Category: Basketball

The question that’s stuck on everyone’s lips like a remnant of American cheese after a gluttonous stop at the drive-thru, “How will the Milwaukee Bucks trim their roster to 15 by opening night?”, continues to bemuddle Bucks fans. We mostly agree on removing the dead wood, but there’s reason to keep that around too. We don’t want to take the easy way out and cut Pete Nance—he’s such a good guy!—but will if we have to. And we definitely don’t want to bite the bullet on youth (or do we?). So, a combination it is.

Combo meal, please

Yes, with 34% of the vote, it appears Bucks fans are more inclined on some veteran/youth/path-of-least-resistance combination to sort out the roster crunch—but just what that desired combination looks like isn’t the same for everyone:

naveed2000s: I voted combo. I think it’d be easiest for it to be Nance and Bogo, but not having a guard be one of the cuts just seems wrong… We have a lot of fat that needs to be trimmed in the next year. So start trimming.

Jo Ma: Sadly Trent is untouchable. LeVert is the obvious candidate to be waived, Nance can get a two way, so he is around for another year.

Gerald Knox-van de Camp: I’d pay Caris LeVert what the Bucks owe him, and gratulate him upon his retirement. I bet he’d probably take it, too. This young Bogo is just not going to make it this side of the Atlantic.

This promotion has expired

Outside of combo meals, 34% of fans think it’s time a certain long-in-the-tooth promotion expired. Kuz, that’s you:

MKE: At this point I don’t care if Kuzma could be traded. I don’t want to watch a minute of him playing on the Bucks. Dump him.

Theshackman: It is possible that Kuzma is included in a trade given his expiring deal, but I still think he gets bought out at the deadline and signs for the minimum with a desperate, old, underperforming playoff team… whatever team most resembles the Bucks of the last few years. Then he might be done in the NBA.

retired janitor: However, if it was me. LeVert and Kuzma are given the opportunity to find new homes sooner rather than later. In fact, I think the organization would be doing each guy a solid. Kuzma contract has some strange unlikely incentives attacked to it, that makes it harder to trade to teams near the apron. Thus the odds of him being traded in the other team looking for cost cutting is greatly reduced.

Then again, maybe that’s more wishful thinking than anything else:

Gerald Knox-van de Camp: If some wannabe playoff contender seriously considers the player here in question to be the acquisition which will help them achieve their hopes, I would suggest as being much more helpful a quick and lasting visit at their local Alcoholics Anonymous Chapter.

Secret menu saviours?

While roster cuts seem the only solution at this point, some fans think there’s still time to customise their boxed meals. That is, make a trade:

toasterrebound: Kuzma and Herro for Michael Porter Jr. Nance a 2 way.

BUCKWILD: Trade 1, Memphis get Kuz expiring, LeVert expiring and AJ Green. Brooklyn gets Jerimi Grant, JJJ and a 1st from Memphis ( most favorable between Clev, Utah and Minn) for getting 2 expiring contracts and we taking on 2 yrs of Grant. Milwaukee gets MPJ and GG Jackson.

Trade 2, Orlando gets Herro expiring ( they need more shooting)and Jordan Poole expiring. New Orleans gets Turner, Suggs and future 1st from Orlando (for getting a better shooter and moving a bloated Suggs contract. Milwaukee gets Trey Murphy and Wendall Carter.

While these may seem optimistic, you never know. What you doknow is that Horst isn’t leaving any line uncalled.

There you have it, Brew Hoopers, the full buffet of roster-trimming items, as voted by you. With just days until rosters have to be finalised—they must be set by 4:00 p.m. CT October 19—we don’t have long to find out who will be cut from the menu.

And that’s all she wrote on the 2026 Phoenix Suns preseason.

The dress rehearsal that took place Friday night against the Utah Jazz was one you walk away from feeling pretty good about. The starters played three quarters, and Phoenix held a 95–90 lead heading into the fourth. That’s an encouraging sign, especially considering how many people around the league believe the Jazz are poised to leapfrog the Suns in the standings this season, with years of tanking and accumulating young prospects finally putting Utah in a position to make some noise.

Against a Jazz team that possesses an unbelievably large front line, the Suns did a spectacular job attacking the glass, forcing the issue on the interior, and executing in the manner we’ve come to expect from this version of Phoenix Suns basketball. It certainly didn’t hurt that they shot 13-of-28 from beyond the arc through three quarters, good for 46.4%. If Phoenix can shoot anywhere near that effectively on a consistent basis, this team is going to be dangerous.

But what stood out was the collective effort across the board. Dillon Brooks finished with 18 points, as did Jalen Green, while Devin Booker added 16. Khaman Maluach earned the start and contributed seven points and 12 rebounds, while also getting Jaren Jackson Jr., who scored 17 points, into foul trouble.

Is there still plenty of work to do? Absolutely. There’s work to be done every day, especially for a team like the Phoenix Suns, one that will have to fight for everything it earns throughout the upcoming season. But if Friday night showed us anything, it’s that this is a team willing to fight.

Bright Side Baller Standings

Ryan Dunn won in a landslide for his performance against the Spurs.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Preseason Game 5 against the Jazz. Here are your nominees:

Dillon Brooks
18 points (6-of-13, 2-of-5 3PT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 turnovers, +10 +/-

Jalen Green
18 points (6-of-13, 3-of-5 3PT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 4 turnovers, +10 +/-

Devin Booker
16 points (6-of-16, 1-of-4 3PT), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, -3 +/-

Khaman Maluach
7 points (2-of-4, 0-of-0 3PT), 12 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 turnovers, +7 +/-

Jordan Goodwin
10 points (3-of-5, 2-of-3 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, +6 +/-

Jamaree Bouyea
12 points (6-of-9, 0-of-2 3PT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, -9 +/-

Preseason finale! Who gets it?

The Atlanta Hawks made several additions to their team during the offseason, but there was none bigger than acquiring Lu Dort. After lacking consistent depth in the wing department last season, the Hawks made an effort to improve that area, and Dort ended up being a big key in improving the roster.

Coming from a championship team, Dort will bring a lot to the Hawks as they look to continue setting their eyes on building a contender. Not only will Dort bring his defense, but he has the experience that most of the young guys on the team will need.

Defense is Dort’s calling card, and that’s where he’ll help the Hawks in a major way. A former All-Defensive player, Dort can take on about any matchup on the floor, and that’s going to make Dyson Daniels’ job even easier. When Dort, Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are on the floor, teams may have a hard time getting an easy bucket on the perimeter.

Dort’s versatility on defense can also allow Quin Snyder to go into some smaller lineups if he wants to, especially since he can stretch the floor.

On offense, Dort doesn’t have the biggest variety of skills, such as shot creation, but his IQ is going to put the Hawks in some good positions on the floor. On the Thunder, Dort was able to get most of his 3-point shots from the gravity of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can get those same shots with the Hawks. Outside of that, Dort knows how to make the right play on the court, and that’s only going to make the team better.

The one thing that many people have wondered is whether Dort will be inserted into the starting lineup, since that was his role with the Thunder. As much as that could be a valid question, it’s more important who finishes games instead of starting them. There could be a lot of scenarios where Dort could finish games with the Hawks, especially if they need 3-point shooting. In that case, it may be better to have him in the games rather than Daniels.

The Hawks’ starting five already has a lot of chemistry, and it doesn’t look like there are any plans to switch things up as the season approaches. That also probably isn’t a problem for Dort, who seems to be willing to do whatever he can for the betterment of the team.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Dort was the first player off the bench for the Hawks, and he can be slotted in for any player Snyder would want to take off the court at that moment. That’s how much of an impact he could have on the team this season, and there’s no doubt he makes the Hawks a better team.

San Antonio Spurs former vice president for strategic research Kirk Goldsberry recently posted this graphic.

“It’s a young man’s game, and increasingly so. Over 80% of the NBA is now 29 or younger. This hasn’t always been the case but the combination of pace and space basketball with the lack of durability we associate with older players has resulted in the NBA getting younger and younger. Pretty soon it’s just gonna be 50 year-old LeBron and 500 23 year-olds!”

Goldsberry is an expert of the modern game, differentiating how the game has evolved. In addition to his time with the Spurs, he wrote for Grantland, the ESPN blog brainchild of Bill Simmons, from 2012-2015. Other notable writings include The Kobe Assist, The Evolution of King James, and DataBall. His 2019 book SprawlBall: A Visual Tour of the New Era of the NBA commented on the inefficiency of shots taken from the restricted area to the three-point line.

While the game has skewed younger, Goldsberry doesn’t delve into the rationale for the shift. Is it the pace of the game wearing players out at an earlier age? It’s commonly accepted that load management and modern healthcare allows for players to have longer careers. So why are they not?

Perhaps the propensity to draft and sign younger players feeds into the “win now” mentality that franchises have established. It pairs with the hiring and firing of coaches without allowing time for a team to fully develop.

Whatever the reason, players are entering the league younger — the “one and done” collegiate effect — and exiting the league sooner. Think of former Spurs shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV. At age 27, he’s played on four teams over seven seasons. Now, at age 27, it looks as if his time in the NBA is over. He can still have a long and prosperous career overseas (in fact, he just signed with Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi two days ago).

Seven years seems to a fair amount of time to analyze a player’s NBA career. But is it his age relevant to his ability to play in the NBA, or is he being assessed solely on talent?

A look at many players could yield a clearer picture. For now, it’s important to note that players do not have the time to develop that they did a quarter century ago.

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Two former Blue Devils and current NBA rookies had big nights Friday.

Cameron Boozer had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists to help the Memphis Grizzlies past the Charlotte Hornets.

Meanwhile, Isaiah Evans showed his potential for the Minnesota Timberwolves, finishing with 21 points on 6-13/5-10 from the floor, in a 133-116 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

People have come to expect big things from Boozer already, but Evans still has to prove himself at the NBA level. As Duke fans know, he knows how to shoot, and every team can use a good sniper. He made a solid argument for himself Friday night. Now he needs to build on it.

• Cameron Boozer throws down big flush vs. Charlotte Hornets
• Grizzlies’ Tuomas Iisalo reveals Cam Boozer’s superpower amid strong preseason start
• Carlos Boozer Reveals Advice He’s Given to Cameron Ahead of Rookie Season With Grizzlies
• How Grizzlies’ Cam Boozer Becomes First Rookie NBA All-Star Since Blake Griffin
• Cam Boozer is poised to make an immediate impact in Memphis as a rookie
• Isaiah Evans dials from long distance
• Isaiah Evans with five 3’s, scores 21 points
• Timberwolves’ Isaiah Evans: Makes impact off bench
• Isaiah Evans Has A Clear Early Role For Timberwolves

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Zaccharie Risacher might be the most interesting player on the Mavericks this season because I genuinely have no idea what he’ll become.

Two years ago, he was the No. 1 overall pick in a draft class that was widely viewed as weak at the top. No one saw an obvious generational prospect, a consensus superstar, or a player anyone felt great about taking first. Atlanta eventually settled on Risacher because of what he could become: a 6-foot-9 wing with shooting touch, defensive versatility, and enough feel to fit next to better players. Even NBA.com’s scouting at the time framed him more as a high-level complementary piece than a future heliocentric star.

His rookie year was encouraging. Risacher averaged 12.6 points, shot 35.5 percent from three and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. Then everything went backward. Last season, his scoring dropped to 9.6 points per game, his minutes fell, he lost his starting job in March, and Atlanta took off once they pushed him further down the rotation. Over the Hawks’ final 15 games, Risacher averaged just 16.3 minutes per night and even got a DNP-CD.

That’s where Dallas enters the story.

The Mavericks acquired Risacher this summer in a three-team deal that sent Ryan Nembhard to Atlanta and cost Dallas a second-round pick. At the same time, Dallas also received a protected second-rounder back. It was a classic buy-low swing on a former No. 1 pick whose value had completely cratered.

Now the expectations are different.

Dallas does not need Risacher to justify being drafted first overall. It just needs him to become a good NBA player.

Biggest question

What is Zaccharie Risacher actually good at?

That sounds harsh, but I think it is the entire point of this season. For the Mavericks to make this experiment work, they have to figure out where Risacher helps them win. Is he a spot-up shooter? Can he be a connective passer? Can he defend well enough to close games? Is he a wing, a big guard, or something in between? Does he need the ball at all, or is he better spacing the floor and playing off Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving? The theoretical version of Risacher fits Dallas almost perfectly. The Mavericks need size on the perimeter, shooting next to Flagg and Kyrie, plus another defender who can take on difficult wing assignments. Risacher was supposed to be exactly that kind of player coming into the league. Ht has actually got to become that player.

Dallas has started him in both preseason games so far, and although the results have been mixed, that at least tells us Dusty May is willing to give him a real chance. He had nine points and eight rebounds in the preseason opener, then showed a little more life in the second game with two made threes and some hustle plays.

Best case scenario

The best-case scenario is not Risacher suddenly turning into a 25-point-per-game star. It is much simpler than that. He becomes a dependable two-way starter.

If Risacher can shoot somewhere around 37 to 38 percent from three, defend at a legitimate NBA level, and make quick decisions without needing the offense built around him, he suddenly makes a ton of sense next to Flagg and Kyrie. He does not need to dominate the ball. He does not even need to be the third option every night. He needs to become the kind of player who makes lineups work. That is probably the most encouraging part of his situation in Dallas. The pressure is gone.

No one is asking him to save the franchise or carry an offense because he was drafted first overall. Flagg is the centerpiece. Kyrie is the veteran star. Dallas has P.J. Washington, Santi Aldama, Naji Marshall, and others who can take on bigger offensive roles when needed.

Worst-case scenario

The worst-case scenario is that Atlanta was simply right. Maybe Risacher is not good enough to consistently help a winning team. That is the uncomfortable possibility Dallas has to be prepared for.

He was not just struggling last season. At times, he actively hurt Atlanta when he was on the floor. His role shrank as the Hawks improved, and that is never a great sign for a young player whose value is supposed to come from being easy to fit around others. If the jumper is inconsistent, the defense is average, and he cannot create anything off the bounce, then there is not much left.

That version of Risacher gets pushed out of the starting lineup pretty quickly. Dallas has too many forwards and wings fighting for minutes to let him play simply because of where he was drafted two years ago. If that happens, he becomes another developmental project instead of a real part of the core.

Season goal

Become boring. That is honestly what I want from Risacher this year. No more massive expectations. No more conversation about whether he lived up to being the No. 1 pick. No more trying to figure out whether he is secretly a future star. Just become reliable. Hit open shots. Defend. Move the ball. Run the floor. Make the right read. Stay on the court. If Risacher can become a player Dusty May trusts for 25 to 30 minutes every night and does not have to think twice about closing with, that would be a huge success.

Overall

Risacher is probably one of the biggest swing players on the entire roster. The Mavericks do not need him to become what Atlanta hoped it was drafting in 2024. They need him to become the kind of player Dallas thought it was buying low on this summer—a big wing who can shoot, defend, and fit around better players. On paper, that player makes perfect sense next to Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving. The problem is we have spent two years waiting to see if that player actually exists.

There have been a lot of great coaches in basketball. In high school, we saw Bob Hurley Sr. of St. Anthony’s and Morgan Wootten of DeMatha.

In college, we’ve seen Mike Krzyzewski, Dean Smith, and John Wooden.

And in the pros, we’ve seen Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, and perhaps most of all, Red Auerbach.

What he built in Boston is still astonishing. The Celtics were good, and when he saw that he had a chance to get the final piece, Bill Russell, he swung a trade that made it happen.

Russell won the last game of every season he played in the NBA except for two: 1958, when he was injured, and 1967, when the Philadelphia 76ers had a truly great team.

After Russell retired, Auerbach rebuilt around an undersized Dave Cowens and John Havlicek, and then again around Larry Bird.

But it wasn’t just about talent. It was about how he dealt with people. Auerbach had many talents, and was an intense competitor, but his greatest talent may have been his insights into people. He knew how to deal with Russell, which wasn’t easy. He knew just how far he could push Bob Cousy.

He knew how to deal with every player on his team as a coach or under his supervision as GM or team president.

This video gets into a lot of what made Auerbach one of, at a minimum, the two or three best coaches in the history of basketball. He was unbelievably good at what he did.

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Bill Kennedy hilariously side-eyes Steph Curry's golf swing during replay ruling originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

NBA referee Bill Kennedy is known for his sideline theatrics, and he’s used to being the star of the show when announcing whether a coach’s challenge has succeeded or failed.

Enter Steph Curry.

The Warriors star took the opportunity to practice his golf swing during a review on Friday night at Chase Center, and Kennedy couldn’t help but notice his big reveal was being upstaged.

Curry is an avid golfer and gets his practice swing in wherever he can — which often includes the basketball court during timeouts, in pregame warmups and even as a celebration. But Golden State’s point guard should have known Kennedy was bound to call him out, even if it was through a simple, yet hilarious, side-eye and point of his thumb.

Get a load of this guy, Kennedy appeared to gesture.

The longtime NBA official has a knack for turning replay rulings into viral moments and is widely respected. He also is the league’s second openly gay official and was announced as an inductee into the 2026 LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame class in January of this year.

Kennedy’s rulings alone are pure comedy, but adding Curry’s nonchalant stardom into the mix made for an all-timer on Friday night.

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Unreal Steve Kerr doppelgänger returns to Chase Center for Warriors vs. Blazers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

He’s back.

The Steve Kerr lookalike who went viral over two years ago for, well, looking like the Warriors coach was at Chase Center again Friday night for Golden State’s NBA preseason win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

And despite this not being the first time, it appeared as if Kerr couldn’t believe his eyes.

The Kerr doppelgänger has a name, of course — but it’s a familiar one. Steve (no, not joking) Gillis is from Las Vegas, where he’s an English teacher at Bishop Gorman High and co-founder/director of Summerlin Volleyball Academy, as identified by the Las Vegas Review-Journal in March 2024 after he originally went viral at a Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs game in San Francisco.

Two Steves. Two nearly identical faces. And while one chose volleyball instead of basketball, it’s clear they both really like the Warriors.

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1. Overtime Thriller

It’s not common that I find myself on the edge of my seat and yelling at my TV over a preseason NBA game but I found myself in that exact position tonight watching the Boston Celtics defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 125-120 in overtime. In a game where the 76ers started all of their starters against the Celtics who ran out what could end up being their Maine Celtics lineup at some point this year, Boston overcame the adversity and took down the Goliath. Am I being a bit hyperbolic for a preseason game? Yes. But it was still an entertaining game to watch despite it not being a game that actually counts.

What did impress me the most out of the group the Celtics played tonight was the fact that no one seemed afraid of the moment. Even in a preseason game, there are a lot of guys in Boston’s starting lineup that are fighting for a roster spot with either the Celtics on a two-way deal or just a G League spot. Philadelphia’s starters had a combined 89,240 Career NBA Points to their name while Boston had a combined 6 points, all by Hayden Gray who played in one NBA game with the Utah Jazz last season.

Everyone on the roster in this game looked to be aggressive and they didn’t care that NBA Champions and MVPs like LeBron James, Joel Embiid or Jaylen Brown were in the way. There was sloppy play at times from the Celtics but it was the hustle stats that told the story. Boston out-rebounded the Philadelphia 63-46, finished 16 more shot attempts, and forced 18 turnovers. There were times where Boston looked to be the better team with the 76ers starters on the floor and I think that is a huge testament to the culture of the Celtics.

2. Head Coach Sam Cassell

Similar to the first game of the preseason when assistant coaches Tony Dobbins and DJ MacLeay took the reigns from Joe Mazzulla, Sam Cassell made his Celtics head coaching debut for Boston in their matchup against the 76ers. Cassell was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers from 2020-2023 before joining the Celtics coaching staff in June of 2023. He was tied for 5th in the 2026-27 NBA GM Survey as the best assistant coach in the NBA and has been a hot name in the head coaching candidate circles a lot in the past.

Cassell did a great job when it came to coaching up the players who didn’t have a lot of playing time during the rest of the preseason games this year. He was actively engaged on the sidelines and helped lead Boston back from a 14 point deficit midway through the the third quarter.

When asked postgame about the starting lineup, Cassell said, “We wanted to reward these guys…they pushed our guys in training camp the last three or four weeks and Joe was like let’s reward them…It’s a big thing to be a starter for the Boston Celtics and this something I’m pretty sure none of them will ever forget in their lives.”

It was cool to see Joe Mazzulla give his assistant coaches the chance to shine in this preseason. It feels like Cassell will eventually get a head coaching job in the NBA one day and even though it will be sad to see him leave the Celtics, he is more than deserving of an opportunity.

3. Maine Celtics Standouts

Similar to Mazzulla and Cassell giving them the start, I wanted to highlight the contributions of the lesser known names from the starting lineup. Hayden Gray, Milos Uzan, Tucker Devries, and Gabe McGlothan all played a pivotal role in the Celtics win tonight with their play down the stretch of the fourth quarter and overtime.

Starting with Hayden Gray who finished with 7 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals on 3-6 shooting while also being a +11. Gray was impressive early, showing his two-man game with Celtics 2026 first round pick Chris Cenac Jr. We even saw a play similar to Rajon Rondo where after a steal, he made a behind the back pass to Cenac Jr. for an easy dunk. Gray was also a stabilizing force as a ball handler for Boston late in the game as similar lineups struggled when it came to getting the ball up the court. It feels like Gray will end up with a two-way contract at some point this season whether its with Boston or not and I am excited to see how his NBA career will unfold.

Milos Uzan was the leading scorer of the starting lineup, finishing with 14 points on 4-9 shooting. Uzan also had chemistry with his former Houston Cougars teammate Chris Cenac Jr. as Cassell seemed to stagger their minutes together. His biggest moment of the game came at the end of overtime where he hit a dagger shot as the shot clock was expiring to give Boston a 7 point lead, all but sealing the win. Uzan is another guy I can see on a two-way contract at some point this season and I hope we are able to see him play for the Maine Celtics this year because he is a solid player.

Tucker DeVries was another standout when it came to his shooting, finishing with 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals and shot 3-5 from three in the fourth quarter. DeVries gave Boston their first lead after being down by 14 points midway through the third quarter and gave them life for the rest of the game. He will be another fun guy to watch with the Maine Celtics this year just for his ability to get hot from beyond the arc.

Finally, we have Gabe McGlothan who was an absolute monster on boards, finishing with 6 points and 13 rebounds, 5 of which coming on the offensive glass. McGlothan played a lot of small ball center for Boston at the end of the fourth quarter and overtime and did a great job keeping the Celtics alive. He felt like the guy that got the least amount of playing time this preseason but he made a name for himself when given the opportunity in this game. Another guy who will be a fun watch in the G League this year.

4. Gonzalez Shined Again

Hugo Gonzalez saved his best performance in his stellar preseason this year for last as against the 76ers he finished with a team-high 21 points with 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 6-10 shooting from the field and 3-7 from three. Gonzalez finished the preseason shooting an impressive 19-30 (63%) overall while also shooting 11-20 (55%) from beyond the arc. This is a great sign for the Celtics as we could be in store for a big Year 2 from Hugo.

His offense was the biggest standout for me in this game as he looked like a complete offensive player. His drives to the paint for tough buckets over taller defenders was impressive but his three point shooting was also great. Gonzalez was able to catch the ball in the corner and with no hesitation pull the trigger on a wide open three. His most impressive shot to me came in the second quarter when he hit a pull-up three over Tyrese Maxey who was draped all over him.

This is the type of shot creation we didn’t see last year and after not playing much in the Celtics game against the Hornets on Wednesday, Gonzalez was able to put his full skillset on display. I hope this means we get to see more of him in the rotation during the regular season because it feels like good things happen when he is on the court.

5. Harper Jr. First Full Preseason Action

After missing the first two games of the preseason with a shoulder injury, Ron Harper Jr. played in 6 minutes in the fourth quarter of the Celtics third preseason game against the Hornets. That changed a lot in this matchup against the 76ers where he played in 35 minutes, finishing with 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists on 7-20 shooting. Although the three point shot wasn’t there in this game and he finished with 5 turnovers, Harper Jr. was the main offensive option down the stretch, playing almost every minute of the fourth quarter and overtime. Harper Jr. shot 6-12 in the fourth quarter with a lot of great cuts to the basket and nice finishes.

Harper Jr. being the leader at the end of the game felt fitting considering he was in a similar position to a lot of the guys he played with on the court. Starting in the G League with the Celtics before eventually working his way up to a two-way contract and then eventually a long term extension this offseason. In his postgame interview with Abby Chin on NBC Sports Boston, he highlighted this work ethic by saying, “Nobody expected us to win, especially when we roll out that (starting) lineup and they see who’s playing and not playing, but we don’t really care. We just go out there and play Boston Celtics basketball and find a way to get it done.”

Ron Harper Jr. knows what it takes to play for the Celtics and it feels like he is in store for a big season this year. It would not surprise me if we see a handful of games where due to injuries or rest, Harper Jr. puts up some big performances for Boston off the bench.

6. Another Solid Garza Game

Similar to Gonzalez, another guy who has had an impressive preseason for the Celtics has been Luka Garza. In this game he finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds on 3-6 shooting from the field, 2-4 from three, and 5-7 from the free throw line. Garza is once again showing why he deserves some time in Boston’s rotation. Garza finished the preseason averaging 14.3 points and 6.0 rebounds and it felt like every time he was on the floor for Boston he made his presence known.

The first quarter was what impressed me the most about Garza’s performance. In 6 minutes he had 7 points and 4 offensive rebounds, all in quick succession. The best coming off of a fast break for the Celtics where he grabbed the board over three 76ers in the vicinity. He might not be as skilled as Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson, but his ability to crash the offensive glass is special and much like Ron Harper Jr, he will win Boston a few games this year with his effort alone.

7. Cenac Jr. Best Game

After an electric Summer League the Celtics 2026 first round pick Chris Cenac Jr. was a name to watch throughout the preseason. In his first game against the Cavaliers he got a ton of minutes but shot 3-13 and after that got fourth quarter minutes once Boston’s starters started playing. However, against the 76ers in this game, Cenac Jr. was in the starting lineup for the Celtics and played well, finishing with 12 points and 8 rebounds on 6-10 shooting despite fouling out in the fourth quarter.

At 19 years old, Cenac Jr. held his own against the likes of LeBron James and Joel Embiid on defense, even getting a block on Tyrese Maxey. On offense he was a great play finisher, a noteable improvement from his first game. He did a great job rolling to the basket and cutting out of the corners that lead to a ton of easy dunks. It’s a part of his game that has me the most excited because of the Celtics great history of developing big men. I wonder if he starts the season in Boston or ends up with Maine to get more playing time? Either way he will be a fun piece for the future of the Celtics.

8. Sharp Shooter Mitchell

When Dillon Mitchell was at St. John’s this past season for college basketball, he was known as being a crazy athlete but he was not known as a shooter at all. In fact, in his senior season, he only attempted 15 shots from three and making only 1. It was going to be a real test to see if the Celtics could fix his jumper so he could hit it at even an average level. In the Summer League there were good signs as he finished shooting 3-8 from beyond the arc in 3 games played but there were still questions.

In the preseason, Mitchell only attempted 1 three before this game but in this game he attempted 2. One came in the fourth quarter where he missed but the second came in maybe the biggest moment of the game in overtime. With 1:31 left, Mitchell pulled a three that looked to shock everyone and cashed it to put the Celtics up by 5. This is a great example of the hard work paying off for Dillon Mitchell and hopefully we are able to see him shoot the ball with even more comfortability as the season goes on.

9. Brown vs Boston Looked Weird

After playing 10 years for the Boston Celtics, developing into a 5 time All-Star, a 2 time All-NBA player, a 2024 NBA Champion, and 2024 Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown played his game against his former club and I won’t lie to you, it was really weird to see. Brown played in parts of all four quarters in this game, finishing with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks on 8-14 shooting and I hated watching every second of it. Watching him size up his former teammates that he mentored all last season just looked uncanny.

Postgame, all of those same teammates like Baylor Scheierman and Ron Harper Jr. went up to him to say good game and Brown had some words for them as well. “He said we’re still ugly, that just means he misses us” Harper Jr. said in his postgame interview when asked about his conversation with Brown and that just hit me all in the feels.

When asked if the trip to TD Garden and playing against his former team tonight made the emotions of playing the Celtics go away, Jaylen Brown said in his postgame interview, “I played there for 10 years, so it’ll never be out of the way.” Safe to say the feeling is mutual when it comes to both Brown and Boston fan’s as a whole. His time in Boston will never be forgotten even if he’s wearing a 76ers jersey now. It still feels insane that the NBA scheduled Brown’s regular season return to Boston on January 21st.

10. Perfect Preseason

With their win over the 76ers, the Celtics finished with a perfect 4-0 record in the preseason this year. The last time Boston finished with a 4-0 record in the preseason was all the way back in the 2019-20 season. That team went on to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, so surely there is a direct correlation to an undefeated preseason and postseason success right? Probably not.

Either way this was a fun preseason to watch for a new look Boston Celtics squad. We got to see the new guys like Paul George and Mitchell Robinson showcase a little bit of their talents. We saw the young guys like Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh show real improvements. Finally, we got to see what could be the start of some great seasons by guys like Payton Pritchard and Jayson Tatum. Either way, preseason is finally over and that means we finally get some real Boston Celtics basketball once again.

The past three months have been all about preparation for Hugo González.

In July, González joined the Spain national team for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers, logging appearances against Denmark, Georgia, and Greece. In Las Vegas, he joined the Boston Celtics and began to impress, leading the team in scoring (18.3 points) throughout Summer League — putting his offseason strides on full display.

Friday night was no different. The 20-year-old, poised to make a major leap this season, placed his cherry on top against the Philadelphia 76ers with another elite performance. This time, facing a star-studded Philadelphia squad that started LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey, González stole the spotlight at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Fighting from behind a 14-point deficit in the second half, González was Boston’s difference-maker in their 125-120 overtime win over Philadelphia.

González scored a team-leading 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting with four rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 19 minutes off the bench. He went 3-of-7 from beyond the arc and didn’t commit a single turnover, unveiling his polished 3-point shot and improved ball-handling.

Philadelphia countered Boston’s starting lineup of Hayden Gray, Milos Uzan, Gabe McGlothan, Tucker DeVries and Chris Cenac Jr. with four of its top players. With Jayson Tatum, Paul George and Boston’s other regulars sidelined, the Celtics had every reason to struggle against a lineup riddled with future Hall of Famers in a game that counted towards absolutely nothing.

But González didn’t approach the team’s final competitive opportunity before Opening Night with that thought in mind.

Much like the Celtics saw during Summer League, González carries himself with greater confidence. You can see it in his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and his drives to the basket. He has a different kind of swagger when he attacks the rim, which pairs well with the boldness he enforces defensively.

In the first quarter, González picked Brown’s pocket and flushed a wide-open two-handed dunk on the other end.

While the disengaged, such as James, cruised, González hustled and sparked the Celtics. For the second time this preseason, Boston didn’t need its regulars to take care of the best their opposition had for them. In the opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as Boston sat its most-rotated veterans, González came through with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, helping put away Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.

The same way González embraced the Celtics’ stay-ready culture as a rookie last season was the same way he approached Friday night’s finale.

Just because stakes are minimal for both teams involved doesn’t mean González needs to take his foot off the gas. That’s his approach. He’s constantly in attack mode, and it’s a part of him he can’t turn off when he’s suited up and on the floor.

After the final buzzer, Brown went straight to González to shake his former teammate’s hand.

“It was good to see some of the young guys,” Brown told reporters postgame. “I spent a lot of time with those guys. To see them develop and get better, it’s good to see.”

If the version of González we’ve seen in FIBA, the Summer League, and preseason shows up this season, the Celtics have a lot to be excited about. González earned president of basketball operations Brad Stevens plenty of brownie points last year for snipping him 28th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, but that was just the start.

Boston now has a better idea of González’s potential, along with a clear role for him to fill.

So far, all signs point toward González taking that next step. He’s returned an upgraded version of his rookie self with the same hard-nosed motor that earned him immediate respect and admiration from Celtics fans last season. Now, all that’s left is to put it all together.

Warriors ‘uncles' close out preseason with an encouraging banger vs. Blazers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry dug up his typhoon energy. Draymond Green window-shopped a triple-double. Al Horford was raining 3-pointers as if he were alone on the court.

The uncles at the core of the Warriors were vibrant Friday night at Chase Center, and their work in the NBA preseason finale fed a 128-118 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers and in the process sprinkled some encouragement five days before the regular-season opener.

Playing in all four quarters, Curry exited with 8:29 remaining after tying his preseason high in assists with five and posting preseason highs in points (20), rebounds (four) and, perhaps most significantly, minutes (26).

“He’s on a different routine this camp,” coach Steve Kerr said. “And we’ve ramped him up more slowly, so he’s been kind of working his way to this point. He’s not yet where he wants to be, but he’s on track.”

After shaking off a substandard first half (seven points, 3-of-12 shooting), Curry in the third quarter looked a lot like the point guard who has dazzled the NBA for the better part of two decades. The 38-year-old scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, including 2 of 3 from distance, and was plus-15 over seven minutes.

Green, who submitted a solid preseason despite still being in the conditioning phase, saved his best for last. Starting at power forward between center Charles Bassey and rookie small forward Yaxel Lendeborg, Green made the most of his 24 minutes: seven points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and three steals.

Green, 36, had three turnovers, but that’s generally acceptable when accompanied by 10 assists. He has been given an adjusted role and an edict to reduce turnovers, but in this game looked like the good Draymond of old. He posted a team-high plus-18.

“Draymond really lifted us; he was fantastic,” Kerr said.

“He’s going to orchestrate the offense, (and) tonight it was just a clear example of how he got it going,” Horford said of Green. “He was playing at his own pace and just kind of controlling the tempo out there. I think that it’s almost like he welcomes that position that he’s in right now. He knows he’s going to have to do it and there’s just no way around it.”

Horford, at 40 the eldest uncle, came off the bench to drench the Blazers in triples. He scored 15 points in 15 minutes, shooting 5 of 8 from beyond the arc.

The youngest Warrior and the newest member of the rotation, Lendeborg, played a terrific two-man game, with the rookie using his impressive processing of the offense to find the vet with timely passes. Of Horford’s five 3-pointers, three were assisted by Lendeborg.

“The pick-and-pop is a real threat, and it changes everything,” Kerr said. “It forces the defense to have to stretch out, so if we can get that from Al it’s a game changer. Even if he’s not making them, just the fact that he’s picking and popping and taking eight threes, the defense has to honor that.”

It’s Curry and Green, though, who must break some old habits for the revamped offense to succeed. They’ve been teammates for 14 NBA seasons, and their chemistry is in some ways unmatched within the league. 

The goal, according to Kerr, is less improvisation and more structure.

“We’re trying to be way more organized than we have been in the past with our spacing and our cutting and the beginning of our formations,’’ Kerr said. “We’ve thrived in chaos over the years, generating chaos with speed with turnovers. I learned early on that whatever Steph wants to do is a good thing.

“But what’s happened the last couple of years, the league has changed so much. It’s faster. There’s way more 3-point shooting. Teams are more talented 1 through 5. Ten years ago, hardly anyone had 4s and 5s shooting 3s. Now everybody does it, so it’s become much more of a possession game. Based on where our roster is now compared to 10 years ago, we have to win more in the margins.”

Golden State won on the margins, with a 19-10 advantage in fast-break points, committing a preseason-low 14 turnovers and shooting 40.9 percent from deep to Portland’s 35 percent.

The Warriors hope to find symmetry between the uncles and the nephews on the roster; it’s their best path to prosperity. They took noticeable strides in that direction while closing out the preseason.

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The Celtics are deep. Really deep.

Heading into Opening Night, there’s a possibility that Mike Conley who started fifteen games last year in Minnesota may not even see the floor. Ron Harper Jr. signed a three-year contract over the summer and he might be the odd man out. Fifteen points and six rebounds a night over the preseason? That may not be enough for Luka Garza to get off the bench in Detroit next week.

As the poll results suggest, playing time and pecking order don’t really matter because “the vibes are good.” But we asked anyway, “who will be the Celtics’ second leading scorer” presumably behind Jayson Tatum?

Conventional wisdom suggests that veterans Derrick White and Paul George would pick up the mantle of being Robin to JT’s Batman. That might still happen, but our readers resoundingly voted for Payton Pritchard to be the #2.

Here’s reader ldrpr on Pritchard and the potential non-scoring roles for White and George and how that opens the door for PP:

I clicked on “Doesn’t matter, vibes are good” but I agree it’s likely PP, not only because he’s a talented scorer but also because I expect PG & DW will be more focused on being all-around “contributes to winning” players than on scoring.

So far in the preseason, the former Sixth Man of the Year has returned to the bench with head coach Joe Mazzulla opting to start the more complementary Jordan Walsh. There’s no guarantee that that’s what it will look like on October 21 against the Pistons, but for now, Pritchard becomes the designated scorer of the second unit.

After a 4-0 preseason and Pritchard falling into a familiar role, Our friends at FanDuel remain bullish on Boston and still have the Celtics (+1400) with the fifth highest odds to win a championship behind the Thunder (+240), Spurs (+270), Knicks (+1000), and Sixers (+1000).

Ages 21 to 41, top-3 picks and wild parallels: Inside Sixers' new lineup originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

LeBron James had completed two NBA seasons by the time VJ Edgecombe was born.

More than two decades later, the two are expected to start alongside each other when the Sixers open their season Tuesday night against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

James and Edgecombe bookend a projected starting five assembled from opposite ends of the NBA timeline. Its members were drafted across 22 years, from James at No. 1 in 2003 to Edgecombe at No. 3 in 2025.

All five were first-round picks. Four were selected within the first three picks of their respective drafts.

James went first overall in 2003. Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown were each selected third in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Tyrese Maxey went 21st in 2020. Edgecombe became the third overall pick in 2025.

That collection of draft pedigree is exceptionally rare.

An NBC Sports Philadelphia review of the starting lineup each NBA team used in its first regular-season game over the past 30 seasons found only three with at least four players selected within the first three picks of their drafts.

That is three of 892 team-season opening lineups from 1996-97 through 2025-26, or 0.34 percent.

The 2007-08 Denver Nuggets opened with No. 1 picks Allen Iverson and Kenyon Martin, No. 2 pick Marcus Camby and No. 3 pick Carmelo Anthony. Yakhouba Diawara completed the lineup.

A decade later, Boston opened consecutive seasons with the same four top-three picks. Kyrie Irving was selected first overall, while Al Horford, Brown and Jayson Tatum each went third. Gordon Hayward, the ninth pick in 2010, was the fifth starter in both 2017 and 2018.

If and when the Sixers use their projected five Tuesday, they will join those three modern-era examples. Their exact arrangement of one No. 1 pick and three No. 3 picks would match Boston’s.

Brown provides the link between the groups. He appeared in both Boston lineups and would become part of three of the four qualifying opening fives identified in the study.

His place within them has changed dramatically.

Brown was 20 years old and beginning his second season when Boston first opened with four top-three picks in 2017. Nine years later, Edgecombe is the 21-year-old entering Year 2, while Brown is the accomplished veteran expected to help him navigate that position.

The opponent for Brown’s 2017 opener was James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Brown scored a team-high 25 points. James finished with 29 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists in Cleveland’s 102-99 victory.

It was the last time James opened a season as a member of an Eastern Conference team. When he returns to the East for another opener Tuesday, Brown will no longer be the young opponent attempting to stop him. He will be the veteran starting beside him.

The Sixers’ group is decorated beyond its draft positions.

The five players have combined for 36 All-Star selections, five regular-season MVP awards, five NBA championships and five Finals MVP awards.

Edgecombe is the only member without an All-Star appearance. He earned All-Rookie First Team honors and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting last season.

Each player represents a different stage of an NBA career and a different chapter in the Sixers’ history.

James, 41, is preparing to become the first player in NBA history to appear in a 24th season. He made his NBA debut on Oct. 29, 2003, recording 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals for the Cavaliers.

Embiid was 9 years old at the time and had not started playing basketball. Brown was 7. Maxey was 2, six days shy of his third birthday.

Edgecombe would not be born for another 640 days.

By the time Edgecombe arrived on July 30, 2005, James had completed two NBA seasons and won Rookie of the Year. He was preparing to begin his third.

Edgecombe’s first NBA game would eventually create the most direct connection between them.

He scored 34 points in his debut last October, the third-highest total by a player in his first NBA game. His 14 first-quarter points surpassed James’ record for the most scored in the opening quarter of a debut.

Edgecombe’s career began by erasing a small part of James’ history. His second season will begin alongside him.

That debut also connected nearly the entire projected lineup before it had been assembled.

Maxey scored 40 points beside Edgecombe. Their 74 combined points tied the second-highest total by a duo in an NBA season opener, one shy of the record set by James Harden and Christian Wood in 2020.

Embiid started at center for the Sixers. Brown scored 25 points for the opposing Celtics.

James was the only member of the new five who was not in the building, though Edgecombe still managed to break one of his records.

Their careers intersected in other ways before converging in Philadelphia. The years in which the other four entered the league also measure the different stages of James’ career.

The Sixers selected Embiid third overall on June 26, 2014. Fifteen days later, James announced that he was leaving Miami and returning to Cleveland.

Brown was drafted third overall on June 23, 2016, four days after James led the Cavaliers past the Golden State Warriors to secure Cleveland’s first major professional sports championship in 52 years.

When the Sixers selected Maxey 21st in November 2020, James was 38 days removed from winning his fourth championship and first with the Los Angeles Lakers. James congratulated Maxey publicly on draft night and declared that Philadelphia had gotten a good player.

Six years later, James identified his relationship with Maxey as one of the central reasons he chose to join the Sixers.

Edgecombe was drafted after James had completed his 22nd NBA season. He then opened his career by breaking James’ first-quarter debut record.

The other relationships within the lineup carry their own history.

Brown and Embiid spent much of the previous decade on opposite sides of one of the NBA’s oldest rivalries. They faced each other in four postseason series.

Boston eliminated Philadelphia in 2018, 2020 and 2023. The Sixers finally broke through last spring, overcoming a 3-1 deficit and beating the Celtics in Game 7 in Boston.

Embiid recorded 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the deciding game. Brown led Boston with 33 points.

A little more than two months later, the longtime playoff opponents became teammates.

The projected Sixers lineup has an average age of approximately 30.3 years, calculated using each player’s exact age on opening night.

The range within it is more revealing.

James and Edgecombe will be separated by 20 years and 212 days on opening night. James is entering his 24th season. Edgecombe is entering his second. Embiid, Brown and Maxey fill nearly every stage in between.

It would not be the widest age difference within an NBA starting lineup. Vince Carter and Trae Young started together for Atlanta on Oct. 17, 2018, separated by 21 years and 236 days.

Should James start Tuesday, he would rank as the second-oldest player to start a season opener. At 41 years and 294 days, he would surpass Carter, who was 41 years and 264 days old when he started Atlanta’s 2018 opener. Only Robert Parish, who started an opener at 42 years and 65 days, was older.

The lineup contains three players selected No. 3 in drafts spanning 11 years, but their responsibilities could hardly be more different.

Embiid is the Sixers’ longest-tenured player and final direct connection to the Process. Brown is an established champion beginning a new chapter after 10 seasons in Boston. Edgecombe is a developing second-year guard whom the organization still considers an important part of its future.

Maxey connects Philadelphia’s previous era to its new one. He developed from the 21st pick into a franchise centerpiece, endured several major roster changes and ultimately helped attract James to Philadelphia.

James represents something the league has never seen before. He is not merely occupying a roster spot in his 24th season. The Sixers signed him to help a contender win immediately.

That makes the group difficult to describe with one label.

The Sixers are old enough to carry enormous urgency but young enough to care deeply about internal growth. They must maximize what remains of James’ career without interrupting Edgecombe’s development. They must integrate Brown while continuing to operate around Embiid and Maxey.

They are not choosing between the present and the future. They are attempting to play both at once.

The five arrived in Philadelphia through different drafts, different eras and, in several cases, opposite sides of the same court.

Tuesday night, their careers converge in the same starting lineup.