johnson always does, of course. This time, he had an impish twinkle in his eye.

“They said we ruined baseball,” Johnson said. “Well, I guess we didn’t.”

If you are not in Los Angeles, you might be screaming in frustration. The team with all the gold makes the rules, and the new rule is that the Dodgers win every year, and now their most famous owner is mocking you?

He is not.

Read more:In a World Series finale for the ages, Dodgers cement their dynasty in win over Blue Jays

He is, however, issuing a subtle warning to all of baseball’s owners: Don’t let your desperation for a salary cap destroy a sport on the rise — in no small part thanks to the Dodgers.

The NBA was not much more than a minor league 45 years ago. This is crazy to imagine now, but the NBA Finals aired on tape delay, on late-night television, most often at 11:30 p.m. The NBA audience was so small that advertisers would not pay prime-time rates for those commercials, so the games were not broadcast in prime time.

Johnson helped change that. The rivalry between his Lakers and Larry Bird’s Celtics revived the NBA, and then Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls became global sporting icons.

From 1980-88, either the Lakers or the Celtics won the NBA title in every year but one. From 1991-98, the Bulls won six titles.

The Celtics and Lakers and Bulls did not ruin the NBA.

“What the Celtics and Lakers were able to do, and Michael Jordan’s Bulls, was to bring in new fans — fans that were, 'Oh, I don’t know about the NBA,'" Johnson said, “but the play was so good, and the Celtics and Lakers and Bulls were so dominant, people said, 'Oh man, I want to watch them.'

“It’s the same thing happening here.”

The NBA leadership could not believe its good fortune. Baseball’s leadership appears intent on lighting its good fortune on fire.

“My phone was blowing up with people who hadn’t watched baseball for a long time,” Johnson said. “They were watching this series.

“This was good for baseball around the world.”

Read more:Party time: Dodgers' championship parade and rally on Monday

The World Baseball Classic is four months away. The World Series most valuable player, the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto, is from Japan.

So is the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, the closest baseball has ever had to its own Jordan. The Dodgers rescued him from purgatory in Anaheim and surrounded him with a star-studded roster, and now he makes more money from pitching products than pitching baseballs. To the Dodgers, he doubles as an All-Star and cash machine.

The league — and all the owners complaining about the Dodgers and their spending — happily profited from this traveling road show. The Dodgers get the same share of international merchandise and broadcast revenue every other team does.

The Dodgers led the major leagues in road attendance, again. The league sent the Dodgers to Seoul last spring and Tokyo this spring, meaning that, for two years running, they were one of the first two teams to report to spring training and one of the last two playing at season’s end. The league’s television partners rushed to book the Dodgers, even for games at times inconvenient to the team.

“MLB put us in every hard situation you can think about,” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “We never complained. We were trying to come through for the fans, for baseball, and everybody should be recognizing what we are doing.”

With the Blue Jays in the World Series, Canadian ratings for the World Series increased tenfold. The Dodgers did not destroy the Jays. They survived them, and barely at that.

Read more:'I'm just really elated.' How Dave Roberts helped the Dodgers dig deep to win World Series

The Dodgers have not ruined competition, despite the spotlight.

“They have a great team,” Toronto infielder Ernie Clement said. “There's no denying it. They're one of the best teams probably ever put together, and we've taken 'em to seven games, so that's got to say something about us.”

Toronto manager John Schneider said his team, which won more games than the Dodgers this season, had chances to sweep the World Series.

“People were calling it David versus Goliath,” Schneider said, shaking his head from side to side. “It's not even... close.”

The Dodgers make a lot of money, pour the money back into the team, and win. They give the people what they want.

“People want the best,” co-owner Todd Boehly said.

Granted, not every team can spend like the Dodgers. Most cannot, and baseball should be able to find ways to share the wealth without risking its tenuous but growing popularity by locking out players in pursuit of a salary cap.

After all, isn’t a compelling product with stars from home and abroad good for baseball?

Read more:Plaschke: Back to back! Dodgers nab dynasty-defining victory over Blue Jays in World Series Game 7

“You bet,” controlling owner Mark Walter said. “I think they think so, too.”

It was time to go. The parade was 36 hours away, and Johnson had to rest his throat.

“I’m hoarse,” he said. “I’ve never been hoarse.”

So we’ll leave you with one bit of sports trivia, in response to the mistaken notion that a salary cap assures competitive balance: In the Magic, Bird and Jordan years, the ones that lifted the NBA into popular culture, did the NBA have a salary cap?

It did then. It does now. On to the quest for a three-peat.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Warriors can't wait to regain momentum after two tough losses to Bucks, Pacers

Warriors can't wait to regain momentum after two tough losses to Bucks, Pacers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

All momentum the Warriors built winning four of their first five games in an eight-day span was popped and deflated with two losses in three days against two undermanned teams. 

These are the types of losses the Warriors have been trying to avoid. The kind that aren’t supposed to happen with Jimmy Butler on their side. The Warriors have been laser focused on starting strong to avoid sprinting through the end of the regular season. That team didn’t show up in Milwaukee or Indiana as the Warriors have now suffered their first losing streak of the young 2025-26 season. 

First after finding out an hour before tipoff that the Milwaukee Bucks weren’t going to have Giannis Antetokounmpo, former Warriors second-round draft pick Ryan Rollins had the best game of his career with 32 points on 13-of-21 shooting and 5 of 7 on threes, eight assists and only one turnover to beat his first team. Steve Kerr joked the Warriors “are like 0-12 the last couple years when opponents sit their stars,” after the loss. 

He didn’t have any comedic quips Saturday night after losing to the previously winless Indiana Pacers. 

The Pacers weren’t sitting any stars. Tyrese Haliburton, their biggest star, is already out for the season after tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. But four other key Pacers were out to injuries, leaving Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith and a point guard on a two-way contract who would be in G League training camp right now if Indiana was healthier to hand the Warriors a loss that had frustrations voiced in postgame press conferences. 

Rollins’ career high was the opening course of putting a sour taste on the start of the Warriors’ mini road trip. The plate grew for the Pacers. Nesmith scored a career-high 31 points after averaging 11 going into Saturday’s game. The 25 points Quenton Jackson scored, an undrafted 27-year-old, were two fewer than he had totaled between his three previous games this season, and set a new career high. Plus, Jackson handed out a career-high 10 assists and didn’t record one turnover. 

He and Rollins both had these kinds of dream-like performances while also guarding Steph Curry. 

Kerr after the Warriors’ loss in Milwaukee used fatigue, mental and physical, as a reason for a bad night. His players didn’t agree. And the coach didn’t use anything that could be mistaken for an excuse after losing to what was an 0-5 Pacers team. 

“We know the West is loaded, and it feels like we just gave away two games that if we are locked in and focused, playing the way we know we can play, then we should have won them,” Kerr said. “We got to pick those games up along the way, but at the end of the season, I mean, the last three years it’s the same thing. I mean, one or two games. 

“We have to find a way to be sharper and to be better.” 

Whatever’s on his mind, Kerr gets his point across. His words are deliberate and can feel purposeful getting messages across to his team. This loss felt like one of those moments.

“There’s going to be some tough nights. There are always tough nights during the season,” Kerr said. “This should not have been one of them. We had the day off yesterday. We didn’t do shootaround this morning. We had plenty of rest, but the execution down the stretch was awful. And it’s a shame because our young guys played their ass off.” 

Calling the Warriors’ next game, which will be their eighth of the season, a must-win is prematurely pushing the panic button. Or is it? The tone is too heavy, sure. The intention must be as close to a gentler must-win as it can get, though. 

The Warriors led by 11 points Saturday night, 104-93, after Curry made a three with just over six minutes left. As if a wave had crashed the Warriors’ sandcastle, everything came crumbling down over the final six minutes. The Pacers outscored them 21-5 until the final buzzer for their first win. In the clutch, the Warriors didn’t execute offensively or defensively, they fouled, they turned the ball over and the Pacers outplayed them in every category. 

That three was the last shot Curry made. He missed six shots, five threes and a floater, had one turnover and even missed a free throw the rest of the game. The Warriors went from being down 73-67 when he was taken out at the 5:45 mark in the third quarter to having a nine-point lead when he came back at 6:26 of the fourth behind players like Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos and Moses Moody. 

Curry was a minus-21 against the Pacers and had five turnovers for his second consecutive game. 

“It’s the frustration of not being able to capture that momentum that we had and sustain the start that we had,” Curry said. “I know we can get it back. Long way to go. You start 4-2 and everybody has been talking about how hard the schedule has been and this and that, but these are two games that you really should have and wanted to have to show for our start. 

“Hopefully it lights a fire in all of us to get back on the horse and figure out how we can win throughout a very difficult stretch coming up and show that we’re a very capable team.”

Again, going full must-win feels like a stretch. The Warriors themselves are teetering on the edges there. 

The Phoenix Suns are another team they’re supposed to beat Tuesday at Chase Center. They’ll be favorites to beat the Sacramento Kings the next day too, even on the second night of a back-to-back. These are chances for bad habits to be corrected and momentum to be created again in time for a date in Denver against the Nuggets on Friday.

The Warriors can get revenge at home against the Pacers in a week on Sunday, and then it’s time for a six-game road trip that begins with games against the two best teams in the West right now: The undefeated reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder (6-0), and two against the undefeated San Antonio Spurs (5-0). 

Last season’s spiral after early success hasn’t been forgotten. The Warriors want to create the identity of a champion now and build as the season evolves. There is no time to wait in getting back on track, and they know it.

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Trae Young has right knee MCL sprain, will be re-evaluated in one month

This is bad news for a Hawks team still trying to find its footing after major roster changes last summer.

Trae Young suffered a right knee MCL sprain — although no additional structural damage — and will be re-evaluated in a month, the Hawks announced Saturday. Re-evaluation does not mean return, he could be out longer, but he has started treatment. While the Hawks did not announce a grade for the sprain, a Grade 2 sprain usually has players out closer to six weeks (a Grade 1 strain is generally closer to three weeks).

The injury happened against Brooklyn, when the Nets' Noah Clowney ran into the Hawks' Mo Gueye, who fell backward directly into the unsuspecting Young's knee, bending it awkwardly (if you're at all squeamish, do not play the video below).

Look for Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard to get more run for Atlanta.

Young was averaging 20.8 points and 9.5 assists a game before the Nets game, but had been struggling with his 3-point shot (19.2%).

Atlanta (3-3) built a roster this offseason that, on paper, seems a perfect fit to capitalize on Young's strengths. However, we have seen very little of this group together, as Kristaps Porzingis, Jalen Johnson, and Zaccharie Risacher have all missed time due to injuries. The Hawks and Young did not agree to terms on a contract extension this summer (the same was true for Porzingis), because they wanted to see how this new investment would look on the court before committing to a path going forward. Now, it will be at least another month before we start to see how that comes together.

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Grizzlies suspend Ja Morant for one game after his postgame comments challenging coaches

Ja Morant was frustrated after a rough shooting night (3-of-14) and scoring just eight points in a loss to the Lakers on Halloween. After the game, he threw the coaches under the bus.

The next afternoon, the Grizzlies suspended Morant one game for "conduct detrimental to the team."

Morant will miss Sunday night's game at Toronto.

After Friday night's loss to the Lakers, Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo reportedly challenged Morant's leadership and effort in front of the team, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. Following that, Morant appeared to blame the coaches when speaking to reporters. Check out this exchange (via Lopo on X).

Reporter: "What went wrong for you today?"

"Go ask the coaching staff," Morant responded.

Reporter: "From the outside... it didn't feel like you had your usual energy tonight."

"Go ask the coaching staff why," Morant replied.

Reporter: "What could have been done differently, other than asking the coaching staff?"

"According to them, probably don't play me, honestly," Morant said. "That's basically what the message was. It's cool."

Iisalo had a point. Morant has to shoulder at least some of the blame, he had a low-effort game, which Blake Griffin called Morant out on during the NBA on Prime broadcast. What separates the game's great leaders — from the veterans like LeBron James and Stephen Curry to the rising stars like Anthony Edwards — is that they bring it every night. Morant did not do that on Friday.

Morant is averaging 20.8 points per game this season(his lowest number since 2021) and is playing 28.5 minutes a game (the fewest of his career). However, the offense is running through him, he is averaging 75.8 touches a game, up sharply from the 67.7 a game he got last season (and very close to the 77.8 and 77 a game he got his All-Star seasons).

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Kings mentally outlast Bucks in fiery win, end decade-long drought in Milwaukee

Kings mentally outlast Bucks in fiery win, end decade-long drought in Milwaukee originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It wasn’t pretty, but the Kings, after a fiery 48 minutes, put an end to a decade-long drought in Milwaukee. 

Yes, you read that right. 

Behind star Zach LaVine’s fifth 30-plus-point game of a young 2025-26 NBA season, the Kings, for the first time since 2015, pulled off a 135-133 win over the Bucks on Saturday at Fiserv Forum.

Sacramento’s chances looked bleak early on after giving up a 15-2 lead to open the game. But, in an intriguing turn of events with less than six minutes in the first quarter, Bucks forward Bobby Portis, visibly upset over the previous possession, shoved Kings star Domantas Sabonis in the back.

Not only would the altercation foreshadow the physical game that was to come, but it would also light a fire under the same Kings team that gave up 47 points in the first 12 minutes.

“Yeah, we like that. At the end of the day, you guys know how I play,” Kings guard Dennis Schröder told reporters. “That’s just motivation. I think that brought us more together. 

“Russell [Westbrook] having Domas’ back right away, making sure he’s right there. I think that shows that we want to become a team, and we’re getting there. I was really happy. I was on the bench. At that time, I couldn’t get on the floor because I would’ve gotten a suspension. But Russell had his back, and I think it fueled us.”

Even though Bucks coach Doc Rivers admitted that the disruption on the floor started well before Portis’ exchange with Sabonis, he did acknowledge the energy shift it caused.

“The emotional, I agree with you, it definitely changed when Sabonis and Bobby, right,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers told reporters. “But I thought it even started before then …”

“… Again, I’ve always said that I’m fine with all the talking as long as you can play still. If you can’t then we got to keep our focus.” 

The tension carried over into the second half, with Bucks’ Gary Trent Jr. picking up a technical foul in the third quarter and Cole Anthony being ejected with less than 11 minutes to play in the fourth quarter. 

Ultimately, the Bucks failed to keep their focus, making way for the Kings’ core to find their groove despite Milwaukee shooting 59.8 percent from the floor.

Sabonis put up 24 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, while Schröder notched up 24 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Westbrook, who started on the bench, posted 12 points and a season-high 10 assists.

On Saturday, the Kings won the mental game, snapped a three-game losing streak and, most importantly, waved a decade-long drought goodbye.

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What we learned as Warriors' fourth-quarter collapse hands Pacers first win

What we learned as Warriors' fourth-quarter collapse hands Pacers first win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Salt meet wound. 

After losing to the Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks, the Warriors fell 114-109 against the previously winless Indiana Pacers on Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 

The Pacers weren’t only without Tyrese Haliburton, but also a plethora of others. They didn’t have Andrew Nembhard, Obi Toppin, Bennedict Mathurin and TJ McConnell. And it didn’t matter. 

Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith combined to score 58 points, and they were joined by Quenton Jackson, who is on a two-way contract, scoring 25 points with 10 assists. 

Steph Curry scored an ugly team-high 24 points. Curry was a minus-21, and the Warriors were better with him on the bench. 

Jimmy Butler did a bit of everything, scoring 20 points with six rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. Jonathan Kuminga provided 17 points and Brandin Podziemski scored 16. But the desperate Pacers were the hungrier team. 

Though the Warriors cut their turnovers from 22 the previous game to 16 on Saturday, they still allowed the Pacers to score 17 free points. A number of live-ball turnovers hurt the Warriors. So did the Warriors fouling eight more times than the Pacers and shooting a lowly 27.3 percent from three, going 12 of 44.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ first losing streak of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Steph Struggles

As Curry struggled to find his shot and the Warriors were on the verge of losing to the winless Pacers, coach Steve Kerr called timeout and his biggest star took a seat halfway through the third quarter. The Warriors trailed 73-67 at time, and then were ahead by 10 when he came back in with six and a half minutes left in the fourth.

Kerr wasn’t going to let Curry keep watching from the bench, but maybe he should have. 

Curry played the final six minutes and 26 seconds of the fourth quarter and was a minus-13. In his six-plus minutes of the fourth, Curry scored six points while making only two of his seven shot attempts, including 1 of 5 on threes and even a missed free throw. Curry failed to grab a single rebound and only had two assists as he turned the ball over five times for his second consecutive game. 

The game’s greatest shooter was 8 of 23 from the field and 4 of 16 behind the 3-point line. Trying to get past the Pacers’ pressure-filled defense, Curry looked his age and will have to regroup for Tuesday’s game back at Chase Center against the Phoenix Suns.

The Siakam & Nesmith Show

Already down their biggest star, Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers also were without a handful of other key figures against the Warriors like Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, Obi Toppin, TJ McConnell and more. The stage was set for Siakam to be a star, and the Warriors were searching for answers early on. 

Siakam scored 10 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting in the first quarter while doing work to the Warriors’ makeshift zone defense. All of Siakam’s five shots were around the rim, with his furthest being an 11-foot floater. He then opened the second quarter making a 16-foot jump shot before finally missing a shot, which was his first 3-point attempt of the night. That’s when Nesmith joined the party for the Pacers. 

Nesmith scored six points in the first quarter and then really got going in the second, making two two-pointers, two 3-pointers and two free throws for 12 points. By halftime, he was the Pacers’ leading scorer with 18 points and Siakam was right behind at 16. The rest of the Pacers scored 19 points in the first half.

Jackson joined the party in the second half, but Siakam and Nesmith never slowed down. Siakam found his sweet spots around the paint — and hit a dagger three with 37 seconds left. Siakam scored 27 points on 12-of-23 shooting. The game, however, belonged to Nesmith. He went from averaging 11 points this season to scoring a career-high 31. Nesmith made five threes the previous two games combined and then made five on the Warriors.

Cleared For Takeoff

What’s the fastest path from Point A to Point B? A Kuminga dunk, apparently. 

Sit back and pick your jaw off the floor. 

Kuminga threw down a grand total of five dunks. He missed consistently from the mid-range and was 1 of 3 beyond the arc. What he did do was power his way to the rim. 

On multiple occasions, Kuminga has said he won’t participate in the Slam Dunk Contest. In losing fashion, he showed how his in-game leaping ability can be such a weapon when the Warriors’ offense goes flat.

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Injuries keep piling up for Pacers: Obi Toppin out months following foot surgery

On the bright side, Obi Toppin will have plenty of time to get over the strained hamstring that already had him on the sidelines.

Toppin has "a partial stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot," and will undergo surgery to repair it, the Pacers announced. When asked about it, coach Rick Carlisle said not to ask about it again until Feb. 1, suggesting he will miss at least three months (that timeline matches up with the average recovery time from this surgery for NBA players).

This is what is known as a Jones fracture, and it's relatively common in the NBA. Players who have had it include Kevin Durant and, currently, Max Struss of the Heat.

The list of injuries for Indiana is long: Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles tear, out for season), T.J. McConnell (hamstring), Andrew Nembhard (shoulder), Bennedict Mathurin (big toe), Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction), and Johnny Furphy (foot). Now, Toppin is on that list for an extended amount of time.

Because of all the injuries, the league has granted a hardship exception to the Pacers five games into the season, and they are expected to use it to sign forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to a 10-day hardship exception contract, Shams Charania reports at ESPN.

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Frustrated Ja Morant on his and team's early-season struggles, 'Go ask the coaching staff'

Ja Morant is frustrated.

He scored just eight points on 3-of-14 shooting in a loss to the Lakers on Halloween night, but his responses to questions postgame show just how bad the vibes have gotten in Memphis. After the game, Morant threw the coaching staff under the bus when speaking to reporters. Check out this exchange (via Lopo on X).

Reporter: "What went wrong for you today?"

"Go ask the coaching staff," Morant responded.

Reporter: "From the outside... it didn't feel like you had your usual energy tonight."

"Go ask the coaching staff why," Morant replied.

Reporter: "What could have been done differently, other than asking the coaching staff?"

"According to them, probably don't play me, honestly," Morant said. "That's basically what the message was. It's cool."

It's clearly not cool. Morant spoke in the locker room at the same time as coach Tuomas Iisalo, so he was not asked about Morant's comments. Iisalo was hired at the end of last season after coach Taylor Jenkins was fired, in part because he moved away from Morant's preferred pick-and-roll to an offense of cuts and player rotations (a less extreme version of what Miami is running this season). After trading away Desmond Bane this offseason, the expectation was that more of the offense would be run through Morant this season, but he is averaging 28.5 minutes a game (the fewest of his career), although the 75.8 touches he is getting a game is up from the 67.7 a game he got last season (and very close to the 77.8 and 77 a game he got his All-Star seasons).

It wasn't just the reporter in the locker room who noticed Morant's low energy while hounded by Marcus Smart all night, Blake Griffin called Morant out on the NBA on Prime broadcast:

"This is a guy who is insanely talented. Speed is his No. 1 weapon, and coming off a ball screen, passing the ball like this, kind of lazily cutting to the corner, that's just not what's gonna get it done for Memphis... For a guy that's making $40 million and needs to be the leader of this team, I just don't love it. I don't know if he was not feeling well, if he's hurt, but that to me is a very bad sign and something that has to change."

Something has to change. Things in Memphis are not good, although it's not a disaster. Yet. The Grizzlies are 3-3 with a bottom-10 offense in the league (and a -3 net rating overall). Memphis has gone a long way down the Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. path, and if things continue like this, the front office is going to need to conduct a serious assessment of what should come next.

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Portland reaches extensions with Shaedon Sharpe (4 years, $90 million), Toumani Camara (4 years, $82 million)

There are legitimate questions about what the Portland Trail Blazers will look like on the court in a few years and which parts of their young core will be part of that future, but an athletic scoring wing and an All-Defense forward can fit in any plan.

Which is why Portland locked down two key young players on Sunday with rookie contract extensions. The Blazers and Shaedon Sharpe agreed to a four-year, $90 million extension, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN. The Trail Blazers have also agreed to a four-year, $82 million contract extension with defensive forward Toumani Camara, a deal also broken by ESPN’s Charania.

This is fantastic work by the Portland front office — they have locked up their two best wing players for the next five years at a price that will be less than 15% of the salary cap (hat tip to Keith Smith).

Sharpe is an athletic wing who averaged a career-high 18.5 points a game last season, adding 4.5 rebounds a night, but seems poised for a breakout season. He needs to improve his efficiency — 31.1% on 3-pointers last season and a 55.1 true shooting percentage that was a tick below the league average — and on the defensive end, but if he does, this will be a steal of a contract. His athleticism and ability to throw down dunks are not in question.

A lot of people around the league thought Sharpe's extension would end up north of $100 million, to get him at $90 million for the four years is a win for the Trail Blazers.

The Camara extension locks up a 25-year-old All-Defense Team player from a year ago who has been improving on offense each season. Camara's max extension would have been four years, $87 million, and that would have been a fair price. To get him on a contract worth less than $21 million on average is a great deal from Portland's front office.

Camara was almost a throw-in part of the three-team trade that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee and brought Deandre Ayton to Portland, but he ended up being one of the best parts of it for the Blazers. On top of being an elite defender, Camara is improving on offense and averaged 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc last season.

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From oops to aahs, Jaxson Hayes and Lakers work to catch more of Luka Doncic's passes

Lakers center Jaxson Hayes reacts to a play during a preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 15 in Las Vegas
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes reacts to a play during a preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 15 in Las Vegas. (Candice Ward / Getty Images)

Lakers center Jaxson Hayes avoided major injury on his right wrist after a hard fall in Friday’s preseason finale as X-rays taken after the game came back negative and an MRI scan revealed what Hayes on Sunday called "a light sprain."

The 7-footer missed the second half of Friday’s exhibition game with a right wrist contusion after he caught a lob from Luka Doncic and was bumped in the air while jamming a two-handed dunk in the first quarter. He stayed in the game for the second quarter and expects to be ready for Tuesday’s regular-season opener against the Golden State Warriors.

“Being a dummy,” Hayes said after practice Sunday of how he got hurt on the play. “I shouldn't have tried to catch myself, should've just fallen."

Hayes scored six points in the preseason loss to the Sacramento Kings, all on soaring dunks. He and Doncic connected on Hayes’ first basket of the game as they were playing together in the preseason for the first time.

Read more:Luka Doncic sharp again, but Kings rally to beat Lakers

Doncic’s wizardry in the pick-and-roll makes him an athletic rim-running center’s dream as the crafty point guard drops passes from every imaginable angle. But in Doncic’s first training camp with the Lakers since last year’s midseason trade, players, including new center Deandre Ayton are still adjusting to Doncic’s passes.

While coach JJ Redick said he was happy with the Lakers’ 28 assists to 10 turnovers in the preseason game against the Kings, he estimated the team missed seven assist opportunities because of misfired lobs or overly complicated passes.

“For all bigs and point guards, when you start playing with a new big or a new point guard, it's a learning period,” Hayes said. “You just learn how they like their screens. You learn how they like you to roll to the hoop. It's just little things. You learn where they like to pass you the ball. … It's just those guys [Doncic and Ayton] are figuring each other out, just like me and Luka did last year."

The chemistry between Hayes and Doncic has gotten so strong that Hayes is being recruited to join the Slovenian national team and said he is working on getting a Slovenian passport. He and Doncic are both clients of agent Bill Duffy, and Doncic and his family have been involved in the process for about a year and half, Hayes said.

Lakers guard Luka Doncic looks up the floor while dribbling during a preseason game against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 14.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic looks up the floor while dribbling during a preseason game against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 14. (Kelsey Grant / Getty Images)

Hayes watched Slovenia’s run to the quarterfinals in EuroBasket with a careful eye knowing that joining the team could be a possibility for him in the future. FIBA allows each national team to have one naturalized player, which the international basketball governing body defines as a player who obtains their passport for that country after turning 16.

Hayes said he had hopes of representing the United States, but USA Basketball does not have open tryouts for senior national teams.

“I wanted to just play on that stage,” Hayes said. “So I'm going do whatever it takes to play on that stage."

Etc.

The Lakers cut down their roster to 14 standard contract players on Saturday, waiving RJ Davis, Augustas Marciulionis, Anton Watson and Nate Williams after training camp officially ended. The team kept center Christian Koloko and guards Chris Manon and Nick Smith Jr. on two-way contracts. ... Manon was nursing an ankle injury during training camp but was a full participant in practice on Sunday. Bronny James (ankle) and rookie Adou Thiero (knee) went through a modified workout.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Where Steph Curry ranks on NBA's current, future all-time career earnings list

Where Steph Curry ranks on NBA's current, future all-time career earnings list originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Stephen Curry hasn’t just changed the way basketball is played — he has changed how it’s valued.

Spotrac released its updated list of the NBA’s highest career earners, and Curry currently sits third, behind Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Durant passed James for the top spot on Sunday after signing a two-year, $90 million extension with the Phoenix Suns, which includes a player option for the 2027–28 season.

Other members of the top 10 include Devin Booker, Paul George, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Damian Lillard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum — a mix of established stars and younger faces quickly climbing the list.

That younger wave could soon reshape the standings entirely. With Booker, Gilgeous-Alexander and Tatum all still in their late-20s and already on max extensions, they’re on pace to shatter the totals set by Curry, James and Durant as new TV deals and cap increases drive salaries even higher.

Curry, though, has been at the forefront of the league’s salary evolution. In 2017, he became the first player in NBA history to sign a $200 million contract, a five-year deal worth $201 million. Two years later, he became the first to make more than $40 million in a single season.

He topped that milestone again in 2021, signing a four-year, $215 million extension that made him the first player ever to sign multiple $200 million contracts. That deal helped him become the first to earn over $50 million in 2023–24, and by 2026–27, he is set to be the first player to surpass $60 million in a single season.

Over the past few years, Curry has climbed steadily up Spotrac’s career earnings rankings. He first appeared in the top 10 at No. 7 through 2022–23, rose to No. 4 through 2023–24, and reached No. 3 this year, where he is expected to remain for the foreseeable future as his current deal runs through 2026–27.

Curry’s journey into the NBA’s top three career earners reflects more than a decade of sustained excellence — and positions him to stay there as new deals reshape the league’s financial landscape.

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Kings' Domantas Sabinis out for first week of season with hamstring strain

Sacramento coach Doug Christie wanted to get some run together for his core starters last Wednesday night in one of the team's final preseason games, but that always comes with risk, and it has bitten the Kings.

Domantas Sabonis suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain against the Clippers and will be out for at least the first week of the season, the Kings announced. A Grade 1 strain usually keeps a player out about 10 days, but that time can vary.

Sabonis is not the only Kings' starter out. Keegan Murray underwent surgery on a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, which will keep him out for at least a month.

Sabonis, a three-time All-Star, averaged 19.1 points and 13.9 rebounds a game, shooting 41.7% on a couple of 3-pointers a game but 62.7% inside the arc. Dario Saric will get the start with Sabonis out, but that's a lot of scoring and rebounding to make up (plus, Sabonis serves as a hub for the Sacramento offense).

It's a rough way to start for the Kings, a team without much margin for error in the West if the goal is to make the postseason. The Kings open the season at the Suns on Oct. 22, then come home for two games over the weekend against the Jazz and Lakers.