Category: Basketball

The early-season success might’ve masked the reality of where the Lakers are at in their team-building journey. 

But they returned to Southern California for their back-to-back set against the Raptors and Heat with a renewed perspective on what needs to happen for them to grow into the championship-caliber team they’re hoping to become.

And how the process isn’t as easy or linear as they made it look early on.

“We want to become a great team,” coach JJ Redick said. “You don’t become a great team in six games. We want to become a great team after 82 games and have a chance to go compete for a championship in April, May and June. It’s a process to get there.”

There was a hitch in the process during Friday’s blowout loss to the Warriors at Chase Center. 

The Lakers went from looking like worldbeaters when they took a 25-point lead early in the second quarter to unrecognizable by the time the Warriors completed the 42-point turnaround.

Their offense fell off a cliff when the Warriors blitzed or put two on the ball against Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

The Lakers star guards created the types of advantages teams strive for.

But they didn’t cash in on the openings, with it being clear that the role players are still learning how to operate when playing four-on-three basketball.

“We just need to do better with that,” Doncic said. “You create [an] advantage, you put two on the ball. And you got to go score. It’s a four on three, so we gotta be better at that.”

It sounds easy.

But the small sample the Lakers have when playing against teams deploying more aggressive defensive coverages makes it clear it isn’t as easy as it appears.

There’s a rhythm to playing advantage basketball. 

Spacing principles need to be mastered.

Decision-making needs to be quick and crisp before those advantages disappear and evaporate just as quickly as they were created. 

With so many new faces, the nuances haven’t set in yet.

“Obviously, it’s a new team, so a lot of guys have different roles,” Walker Kessler said. “It’s different because guys aren’t necessarily comfortable yet, like talking to each other during tough times or calling each other out or taking coaching or taking a response. That just builds with time. We have a lot of talent on this team and a lot of good players. Everyone has seen it. When we’re playing well, playing connected, so continue to build that.”

With the Lakers entering Week 3 of the season, there’s plenty of time for these intricacies to be learned. 

“We know we are going to be patient,” Redick said. “There’s also, along with patience, doing what you’re supposed to do. As we play more games together, we do more walk-throughs together, we do more film together, we do more practices together, that we’ll all get better.”

The Sacramento Kings have enjoyed watching Darius Acuff Jr. take off, but are facing an internal problem with their roster as Domantas Sabonis isn’t too keen on playing alongside him.

According to Sean Deveney, of Heavy.com, Sabonis doesn’t appear to enjoy Acuff Jr.’s play style and the Kings could be willing to part ways with Sabonis via trade this season or during the summer.

“Sabonis has some hope, because teams always need size, and if he is not traded this season, he should be dealt off next summer. The Kings have no interest in keeping him there, and he is not enthused about playing with a ball-dominant guard like Acuff,” Deveney reported.

Deveney added that while teams could be looking to acquire Sabonis, the likelihood of Sacramento receiving a first-round pick for him is unlikely, and would be considered “a major score, and a long shot.”

Denevy added that due to Sacramento’s 0-6 start to the season, moving off from their star center could make it easier for them, as they could embrace tanking this season.

For the last five seasons, Sabonis has been a mainstay in the Kings lineup and is one of the last remaining players from the team’s 2022-2023 playoff appearance, which snapped a 16-year drought.

While the Kings ended up losing the opening series against the Warriors, they took the reigning NBA champions to the limit by going seven games.

Since then, the Kings have found themselves rebuilding from the ground up, yet again.

Acuff Jr. appears to be part of the Kings’ future, as he was taken with the No.7 pick of the NBA Draft this past summer and has had a promising start to the season, averaging 26 points through six games.

Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg didn’t have a great game against the Lakers on Friday night, as he scored a career-low six points and had a -20 +/-.

Perhaps this was because Lendeborg used up all of his good hooping against his girlfriend before the game.

On Thursday, Dub5 Apparel, a clothing brand that Lendeborg and his girlfriend, Tacarra, are heavily affiliated with, posted an Instagram video of them seemingly playing a game of 1-on-1.

But it wasn’t much of a contest, which the 6-foot-9 forward quickly proved when he posterized his girlfriend then had several words to say to her about it afterward.

The two were obviously joking around, and the apparel brand has posted several clips of them hooping together while wearing Dub5 clothes.

This dunk was definitely the most merciless moment of all from the rookie.

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The Warriors did not need a good game from Lendeborg to beat the Lakers 112-95 on Friday night.

But they’re going to need the rookie if they’re going to make any noise in the Western Conference this season, as he has already proved to be one of most valuable members of their roster through the season’s first six games.

Because of his success, Yaxel and Tacarra can expect to stay in Golden State for quite a long time.

The Golden State Warriors will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night. The game will be played at 5:30 PM PT in San Francisco and can be watched on NBC Sports Bay Area.

Previously with the Warriors:

After opening the season with three consecutive losses, the Warriors have turned things around with three straight wins, most recently defeating the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, 112-95.

Golden State found themselves in an early hole trailing by 23 points after the first quarter. However, a furious comeback led by superstar Steph Curry completely shifted the momentum, as the Warriors outscored Los Angeles 97-57 over the final three quarters to secure the victory. Curry led the team with 31 points while providing the home crowd with multiple highlights along the way, including this ankle-breaking move against Lakers star Luka Dončić.

What to watch for tonight:

The Warriors will have to keep their winning streak alive without two of their biggest stars on Sunday. Curry and Draymond Green have both been ruled out against the Clippers, with Golden State opting to rest their veteran duo on the first night of a back-to-back.

Look for rookie Yaxel Lendeborg to have a bounce back game tonight. Lendeborg struggled to find his rhythm against the Lakers, finishing with a season-low six points Friday night. The rookie was critical of his performance afterward, acknowledging that he needed to be better.

Now, with two of Golden State’s stars unavailable, Lendeborg will have a chance to respond. The Warriors have already seen flashes of his versatility and offensive potential early this season, but Sunday’s matchup could provide an interesting opportunity to see how he responds to a poor performance.

Enjoy the game Dub Nation. GO WARRIORS!!!

Projected Starters

Warriors: De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, Gui Santos, Graham Ike

Clippers: Darius Garland, Kris Dunn, Rui Hachimura, Derrick Jones Jr., Isaiah Jackson

How to watch Regular Season Game 7

Who: Golden State Warriors (3 – 3) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (1 – 4)

When: Saturday, November 1st, at 5:30 p.m. PT

Where: Chase Center — San Francisco, California

TV and Streaming: NBC Sports Bay Area

Halloween might be over, but that doesn’t rid the scare from Nets fans.

Brooklyn dropped to 0-5 on Friday night after letting another promising start slip away in a 110-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons. The Nets came out with another solid start, but couldn’t sustain it over four quarters.

The road doesn’t get any easier tonight. The Nets won’t have Egor Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr., leaving Nolan Traoré with an opportunity to take on a larger role at point guard. They’re back on the road at Indiana, who are also trying to find their footing after a 145-125 loss to the Miami Heat on Friday.

The Pacers enter at 2-4, but remain a dangerous opponent even without its franchise point guard, Tyrese Haliburton. The two-time All-Star will miss some time with a strained hamstring.

Indiana won the first meeting between these teams, 136-109, on Oct. 25.

Game Info & How to Watch

• Matchup: Brooklyn Nets (0-5) at Indiana Pacers (2-4)
• Time: 5:00 PM ET (4:00 PM CT)
• Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
• TV/Streaming: YES Network/DAZN

Nets-Pacers Injury Report

Brooklyn Nets

• OUT: Egor Dëmin (right bone bruise)
• OUT: Mikel Brown Jr. (back injury management)
• OUT: Joshua Jefferson (G League assignment)
• OUT: Ben Saraf (G League assignment)
• OUT: Tyler Bilodeau (G League assignment, two-way)
• OUT: Grant Nelson (G League assignment, two-way)

Indiana Pacers

• QUESTIONABLE: Obi Toppin (low back soreness)
• OUT: Tyrese Haliburton (left hamstring strain)
• OUT: Ben Sheppard (left meniscus surgery)
• OUT: Ivica Zubac (left ankle sprain)
• OUT: Johnny Furphy (right ACL surgery)
• OUT: T.J. McConnell (right hamstring strain)
• PROBABLE: Aaron Nesmith (left hamstring strain)

Game Preview

“The Nets are off to their worst possible start, and Friday’s loss to Detroit didn’t do much to inspire confidence. People can accept losing, but they can’t accept poor effort. Brooklyn’s latest defeat left plenty of questions about the team’s effort and execution. This year was supposed to be different for the Nets, but it looks all too familiar.

Nolan Traore will get all the minutes he can handle tonight. With Demin and Brown Jr out, it’s on him to man the point. That’s a lot on his shoulders. He’ll need to dictate the offense and generate downhill pressure. If he does get to the rim, the Nets need him to turn those opportunities into points.” – Brian Fleurantin

💬 Discussion

Share your thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversations. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

Cameron Carr was taken off of the Lakers’ injury report ahead of their game against the Raptors on Sunday.

Carr, whom the Lakers acquired from the Knicks after New York selected him with the 24th overall pick in the 2026 draft, has missed all six of the Lakers’ games this season because of a strained right oblique.

Carr’s potential debut could be well-timed for a Lakers’ bench that was outscored by the Warriors’ reserves, 50-7, in LA’s 112-95 loss to Golden State on Friday.

The 21-year-old shooting guard impressed in his first exhibition game with the Lakers, scoring 19 points in their win over the Kings on Oct. 5.

Last season for Baylor, Carr averaged a team-high 18.9 points on 49.4% shooting from the field, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Ziaire Williams (left foot injury) is questionable for the Lakers on Sunday and Adou Thiero (left knee injury management) remains out.

The Lakers (4-2) have back-to-back games against the Raptors on Sunday and the Heat on Monday.

Calendars have moved from pumpkins to turkeys. Retail stores already have trees and lots of red and green. Your friends and family will start, if they haven’t already, asking what you’d like to have this year. If you have kids or grandkids, they’re probably telling you all on their own. 

Your local NBA team is off to a rough start. But even if they lose Monday against the Warriors, at 1-4 they would match the “out of the gate” record last year from…eventual champion New York. Things had to happen to transform the Knicks’ start into the ultimate success. Which brings me back to the topic of wish lists. What do I want to see by December 25th from the Phoenix Suns to get the team back on a more positive trajectory?

For starters, how about starters? I’d like to see two changes in the starting five. One that has gained traction in recent days is a move to Collin Gillespie at point guard.

He plays smart, provides a shooting threat, and sets a tone from the effort perspective.

The second change would be to get Oso Ighodaro into the starting lineup. That one may not fully count as he was already there pre-injury. We are a much more cohesive unit with Oso and Collin joining Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, and Miles Bridges. Khaman Maluach is still developing, with some nice moments. His confidence can grow at a nice pace by getting significant minutes off the bench. He has done well in spurts, but has some breakdowns. Oso struggles at the line, and this would get him fewer minutes late in quarters when teams are often over the foul limit. Oso and/or Collin were in each of our top-6 best net rating duos last season, as shown in my article on the offseason.

This one might be a more difficult wish, like asking Santa for a new sports car. I’d like Jalen Green to accept, make that embrace, a move to Sixth Man. Think Leandro Barbosa, Jamal Crawford, or Lou Williams. He could play freely, with less competition for shots, playing more minutes with Jordan Goodwin, Ryan Dunn, and Maluach. Having more success this way could also showcase him, increasing stock value from its current state should the Suns want to trade him.

That brings me to my next wish. I hope the team identifies multiple target players for a deal ahead of the February 5 trade deadline. One target results in less leverage. Ideally, these players are a proven commodity with some length. Someone you could see being part of a contending team over the next couple of years. That could be a tricky one. Feel free to fire up the trade machine in the chat. My goal is that Phoenix is in a position by Christmas to start creating buzz through NBA sources and agents. Probably Jalen Green, possibly grouped with Rasher Fleming. Here’s a sample return that works after December 15, and would also clear $6 of cap space:

I ask for Devin Booker to turn it around. There are 24 games from now until then. He’s seemed out of sorts, frustrated, possibly less athletic, and we all see those gray hairs starting to pop. But he’s just 30, skilled, and I think in his own head right now. Most are still rooting hard for him to succeed, and perhaps the lineup change mentioned above will get him on the right track over that stretch of games.

Lastly, I want to see Jordan Ott take additional steps toward being a solid NBA coach. The lineup moves above would be a step in that direction.

What are the top criticisms in the Bright Side comments? Rotation rigidity, a disconnected defense, and too much small ball. I think of other great coaches and how they will ride a hot hand, pull players lacking effort or missing assignments, and match up with size when needed. He has the opportunity to adapt here. On a more connected defense, with the Suns giving up more than 120 points in every game so far, this may mean ratcheting up the pressure on assistant coaches and getting in the face of a few players. That style doesn’t work anymore when applied all the time, but could be effective in well-placed spurts. With Oso back, there is no reason we shouldn’t have him or Khaman on the court at all times. 

Much like the holidays, now we wait and see. Did we get what we asked for? Will it be that sweater you’ll never wear? Maybe, just maybe, these wishes come true, and it will be a season to remember.

Things got intense between veteran guards Jaylen Brown and Grayson Allen as a battle for a loose ball got scrappy during a Halloween clash.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the 76ers star drove to the basket but was swarmed by Hornets near the baseline.

He and Allen both ended up on the hardwood grabbing for the ball.

A scuffle then followed as the ball went out of bounds. Allen pushed away Brown’s arm as the Hornets offseason addition tried to get up. Brown took exception to the push and shoved Allen back down.

Players from each team got in between Brown and Allen before the incident escalated further. Both players were assessed technical fouls by the referees.

Grayson Allen is no stranger to conflict.

The 31-year-old sharpshooter from Duke has built a reputation for getting under opposing players’ skin since his college days. 

Allen always brings a competitive fire to each game that can appear to be excessive in certain moments, and has been behind a ton of instances where a ball handler was undercut while attempting a basket.

The nine-year pro previously got into a hectic situation with now-Thunder player Alex Caruso back in 2022 with the Chicago Bulls when Allen was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Allen got ejected after being assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for dragging down a mid-air Caruso while defending a Bulls fast break.

When Caruso was up in the air, Allen flew in and swatted at Caruso, sending the Bulls guard into a hard collision with the hardwood floor.

The Hornets led for most of Saturday’s game, but Brown and the 76ers rallied late to earn a 109-104 comeback win. Brown finished with a decent stat line of 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Allen led the Hornets with 27 points, including seven 3-pointers off the bench.

What we learned as Yaxel Lendeborg drops 37 points in Warriors' win vs. Clippers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – All the confetti and remnants of a championship celebration were gone. As the Bay Area continues to celebrate the WNBA champion Valkyries, there was another game to be played Saturday night at Chase Center.

The Warriors welcomed the Los Angeles Clippers but were shorthanded without Steph Curry and Draymond Green on the first night of a back-to-back. Their absence didn’t matter because the Warriors have Yaxel Lendeborg, and the Clippers don’t. 

How did Lendeborg come back from his stinker of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers? His answer was leading the Warriors to a 124-112 win over the Clippers with a game-high 37 points on 13-of-19 shooting, going 6 of 11 from 3-point range and also adding four rebounds and six assists.

Lendeborg played 112 college games at the Division-I level between UAB and Michigan, and had one 30-point game. Through his first seven NBA games, he already has two such games.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ fourth straight win.

Yaxel’s Response

Not every game is going to be perfect for Lendeborg. Not in his rookie year, and not as his career progresses. But after the worst game of his young NBA life, Lendeborg was nearly perfect in the first half.

With the Warriors ahead by six points at halftime, Lendeborg was the game’s leading scorer. He already scored 19 points after just six the previous game, going 7 of 8 from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range. Lendeborg also had three assists and consistently found himself attacking the paint to create good ball movement.

Throughout the game, Lendeborg hunted for mismatches. He was too strong for players like Kobe Sanders and took advantage of enough space behind the 3-point line. When Rui Hachimura didn’t respect his outside shot, Lendeborg made him pay multiple times.

A three in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter gave Lendeborg a new career high of 32 points. Lendeborg also wasn’t called for a foul until there were seven minutes remaining, one game after fouling out. He’s an incredibly fast learner who’s translating his lessons to the court in real time.

Can’t Teach Speed 

In the first game the Warriors played without Curry this season, Williams went for 20 points in a road loss to the Suns. Williams knew the Warriors had to lean on him as a top scoring option, and they did. If the Clippers blinked, they missed him, too. 

Williams zoomed by the Clippers’ defense for 12 first-half points, flying in for a layup and two floaters. The cherry on top was Williams making two of his three attempts beyond the arc. When Williams came in during the third quarter, the Clippers still didn’t have an answer. 

He checked in at the 4:26 mark of the third quarter and was at the rim for another layup 25 seconds later. Guards, wings and big men tried their best but could not stay in front of Williams. The Warriors need his change of pace with an available Curry, and his scoring prowess becomes that much more important without him.

In the two games Curry has missed, Williams now is averaging 18.5 points on 57.1 percent shooting. 

Closing Time 

Winning on the margins is a major theme of the Warriors, who know their margin of error down Curry and Green is razor thin. Enjoying a double-digit lead, they began to forget that concept in the third quarter. The Warriors committed just five turnovers in the first half, but then gave the ball away seven times in the third quarter as their lead dwindled to seven points entering the fourth. 

The Warriors in the fourth quarter took it to the Clippers on both ends. They scored at all three levels, played energized defense and didn’t lose control of the ball left and right. 

There still were four minutes to go when LJ Cryer, who is on a two-way contract, entered the game. The Clippers already had emptied their bench by then. The only thing left for the starters to do was see if Lendeborg could reach 40 points, but he fell just shy of the mark despite his best efforts.

Golden State cut its turnovers down to just three in the fourth quarter and was able to hold off LA’s attempt at a late rally.

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It has been a long 19 months since Luka Doncic was traded. It has been an even longer 29 months since Mavericks fans were riding the high of making the NBA Finals and looking forward to the next 10 years of competition. At the time of the trade, it was hard to see how Dallas would ever recover from it.

I, personally, could not see a world in which I would feel joy watching the Mavericks for the foreseeable future. Then, Dallas lucked into Cooper Flagg. His rookie year was enjoyable, but so many remnants of the previous year remained. They had to fire the man who made the trade. Then, they had to trade the guy they received in the Doncic deal. Eventually, they made the decision to move on from the coach who oversaw all of these things when a new regime was put in place. And then Dusty May was hired, and he gave the city of Dallas something that was long overdue: a hope for joy again. 

If you live in Dallas, you know how the city felt in the spring of 2025: sad, lifeless, and hurting. Yes, it’s true that the DFW metroplex is a football town, but the Cowboys play in Arlington (and are perpetually disappointing), which is 30-45 minutes away. So does the baseball team, the Rangers, which means Dallas proper feels most alive when the Mavericks are good.

For over a year and a half, things felt off. Conversations that used to be had about the Mavericks were silent, buzz downtown on game days was non-existent, and the anticipation of playoff basketball was years down the road. There was still a long way to go to get back to where it felt the fan base was two years ago. Even with Flagg as the future, there was still some skepticism regarding how the team would rebound. But when basketball started less than two weeks ago, those worries started to melt away.

The Mavs are finally making us feel basketball feelings again. When I went to the Mavericks’ game on Friday night versus the Rockets, the arena felt like it did once upon a time. The city and people around me felt alive again, and Mavericks’ forward Naji Marshall seemed to notice the same thing:

But what changed? This team is, in large part, the same as last season. Well, like I said before, the final step to moving on was getting a new coach. May has been a breath of fresh air. He is always smiling; he emits joy whenever he talks. He is personable in a way that Jason Kidd simply was not. He is constantly talking up his guys and praising them when they play well. He is, for all intents and purposes, the antithesis of everything that happened before he was hired.

The team even plays like an extension of him. They root for each other, they gang rebound, they have fun playing passing the ball, and, most of all, they play for the city of Dallas. May even said it himself when talking about the synergy between the coaches and front office:

“We’re all working together.”, May said. “We’re trying to represent this city the best way possible. And we’re all trying to achieve the same thing – to improve on and off the court because ultimately the way we play on the floor brings enjoyment to people’s lives.” 

And that last point, about bringing enjoyment to people’s lives, is the key element that previous decision-makers in the organization failed to realize. Dallas is full of hardworking people. Thousands of Mavericks fans clock in at 9:00 AM with the hope that after a beer or two and a Mavericks tipoff at 7:00 PM, the stresses of daily life will become a little easier. Sometimes that two-and-a-half-hour basketball game is all you need to decompress after a long day.

That’s why Dallas rooted so hard for Doncic. He played with a joy that you could see reflected in the city. He was a release valve for the everyday fan. When he was dealt away, that joy he created faded quickly. But May understands that. He knows what Dallas has been through. And not only does he want his team to win, but he wants to bring the whole city with them. And he makes that clear with everything he does.

Sometimes it is hard to see the effect that a coach has on a team. But with May, that effect not only is evident in the basketball product, but it reverberates throughout the entire Dallas area. Flagg gave Mavericks fans hope again; May brought back our joy.

Despite playing the fewest games in the NBA during the inaugural month of the season, concern is high among the Phoenix Suns fanbase due to their offensive struggles and lack of a point guard in the starting lineup amid their 1-3 start. Fans will remain concerned about their season outlook until they start to string a win streak together and play more cohesively. They’ll have a few opportunities to do so throughout the first whole month of the NBA season.

Here’s a peek at the Suns’ schedule for November.

The longest homestand since COVID

• Monday, November 2nd @ Golden State Warriors
• Wednesday, November 4th vs Portland Trail Blazers
• Thursday, November 5th vs Orlando Magic
• Saturday, November 7th vs Houston Rockets
• Monday, November 9th vs San Antonio Spurs
• Tuesday, November 10th vs Los Angeles Clippers
• Thursday, November 12th vs Charlotte Hornets
• Sunday, November 15th vs Los Angeles Lakers

After their Monday matchup in San Francisco against the Warriors, Phoenix will have their longest homestand since February of the 2020-2021 season, when the schedule was made to limit travel during the pandemic. A mix of games against the Eastern and Western Conferences, the Suns were .500 or better against all of their upcoming home opponents except for the Rockets last season.

With multiple back-to-backs in the homestand, the Suns will need to make sure they play a balanced and deep lineup, but the lack of travel will give the team more time to rest between games.

A homestand ends and a road trip begins

• Monday, November 16th @ Denver Nuggets
• Wednesday, November 18th @ Sacramento Kings
• Friday, November 20th @ Utah Jazz*
• Monday, November 23rd @ New Orleans Pelicans
• Wednesday, November 25th @ Houston Rockets*

(*=NBA Cup Games)

The five-game road trip is tied for the longest road trip the Suns will have all year, and the start of it will provide Phoenix with an opportunity for revenge against the Nuggets, who handed them their most recent loss. One of the two winless teams left, the Kings project to provide Phoenix with one of their easiest games of the year, before they play in two of three NBA Cup Games to finish out their travels, with the game against Houston being Jalen Green’s first game at the Toyota Center since being traded for Kevin Durant in 2025. He missed both games in Houston last year because of hamstring issues.

Post-Thanksgiving clashes with rising stars

• Friday, November 27th vs Dallas Mavericks*
• Sunday, November 29th @ Utah Jazz

(*=NBA Cup Games)

After a break for Thanksgiving, Phoenix will face off against Cooper Flagg and Darryn Peterson, the first and second picks in the 2025 and 2026 drafts. While Peterson has struggled mightily with efficiency to start his career, Flagg has been an offensive and defensive force, leading the Mavericks to a surprising 4-2 start and handing the Rockets their first loss of the season after their 5-0 start behind his 33-point performance.

The games against the young talent will give the Suns a glimpse at what life could have been like if they opted to rebuild and accumulate assets after their 2022 and 2023 playoff shortcomings rather than go all-in on acquiring Bradley Beal, which stripped them of all their remaining draft capital after trading for Kevin Durant months prior.

How do you think the Suns will fare in November?

The Celtics will be without Mitchell Robinson when they face the Orlando Magic. Robinson will rest on the front end of a back-to-back, the Celtics’ second of the season. So far this season, Robinson has averaged 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 20 minutes per game.

The rest of the roster, except two-way player Devin Carter, is fully available. Carter continues to deal with an illness, though he is now around the team after being away to start the season.

Robinson typically did not play in both nights of back-to-backs as a member of the New York Knicks, but in an interview with Knicks Fan TV earlier this month, he made clear that would not be the case in Boston.

”It ain’t going to be the same in Boston [as it was with the Knicks]. I’ll be able to play back-to-backs,” Robinson said. “I’m very excited for that; it’s been a long time coming. Now I can go out there and play basketball, just go out there with a free mind and just hoop.”

The Celtics are 4-1 entering Sunday’s game, while the Magic are 2-3, with wins over the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors and losses to the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Raptors.

Boston has won four straight since losing the season opener, beating the Knicks, Chicago Bulls (twice), and Brooklyn Nets.

The Magic will be without several key players

Paolo Banchero suffered a high ankle sprain in the second game of the season, while Jalen Suggs suffered a right knee contusion in the third. Jonathan Isaac is out with left knee injury management.

Franz Wagner has led the Magic, averaging 20.8 points, 7 assists, and 6.8 rebounds per game. Desmond Bane, acquired last offseason, averages 17.2 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Wendell Carter Jr. is having a career season so far, averaging 14.8 points and 8.6 rebounds.

And in the wake of injuries, Anthony Black and Jase Richardson have slotted into the starting lineup, with Jamal Cain and Tristan da Silva playing key minutes off the bench.

Neemias Queta is likely to get the start for Boston

The Celtics have started Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, and Robinson every game so far this season. With Robinson out, Neemias Queta will likely slot into the starting lineup, and Luka Garza will see more minutes off the bench.

Queta is averaging 9 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game for the Celtics so far. Garza is averaging 4.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game.

The Celtics may rest players for Monday’s game against the Houston Rockets, but the entire rotation played in both games when the team last had a back-to-back.

Celtics-Magic tips off at 3:30pm ET at the Kia Center in Orlando.

Oof.

The Brooklyn Nets opened NBA Cup play with a Friday night matchup against the Detroit Pistons. Brooklyn got off to a great start and looked like they were going to give last year’s top seed in the Eastern Conference a good fight. Unfortunately for the home fans, they watched the Nets suffer another blowout. Brooklyn let things slip in the middle of the game and lost 110-94.

They’re now sitting at 0-5 to begin the season — one of two remaining winless teams (Kings).

The opponent tonight projects to be a contender for the NBA Championship. That is, if everyone is healthy. The Indiana Pacers are hoping to get back to the NBA Finals after missing out last season. It’s early, but the road back to the postseason has been a rocky one. They were on the road Friday night against the new look Miami Heat and lost 144-125.

Game Info and Broadcast Details

• Matchup: Brooklyn Nets (0-5) vs. Indiana Pacers (2-4)
• Time: 5 PM EST (4 PM CST)
• Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)
• TV/Streaming: YES Network, WFAN Radio, DAZN

Nets-Pacers Injury Report: Who’s Out?

Brooklyn Nets

• OUT – Egor Demin (right bone bruise)
• OUT – Mikel Brown Jr (back injury management)
• OUT – Joshua Jefferson (G League assignment)
• OUT – Ben Saraf (G League assignment)
• OUT – Tyler Bilodeau (G League tw0-way)
• OUT – Grant Nelson (G League two-way)

Indiana Pacers

• OUT – Tyrese Haliburton (left hamstring strain)
• OUT – Ben Sheppard (left meniscus surgery)
• OUT – Ivica Zubac (left ankle sprain)
• OUT – Johnny Furphy (right ACL surgery)
• OUT – T.J. McConnell (right hamstring strain)
• Probable – Aaron Nesmith (left hamstring strain)
• Questionable – Obi Toppin (low back soreness)

The Game

Indiana won the first meeting 136-109 on October 25.

This is the first leg of a back-to-back for the Nets. They return to the city for a matchup against the New York Knicks on Monday night at the Garden.

The Nets are off to their worst possible start, and Friday’s loss to Detroit didn’t do much to inspire confidence. People can accept losing, but they can’t accept poor effort. Brooklyn’s latest defeat left plenty of questions about the team’s effort and execution. This year was supposed to be different for the Nets, but it looks all too familiar.

Nolan Traore will get all the minutes he can handle tonight. With Demin and Brown Jr out, it’s on him to man the point. That’s a lot on his shoulders. He’ll need to dictate the offense and generate downhill pressure. If he does get to the rim, the Nets need him to turn those opportunities into points.

In October, the Nets were dead last in the NBA in field goal percentage inside the restricted area at 55.2 percent. That’s a troubling number against a Pacers team that has allowed opponents to shoot just 60.2 percent inside the restricted area, the third-best mark in the league. The home team need something to break their way, and if they want to finally break into the win column, it’ll take a total team effort.

Maybe the new month is what the doctor ordered?

Andrew Nembhard is probably never going to make an All-Star Game, but he’s someone I’d love to have on my side. He’s someone you can trust to make something happen with the game on the line. He’s also become more efficient while taking on a bigger offensive role.

Brooklyn will have its hands full with the speedy guard, who’s averaging 17.6 points and eight assists per game.

Player to Watch: Pascal Siakam

Siakam has been one of the better forwards in the NBA in the 2020s. He’s done well in his various roles and can scale his scoring up when the moment calls for it. He’s been turning the ball over at a career-high clip to start the year, but that is something to monitor as Indiana navigates the early part of its schedule. Without Haliburton, the four-time All-Star will have to up his game and take on more of the scoring load to offset the absence of their franchise player.

Brooklyn also needs more from Julius Randle. He discussed the process on offense after Friday’s game, and he shared some interesting insights about what the Nets need to improve:

Brooklyn has to find their purpose, and fast. If the team can’t play with more pace and with more success at the rim, a long season is guaranteed to get even longer.

From the Vault

Ones in the air for Sir Patrick Stewart

And with WWE hosting two shows at Barclays Center tomorrow night, let’s take a look back at one of the greatest matches of all time

More reading: Circle City Spin, Fieldhouse Files, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation NBA, New York Post, New York Daily News, Clutch Points, Nets Wire, Nets Insider, SNY, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Steve’s Newsletter

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
• Indiana Pacers Game Notes – Indiana Pacers
• Giannis has triple-double, Heat open NBA Cup play with 145-125 win over Pacers – Tim Reynolds – AP
• It’s time for Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. to be the leaders the Nets need – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets rule out Mikel Brown Jr. vs. Pacers during front end of back-to-back – Erik Slater – Clutch Points
• Michael Porter Jr., Julius Randle discuss what Nets need to change – Shareef Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY
• How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Brooklyn Nets – Cam Ward – GQ.com