Category: Basketball

A new head coach, new style of play, and a slightly modified role hasKarl-Anthony Towns in adjustment mode. And before the season, Towns said that he didn’t know where he sees himself in the new Knicks offense. 

In a new season that is just two weeks old, Towns is off to a slow start, averaging 18.3 points while shooting 38.0 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from the three-point line in six games. This includes a nightmare eight-point night on 2-for-12 shooting against the Milwaukee Bucks last Tuesday.

Though he bounced back with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in New York’s 128–116 win against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night, Towns still has to work to find his comfort zone in Mike Brown’s new offense. 

Towns has come under fire for his uninspiring launch to the season, but it’s early. With high expectations, there’s a strong external reaction to every loss. But there’s sure to be more highs and lows that the Knicks will have to navigate through the course of an 82-game season. Patience will be important throughout the entire campaign.

Towns is dealing with a grade two right quad strain and it’s likely a factor in his poor performance. Though he’s generally struggled to shoot from all over the floor, Towns’ offensive issues have been most noticeable around the basket -- where he has very little lift when rising up for a finish. The All-Star center is shooting just 47.4 percent in the restricted area according to NBA Stats, down from 66.9 percent last season.

Brown has looked to implement a new offense, wanting New York to move the ball via the drive and kick philosophy, launch more threes, and pick up the pace to create easier offensive opportunities. In the long run, that should be helpful for Towns as the pace and space should give him easier looks as a scorer and more room to operate.

So far, the results have been inconsistent.

New York is 3-3 after six games. The perimeter shooting has had its ugly moments like when they made just 15 of 54 treys (27.8 percent) in a 115-107 loss to the Miami Heat last week. But in the win against Chicago, New York’s offense was elite, recording 31 assists and converting on 20 of 42 three-point attempts (47.6 percent).

In need of an evolution

The Knicks need more from Towns if they want to seriously contend for a championship.

Towns is a solid overall passer at the center position, but he needs to improve as a playmaker. Brown has tried to have Towns operate at the elbows or on the perimeter as a passer like he did with Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis. It has led to middling results. The big man is averaging more turnovers than assists this season.

One of Towns’ weaknesses is his ability to read the game and make adjustments on the fly. Once Towns puts the ball on the floor as he looks to barrel his way to the basket, he rarely passes out to shooters. Towns’ decision making was better on Sunday. The hope is that through trial and error, he makes better reads as the season rolls on.

With Mitchell Robinson back from a four-game absence to start the season, Towns’ role in the offense is much more iffy. He becomes a power forward, and is still effective because of his outside shooting ability, but it makes him less of a centerpiece. But Towns has proven capable of making it work. He played on the floor with Robinson in the playoffs last season, and with Rudy Gobert as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

This season is critical for Towns and the Knicks. He’s turning 30 years old in November, and he is also eligible for a contract extension. How he adapts to the new system and style of play this season will shape his future in New York.

The Lakers called a timeout with 9:35 remaining in the fourth quarter Sunday in an attempt to slow down a Miami Heat team that had sliced a once 18-point Lakers lead to three points. Out of the time out, the ball wound up in the hands of, not Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves, but Jake LaRavia.

It was up to LaRavia to deliver in a pretty big moment, and he did so emphatically with a left-handed dunk over Heat 7-feet center Kel'el Ware.

The Lakers’ lead never dipped below four points the rest of the way.

“I have no idea,” LaRavia said when asked how he pulled off the dunk over a taller defender. “This was the first time I dunked, I think, in a long time with my left hand and I just saw an open lane. I was aggressively attacking it and he kind of jumped a little bit late. So, I went up to go dunk the ball for the first time because I was just trying to lay it up.”

It was yet another night in which LaRavia, who had 25 points, eight rebounds and four steals, was aggressive for the Lakers, playing a prominent role in the Lakers’ 130-120 win over the Heat on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena.

In his last three games, LaRavia has been on a tear.

He had 13 points on five-for-eight shooting and five rebounds at Memphis last Friday night and he had 27 points on 10-for-11 shooting, including going five-for-six from three-point range last Wednesday night at Minnesota.

Read more:Luka Doncic drops triple-double to power Lakers to victory over Heat

“Yeah, I just happened to be scoring a lot of points recently,” LaRavia said. “I’m making a lot of shots, like, at the end of the day. The game against Minnesota I missed one shot. This game I missed three shots so obviously when I’m playing, shooting the ball 80% or higher, I’m going to score a lot. But again, I preach this every time I talk to the media, it’s very easy to play with Luka and AR. A lot of my buckets are running past the defense in transition, just running harder than the other team and getting those dunks or those layups, and then just shooting the catch-and-shoot threes when I get them.”

Even if fans don’t know his name, they are starting to recognize LaRavia for his scoring exploits.

During the game at Minnesota, fans yelled, “Who is No. 12?”

That is LaRavia’s number.

“I kind of put my hands up like this and I kind of agreed with them, ‘Who is No. 12?’ I kind of played into it a little bit,” LaRavia said. “I find that kind of stuff funny, cause I am not well known at this moment so I’m just head down, working hard. That’s all I do.”

Well, during Sunday night’s game, Lakers fans joked, “Who is No. 12?”

“I heard it about three times,” he said. “I think it’s good. Shout-out [to Minnesota’s] Anthony Edwards for allowing that clip to go viral. Yeah, I think it’s good. I think it’s funny.”

Jaxson Hayes stars in his role

Jaxson Hayes came to the post-game podium wearing a Dodgers jersey, one he had received with his name and the No. 11 on the back from throwing out the first pitch at a game.

Hayes talked about how “hyped” he was to see the Dodgers win the World Series over the Toronto Blue Jays Saturday night.

“I used to be a Reds fan, but then they canceled on me throwing out the first pitch a few times, so now I'm a Dodgers fan,” Hayes said. “And then, yeah, I was hyped. That game was crazy. I didn't really get into baseball until I moved out here and now I watch a lot of the Dodgers games. It was wild."

Hayes started at center for the Lakers against the Heat because Deandre Ayton was sidelined with back spasms.

Hayes was on his game, catching lob passes for dunks, being active running the floor in scoring 15 points and grabbing five rebounds. He made all seven of his shots.

“My guards give me good looks,” Hayes said. “I just do the same thing every night. It just depends on how the defense is. Sometimes it might just be them hitting me in the pocket, me hitting a corner. Other nights, it might be me getting dunks. Other nights, it's the guard coming off for layups. So, I mean, it's just really the guards get me going."

Hayes even drilled a three-pointer, his first of the season.

Bronny James plays important minutes

Bronny James played almost seven minutes in the fourth quarter, a sign of the faith Lakers coach JJ Redick has in his second-year guard.

James played a little over 18 minutes overall, scoring just two points, but notching three steals.

“I thought he was really good on the ball,” Redick said. “He got a steal off the ball, but I thought he was really good on the ball.”

James’ basket came off a lob pass from Reaves on the fast break, a dunk that had the crowd on its feet and his teammates leaping off the bench, including his dad, LeBron, who is still out with sciatica.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Hustlin' Hugo: Gonzalez is earning Celtics' trust with energetic play originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics just wrapped up a blizzard of early season basketball, logging five games in seven nights with matchups against some of the top teams in each conference. But amid that 240-minute blur, one play is seared in our brains more than any other. 

Late in the third quarter in Philadelphia on Friday night, as Boston’s double-digit lead evaporated in an NBA Cup tilt with the 76ers, Quentin Grimes collected a Celtics turnover and broke out in transition for what should have been a breezy breakaway dunk. Even with the swat-happy Derrick White in pursuit, Grimes coasted toward the basket, only to get unexpectedly met at the rim by a full-throttle Hugo González. 

The Celtics’ rookie had covered 80 feet from the opposite side of the floor before brazenly trying to contest at the rim. He succeeded in denying the dunk, though a foul was whistled, and Gonzalez crashed hard into the stanchion beyond the basket for his troubles. 

It’s the sort of hustle play that can endear you quickly to the Celtics fan base. Gonzalez could have been forgiven if he elected to linger near the midcourt stripe given that a Grimes dunk seemed inevitable. Instead, he put his head down and sprinted, then launched himself like a SCUD missile trying to intercept Grimes at the basket. Teammates rushed off Boston’s bench to pry him off the floor for his effort. 

Gonzalez has played just 76 minutes over the first five games of his NBA career (15.2 per game). He got a surprise start against Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons, then logged a DNP in New Orleans the very next night. That about sums up the life of a rookie under Joe Mazzulla.

But even in small doses, Mazzulla has displayed solid trust in Gonzalez, or at least what he hopes Gonzalez might eventually be.

The rookie has been dispatched to cover a venerable All-Star team worth of talent in his NBA infancy and has shown he’s unafraid of the moment. He’s made mistakes and gets an earful each time from Mazzulla, who seems to be pushing him in all the right ways. 

Gonzlaez’s top four assignments might be the Eastern Conference All-Star backcourt if voting took place after two weeks of play. Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson, and VJ Edgecombe account for most of Gonzalez’s on-court possessions. On Saturday night, Mazzulla asked Gonzalez to take some turns on Kevin Durant.

Those Durant minutes went about how you’d expect for a rookie giving up considerable size against a future Hall of Famer. But the fact that Gonzalez is willing to throw himself into the fray — be it with that hustle against Grimes, or taking on the challenge of a Durant — is an encouraging sign for the future.

During Mazzulla’s tenure, rookies have rarely seen early floor time in Boston. Gonzalez was one late third-quarter whistle away from getting on the court on opening night while the Celtics struggled to contain Maxey and Edgecombe. His debut ended up being delayed despite his trip to the scorer’s table, but his efforts against Brunson and Cunningham in the aftermath proved he could be trusted against elite offensive talent.

That’s impressive for any rookie, let alone a 19-year-old still getting acclimated to new surroundings. The Madrid native got invaluable reps as a pro in Spain before the Celtics snagged him with the 28th pick in this year’s draft.

The Celtics are outscoring opponents by 4 points per 100 possessions when Gonzalez is on the court. Boston’s defensive rating is 105.6 in his floor time, or 8.6 points per 100 possessions better than the team’s season average.

Opponents are shooting 40 percent against Gonzalez, or 4.9 percent below expected output, per NBA tracking. That’s a solid differential considering the caliber of player he’s routinely defended.

Regardless how the Celtics’ season plays out, the team needs to identify and develop some younger players who can be rotation-caliber presences on the next version of a championship-hunting team. Gonzalez and offseason addition Josh Minott have distinguished themselves with their energetic play out of the gates and look like they can positively impact a team with defense and hustle alone. Both need to evolve as offensive players but you can see their potential. 

Gonzalez carries himself with an obvious swagger. He doesn’t look like a teenager in a foreign land. He seems almost offended when whistles don’t go his way. During one of his first games with Boston, Gonzalez got absolutely hammered trying to score near the basket and didn’t get a call despite how obvious the contact was. Welcome to life as a rookie.

Gonzalez is going to get a tough whistle on both sides of the ball early in his NBA journey. He’s going to get yelled at by Mazzulla and the coaching staff when he makes rookie mistakes. It’s all about learning from the experience.

The potential with Gonzalez is obvious. There’s an All-Defense-caliber player inside of that 6-foot-6 frame, and it simply needs to be unlocked. He shoots with confidence and his ability to knock down shots could be key to increasing his floor time early in his NBA journey. 

For now, he’s going to get thrown to the wolves as a defensive specialist. And he just needs to keep competing. That same night in Philadelphia, a loose ball squirted into the backcourt and was quite clearly headed out of bounds. Gonzalez still put his head down, sprinted, and lunged hard to the floor as the ball trickled into the front row. You could feel the floor burn through the television.

Hustle doesn’t go unnoticed. And in a week where the Celtics did a lot of good things, Gonzalez might have been one of the biggest bright spots with his willingness to compete.

Sixers of all ages have their moments vs. Nets, enjoy themselves early in season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Just about every single active NBA generation had time in the spotlight for the Sixers on Sunday night. 

Kelly Oubre Jr. was in the middle of it all.

The 29-year-old wing scored 29 points — 22 in a sensational first quarter — and the 5-1 Sixers cruised to a road victory over the winless Nets.

As Oubre observed in the visitors’ locker room at Barclays Center, the Sixers’ night was bookended by extremes. In the early stages, VJ Edgecombe kept on exploding above the rim. In the final minutes, Kyle Lowry entered and drained a corner three-pointer on the first shot of his 20th NBA season, which the Sixers’ bench celebrated with gusto. Johni Broome made his NBA debut and Hunter Sallis scored his first basket, too.

Edgecombe essentially has a lifetime’s less NBA experience than Lowry. 

“He’s a winner, man,” Oubre said of the six-time All-Star guard. “He’s a pro. He’s done this at a very high level for a long time — longer than VJ’s been alive. 

“He’s just an inspiration, honestly. He’s done everything at the highest level that we all would wish to do. Just having him around and seeing him hit his first shot of the year, it brings life into the team. He’s our big brother, so we all root for him.”

Oubre didn’t exaggerate much. When Lowry debuted, the 20-year-old Edgecombe was a 3-month-old baby. Lowry, 39, is now the league’s third-oldest player behind only Chris Paul and LeBron James. He’s happy to be an unofficial assistant coach and mentor. 

“He’s old as hell,” Tyrese Maxey said after a 26-point, seven-assist evening. “But he works out every day — works out hard every day. He’s in there with me early. He rebounds, he screens. … He watches VJ, he watches Jared (McCain). What he’s doing for our team right now … and he’s up cheering. That’s a Hall of Famer we’re talking about. 

“His jersey will probably get retired in Toronto and he’s up cheering for everybody, motivating people, talking in the locker room. I’ve got nothing but love and respect for K-Low and we appreciate having him.”

There’s a circle-of-life aspect to Lowry’s presence on the Sixers. 

He’s been a young bench player, a star, a veteran cheerleader. Almost everything’s changed for Lowry in such an enduring, feisty career. He’s passed everything down. 

“He’s like my leader,” Maxey said. “He comes to me and leads me, and I try to lead the team. I couldn’t do this without him, honestly. He calls me at least three, four times a day and we talk. It’s good, though. I’m glad he’s here.”

On top of Maxey, two other mid-20s Sixers had outstanding games. Quentin Grimes posted 22 points and a career-high 13 assists. Trendon Watford had 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting, nine rebounds and seven assists against his former team. 

“He can do a little bit of everything,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “He can handle and he can post. That’s a spectrum of offense, right?”

Oubre is set to hit 30 years old next month. He’s had quite a strong start to his third season as a Sixer. Over 38 minutes per game, he’s averaged 19.5 points on a 65.7 true shooting percentage. Oubre’s best true shooting mark for a full season is 56.0. The lefty’s also chipped in 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 assists per game. 

Sunday’s first quarter exhibited the best version of Oubre as a scorer. He noted at media day this year that he wanted to play with less haste and more control. That’s often translated to swift drives and short, sensible jumpers. Oubre hasn’t lost his attacking edge either. 

“Just letting the game slow down, letting it come to you,” he said. “Not going out there and forcing things, not having any preconceived notions. Trusting the work that I put in over the summer. It’s definitely a work in progress as I continue to learn and grow and watch film, but it works. 

“And I’m sure it’s easily digestible that way, if you watch me play. I don’t want to have people watch me play and be like, ‘Oh, he’s forcing’ or ‘He’s rushing.’ It’s just not a good look. So it’s just something that I’ve evolved over time and I’m still continuing to work on.”

He’s a decade or so away from Lowry’s accumulated wisdom, but Oubre sounds like a player who’s logged plenty of years. 

Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid has been fined $50,000 (£38,000) by the NBA for what the league determined to be a "lewd gesture" on the court.

The incident occurred during Philadelphia's 109-108 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday when Embiid, 31, scored while getting fouled and then made a chopping gesture to his groin.

Embiid has been fined for the gesture on multiple previous occasions.

In a post on X, which also contained the NBA's social media post detailing his sanction, Embiid appeared to suggest the gesture was similar to a signal that officials make when calling a foul for blocking.

He said: "Yall better start fining the refs for doing the 'lewd', 'blocking foul' gesture since I'm not allowed to do it."

Cameroon-born Embiid did not play in Sunday's 129-105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, sitting out the match as he continues to manage his recovery from a knee injury which required surgery earlier this year.

• NBA results and fixtures

Of course Luka Doncic made the one that didn’t count. 

On a frigid shooting night when the star guard made just one three-pointer on 11 attempts, Doncic swished a 40-footer on a dead ball that elicited a roar from the Crypto.com Arena. 

He instead made an influence in other ways. 

Doncic overcame his bad shooting to still collect his first triple-double of the season, notching 29 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds in the Lakers' 130-120 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday. Fellow guard Austin Reaves was also struggling with his shot, making just four of 14 three-point attempts, but rallied for 26 points and 11 assists to just three turnovers. 

Although their stars slogged through concurrent off nights, the Lakers (5-2) still shot 50.5% from the field. They tallied 33 assists to 11 turnovers. They won their third consecutive game. 

“We did a lot of really good things and it could have been even better if me and Luka would've made a shot,” Reaves deadpanned. “But supporting cast and everybody around that played really well.” 

Forward Jake LaRavia, who turns 24 on Tuesday, scored in double digits for the third consecutive game off the bench, finishing with 25 points — two shy of his season high — and eight rebounds. He’s averaged 21.7 points per game in the last three games. 

Read more:Luka Doncic returns and Lakers get a road win at Memphis

Doncic, who missed three games with minor finger and leg injuries, scored 40 points in each of his first three games this season. Only Wilt Chamberlain had ever started a season with three consecutive 40-point games. But Doncic was happy to sacrifice the scoring streak Sunday. 

“We get a win," Doncic said, "[it] doesn't matter how many I scored."

Doncic and Reaves struggled in the first quarter, shooting a combined two for seven from the field. Yet the Lakers still led by seven as the star duo combined for eight assists.

Center Jaxson Hayes was one of the main beneficiaries in that span, scoring 11 points on five-of-five shooting. He had a ferocious one-handed dunk off a Doncic assist that got Hayes so amped up that he head-butted the basket stanchion in celebration. He sank his first three-pointer since March 27, 2023, stepping confidently into a shot that put the Lakers up 23-13 and forced the Heat to call an early timeout.

Hayes finished with 15 points and five rebounds in his first start of the year as Deandre Ayton was held out because of back spasms. Ayton’s back flared up during the Lakers’ win in Memphis on Friday, causing him to sit out the entire second half. He was available to return in the fourth quarter, coach JJ Redick said after the game, but with the Lakers feeding off Hayes and Jarred Vanderbilt at center, the team didn’t want to risk further injury.

Read more:NBA approves Buss family sale of Lakers to Dodgers majority owner Mark Walter

The Heat (3-3) finished the third quarter on a 20-7 run to pull within four points heading into the fourth quarter. Former UCLA star Jaime Jaquez Jr., playing in front of his hometown crowd, cut the lead to two with an emphatic one-handed putback dunk 58 seconds in the fourth quarter. A hush fell over the Lakers' crowd.

But Reaves helped quell the comeback effort.

He stumbled while trying to dribble behind his legs, but recovered to shoot a fadeaway mid-range jumper with 1.6 seconds left in the shot clock that put the Lakers up by six with 5:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. Less than 20 seconds later, Reaves threw a lob from just inside midcourt to a soaring LaRavia, who brought the crowd to its feet with a two-handed dunk.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Knicks snapped a three-game skid with Sunday's 128-116 win over the Bulls, avenging this past Friday's 135-125 loss and delivering Chicago's season-first defeat.

Takeaways

1. Jalen Brunson's 19 first-quarter points set the tone for New York (3-3), which built a 34-24 lead after 12 minutes. Brunson totaled 31 points on 10-of-22 shooting while adding five rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes. Especially as the Knicks seek consistency under coach Mike Brown, Brunson remains a constant. Since New York's season-opening win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, in which OG Anunoby led with 24 points, Brunson has been the game-high scorer, pacing the Knicks over the subsequent five contests.
2. Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns had their moments as they complemented Brunson with notable efforts in New York's starting five. While Anunoby added 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, Towns finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds for his fifth double-double in six games. 
3. Jordan Clarkson and Josh Hart answered the call off the bench after the Knicks' reserves struggled Friday at the Bulls (5-1). Clarkson scored 11 of his 15 points (on 6-of-11 shooting over 18 minutes) in the first half, picking up the slack behind Brunson. Hart, meanwhile, came alive in the second half -- while he plays through injury and adjusts to his new role -- with a 14-point, nine-rebound, three-assist performance over 26 minutes.
4. Mitchell Robinson's second game of the season, after debuting Friday, saw him start once again but play sparingly. He had an injury scare and was scoreless while grabbing five rebounds and blocking two shots in 13 minutes. His progression bears watching as New York gets set to play four games in six days between Friday at the Bulls and Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Who's the MVP?

Brunson, whose tone-setting first quarter was a spark that the Knicks needed before the rest of the team pitched in.

Highlights

OG going to work 💪 pic.twitter.com/V1Db97PbVR

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2025

KAT from WAY downtown pic.twitter.com/bPEmrL1Sx0

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2025

19 first quarter points for Jalen Brunson 🔥 pic.twitter.com/fgTfGPaCqf

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2025

Jordan Clarkson with the spark off the bench 🔋 pic.twitter.com/skgwtFLy5A

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2025

JORDAN CLARKSON. FLAMETHROWER. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/gNI5jSeSZT

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2025

Josh Hart with a corner three! pic.twitter.com/JOdTo4uay0

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2025

Jalen Brunson from deep! pic.twitter.com/9FUWPKUi23

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2025

Josh Hart doing it all 💪 pic.twitter.com/pBrP71zziz

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2025

What's next

The Knicks have a back-to-back with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff Monday against the Washington Wizards, who are 1-5 and have lost four straight games.

NEW YORK (AP) — Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 29 points, Tyrese Maxey had 26, and the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 129-105 on Sunday night.

Oubre made 9 of 11 field goals and had 22 points in the first quarter, but limped off the court after injuring his ankle at the buzzer in the third. The forward was cleared to return to the bench with 10 minutes remaining in regulation but did not reenter the game.

Quentin Grimes added 22 off the bench and VJ Edgecombe had 16 points for the 76ers, who have won five of their first six games to start the season.

Philadelphia played without Joel Embiid (left knee), who was held out due to injury management two nights after scoring 20 points in 25 minutes in a loss at Boston.

The 76ers fared well without their All-Star center, shooting 52 percent from the field and leading by as many 28 points.

Philadelphia started the third quarter with a 3-pointer from Maxey to go up 76-55 before the Nets went on an 18-7 run to cut the deficit to 83-73 with 3:07 left.

Grimes scored the next three baskets for the 76ers to increase the lead 90-78 at the end of the quarter. Philadelphia then started the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run, capped by a floater from Maxey with 9:39 left in regulation and put the game out of reach.

Cam Thomas had 29 points and Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann each had 17 for the struggling Nets, who fell to 0-6.

It is Brooklyn’s worst start since the 2015-16 season when they lost their first seven games.

Up next

76ers: Continues their three-game road trip at Chicago on Tuesday.

Nets: Host Minnesota to conclude their three-game homestand on Monday.