Category: Basketball

Four numbers that highlight Jordan Walsh's breakthrough with Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics’ late-game execution woes have masked — or at least diminished — some of the more encouraging trends the team has produced through the first 12 games of the season.

Over the past week, perhaps nothing has been as notable as the rather unexpected emergence of third-year wing Jordan Walsh.

Walsh’s defensive potential has been evident ever since the Celtics snagged him with the 38th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. But he played sparingly on two championship-level teams, and it felt fair to suggest that the 2025-26 season was a bit of a make-or-break campaign, even if Walsh is still only 21 years old entering his third NBA season.

After logging three DNPs and playing sparingly through the early part of the new campaign, Walsh got an opportunity to reassert himself starting with last Wednesday’s visit from the Washington Wizards, and has basically made it hard for Joe Mazzulla to take him off the court. 

Something seemed to click against Washington for Walsh. He was relentless on the defensive glass. He brought a controlled chaos to the defensive side of the ball. The Celtics outscored the Wizards by 27 during his 24 minutes of floor time and it set the stage for Walsh to really showcase his defensive talents. 

That culminated Tuesday night in Philadelphia, where Mazzulla dispatched Walsh as the primary defender on 76ers superstar guard Tyrese Maxey, who averaged 33 points per game against Boston in the teams’ first two meetings this season.

With Walsh logging nearly 60 percent of the total matchup time, Maxey finished with his lowest scoring output of the season, generating 21 points on 5-of-17 shooting over 33:39. The Sixers escaped with a 102-100 triumph, but Walsh was an obvious silver lining with his inspired defensive play.

Here are four numbers that detail just how impressive Walsh has been in his recent minutes:

11.1 percent

That was Maxey’s shooting percentage when Walsh was the primary defender in Tuesday’s game. The NBA’s tracking data had Maxey finishing 1-for-9 with four points over 26.9 possessions and nearly six total minutes of matchup time with Walsh defending him.

Walsh was fantastic, including at the end of Tuesday’s game, helping to harass Maxey into a late miss in a tie game. Alas, the Celtics overreacted to helping near Maxey and that allowed Kelly Oubre Jr. to swoop in for a way-too-easy put-back that proved to be the difference in the game.

102.5

That is Boston’s defensive rating in Walsh’s 122 minutes of floor time this season. Not only is it second-best on the team among regulars, trailing only Neemias Queta (101.2), but Boston’s defensive rating is 12.4 points per 100 possessions lower during Walsh’s floor time compared to when he’s on the bench.

For context, the Oklahoma City Thunder top the NBA with a defensive rating of 104.1. The Celtics sit 13th at 113.4 overall.

Drill down to Boston’s last four games and Boston’s defensive rating drops to 97.9 in Walsh’s 98 minutes of floor time. It spiked to a team-worst 123.4 in his 94 minutes on the bench. 

9.1 percent

That’s how far below their expected field goal percentage that Walsh has held his defensive assignments over the last four games. Opponents are shooting a meager 37.5 percent against him on 10 shot attempts per game, per the NBA’s defensive dashboard. That’s the best differential on the team in that span. 

That number especially pops when you consider the recent defensive assignments like Maxey, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. 

Here’s a look at how Walsh has fared against his top defensive assignments this season, per NBA defensive tracking data:

The Celtics have felt as comfortable letting Walsh joust with bigger, offensive-minded forwards like Banchero and Wagner, as they do in letting him chase around speedy and athletic guards like Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. It’s a defensive luxury to have a player like Walsh who the Celtics can trust against all sorts of opposing scorers.

16.8 percent

That’s the percentage of opponent missed field goal attempts that Walsh has rebounded this season, which ranks in the 98th percentile among all wings, per Cleaning the Glass data. The only players better in that category this season: Josh Hart (20.7) and Brandon Ingram (16.9).

The Celtics are simply a better rebounding team when Walsh is on the floor. The Celtics grab 71.8 percent of all defensive rebounds during his court time, the best individual mark on the team. Their overall rebound rate of 53.5 percent with Walsh on the floor would be a top-five mark in the NBA if maintained, and would slot the team ahead of Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. 

All of Walsh’s defensive metrics are elite for the early portion of the season. He’s blocking 1.6 percent of shots when he’s on the floor, which ranks in the 95th percentile among all wings, per Cleaning the Glass data. He generates steals on 3 percent of plays when he’s on the court, which ranks in the 92nd percentile among wings.

Walsh rebounds 44.4 percent of all missed free throw attempts when he’s on the court, which ranks in the 99th percentile. Only teammate Jaylen Brown has a higher mark in the league among wings. 

Draymond Green claps back at NBA analyst's take on Warriors' recent struggles originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Draymond Green isn’t letting outside criticism slide.

After Yahoo Sports NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor made a post on Threads blaming the Warriors’ veteran core — including Green and Jimmy Butler — for the team’s recent struggles, Green fired back, pushing back against O’Connor’s claim that the “old guys” are the problem in Golden State.

O’Connor, in his original post, was referencing a story from ESPN’s Anthony Slater, who reported shortly after the Warriors’ 126-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night that that Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski’s preseason comments about wanting to “be better” than Steph Curry elicited some eye rolls within the organization.

Green responded in real time on Threads, reminding O’Connor that he speaks for himself and challenging the analyst’s understanding of winning culture.

The back-and-forth comes as the Warriors continue to search for answers amid injuries, fatigue and a demanding away schedule. Golden State sits at 6-6 and will face the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night in the second half of a back-to-back, with both Curry and Green listed as questionable.

Golden State’s six-game trip continues through San Antonio, New Orleans, Orlando and Miami before returning to Chase Center.

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Sixers give injury updates on George and Embiid following victory over Boston originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Fifteen or so minutes after beating the Celtics and improving to 7-4, the Sixers released an official injury update on Paul George.

George met with doctors on Tuesday night to assess his progress, a team official said. 

“The final stage of his return-to-play plan involves the continued strengthening of his left quadricep,” per the official, “which will be managed through a strength and conditioning program and on-court basketball activities. He will be re-evaluated later this week.”

George has been cleared to practice for over a month and looked good physically in post-practice periods open to the media. However, he’s been out for the Sixers’ first 11 games. 

The 35-year-old forward underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in July to repair an injury suffered during an offseason workout. He missed 41 games last year in his first season as a Sixer because of lingering injuries to his left knee, left adductor muscle and left pinkie.

Although the Sixers did not formally announce anything on Joel Embiid, head coach Nick Nurse also had an update to share on his star center. Embiid sat against Boston because of right knee soreness and had imaging done on the knee Tuesday.

Nurse’s update was short and sweet.

“Joel has no structural issues,” he said. “He’s day-to-day.”

Embiid played very well in his last appearance, posting 29 points on 10-for-16 shooting, six rebounds and four assists Saturday in the Sixers’ win over the Raptors.

“I think he’s trending upwards,” Nurse said. “I think the minutes and conditioning and everything are going to trend up to playing even better. So I think it’s really important that we’re going to hopefully get him out there soon.”

Veteran big man Drew Eubanks thriving in thankless Kings backup center role originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – Backup center is one of the most thankless jobs in the NBA. Playing time comes in small, generally anonymous bursts while any stats of significance are as rare as a four-leaf clover.

Drew Eubanks is changing that narrative to a certain extent in his first season with the Kings this season.

The season isn’t even a month old and the 28-year-old journeyman has found a way to make his presence felt. He hasn’t done anything spectacular, per se, but Eubanks already has provided far more than Kings brass could have hoped for when they signed him to a one-year contract in July.

Through Sacramento’s first 13 games, Eubanks was putting up decent numbers that were amplified when starting center Domantas Sabonis was dealing with hamstring and rib injuries.

Sabonis has returned to the lineup and played well but fouled out of Tuesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, which opened the door for Eubanks to really prove his worth.

And he did exactly that while going up against three-time MVP and seven-time All-Star Nikola Jokić.

Jokić did what Jokić always does, no matter the opponent, but what stood out for the Kings was how well Eubanks did against the Joker when the two were matched up.

The Sacramento backup had 19 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes. Sabonis, by comparison, also scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 25 minutes.

“Drew was really good,” Kings coach Doug Christie said. “He’s playing against a monster (Jokić), first of all, but he gave some good minutes. He did some good things.

“In that backup role, we need him to be aggressive, be physical, rebound, (be) up to the level on pick-and-rolls, impact the basketball when he sets screens, roll extremely hard and use your athleticism, sprint the floor, flatten it out. He can do all that. When he has his regular minutes, that is totally something that he can do to take advantage of the opposition.”

Eubanks got the extra playing time against Denver because Sabonis was in foul trouble for most of the night before eventually fouling out.

Even before that, though, the Kings have found ways to keep Eubanks involved.

His average playing time of 15.8 minutes in Sacramento’s first 13 games was more than double the court time he got in 24 games with the Los Angeles Clippers last season.

Eubanks also is shooting at a higher clip than he has since 2022-23. While rebounds and assists are down from his career average, Eubanks is blocking shots at a clip of 1.2 per game, the second-best mark he’s had in the NBA.

“Drew’s a pro,” Zach LaVine said. “Come off the bench, start him, throw him in late … he’s going to figure it out. His energy and just him day to day, his charisma helps us out.”

The Kings actually began benefiting from Eubanks in the offseason.

During training camp he and Sabonis would engage in 1-on-1 battles or oppose each other in full squad scrimmages.

“He had a great training camp, huge training camp,” Sabonis said. “He looked amazing and it’s showing right now in the games. I’ve been hurt a couple games and (against the Nuggets) I fouled out. He stepped up big time.”

Asked how the training camp battles between the two centers went, Sabonis smiled.

“He was kicking my butt. He was really good. I was impressed.”

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OG Anunoby has never been an All-Star in his nine-year NBA career.

That will likely change this season if the Knicks wing keeps playing like he has through his first nine games, especially if head coach Mike Brown has a say.

But that's not all the recognition he believes Anunoby deserves.

"OG is an All-Star, in my opinion," Brown said after Tuesday's 133-120 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. "Not only is he an All-Star, he's an all-defensive performer. In my opinion, he should have an opportunity, amongst others in our group, to fight for Defensive Player of the Year in the league.

Brown continued, saying the 28-year-old is reaching new heights as a "playmaker" while still adjusting to a different style of offense.

"He's worked his tail off in the summertime, first of all. And then secondly, he's just getting comfortable with what we're trying to do. He knows where guys should be on the floor when he drives. He's making quick decisions with the basketball. When he feels a second defender step up, again based off of what we're trying to do offensively, he knows what spot should be filled. Anybody can make those passes almost blindly because he knows he's done his job and somebody should be there.

"He's just embracing what we're trying to do offensively with his talent, his size, his athleticism, his IQ. It's just showing that he can still go to another level as a playmaker."

In his first season under Brown, Anunoby is averaging career-highs in points (18.2), rebounds (6.2), and steals (2.2) per game. 

He's also shooting a career-high 43.8 percent from three and making a career-high 3.1 three-pointers per game. His true shooting percentage is a best 62.5 percent, while his usage rate is also a high of 21.1.

Defensively, Anunoby currently ranks fifth in the league in defensive win shares at 0.187, trailing only Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr., OKC's Ajay Mitchell and Chet Holmgren, and San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama. While it may be difficult to steal the DPOY from Wemby, Anunoby could find himself on an All-Defensive team.

Previously, Anunoby finished seventh in DPOY voting in the 2022-23 season after leading the league in steals (1.9) and earned All-Defensive Second Team honors that year. 

What Anunoby has done so far this season is impressive, and, like Brown believes, his efforts should earn him a spot at the 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Inglewood, CA  and other accolades at the end of the year.

Mike Brown on OG Anunoby:

"OG is an All-Star, in my opinion. Not only is he an All-Star, he's an all-defensive performer. In my opinion he should have an opportunity amongst others in our group to fight for Defensive Player of the Year in the league" pic.twitter.com/RPeGgSszsv

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 12, 2025

The Knicks continued their dominance at home on Tuesday night, defeating the Grizzlies 133-120, pushing their winning streak to five games and starting the season 7-0 at MSG.

New York showed a lot of what has made them dangerous in the early going. They throttled the Grizzlies' defense for 78 first-half points and forced 11 Memphis turnovers. If you saw the final score, you'd think it was a much closer game, and the Knicks would tell you that it shouldn't have been.

Despite their offensive outburst in the first half, the Grizzlies outplayed them in the second, outscoring the Knicks 66-56. And first-year head coach Mike Brown brought up his team's defensive lapses in his opening statement after Tuesday's win.

"The first half, we did a really good job in a lot of areas...and our transition defense in the first half wasn't great but it was ok against a team like that," Brown said. "According to our measurements, they had 16 fastbreak points against us in the first half. The second half, we let up. We didn't sprint back like we should have...we did not play our rules and they got layup after layup after layup against us in transition, which gave them confidence...29 fastbreak points to a team in a half is going to kill ya. Especially when you have 11 turnovers in that half. We were careless with the ball as well...Hopefully, we'll grow from this and try to put 48 minutes in our next game because those two areas we did not do a good job of."

The Knicks will hope to put together that full 48-minute performance on the second of their back-to-back on Wednesday against the Magic, but they wasted an opportunity for extra rest because they allowed the Grizzlies to stick around. One positive is that New York is expected to have center Mitchell Robinson in the lineup after he sat out Tuesday due to injury management. Brown was asked about the defense and Robinson's role in it, but the coach didn't want that to be an excuse.

"It wasn't about Mitch; they killed us in transition," he said. "Give them credit because they kept fighting, but we could have had anybody on the floor, it would have been bad. We didn't do a good job getting back, we didn't do a good job following our rules while getting back."

While the Knicks let Memphis hang around in the second half, the offensive performance they put on allowed them to hold on. The team scored 130-plus points in their third straight game, which is the first time that's been done in franchise history. 

Jalen Brunson was awesome, scoring 32 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing 10 assists. He is now tied for third in franchise history with Stephon Marbury and Ray Williams for the most 30/10/5 performances as a Knick (five). 

But even the captain wasn't pleased with how his team finished Tuesday's game.

"Yeah, we're clicking (on offense), most importantly, we've got to finish games better," Brunson said. "Whatever's happening on offense, there's going to be times when we're not making shots and stuff. But we got to better defensively no matter what. It has to be our focus moving forward."

Brunson says the lapses are a product of late communication or simply a lack of communication, but was encouraged by the team's offensive production, especially in the first half.

"Ball's moving, playing off each other, playing ball," Brunson said. "When the ball is going in like that, it's great to see."

The Knicks shot 55 percent (39.3 percent from three) with 19 assists in the first two quarters. That's a product of Brown's offensive system that has ramped up the team's output.

Following New York's win over the Nets on Sunday, the team was the No. 2-ranked offense and had the league lead in made three-pointers per 100 possessions. 

They will look to keep it going on Wednesday against the Magic, where they'll look to go a perfect 8-0 at home this season.