Category: Basketball

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Knicks use great shooting night to throttle Nets, 134-98, in battle of boroughs

The Knicks obliterated the Nets, 134-98, in a battle of the boroughs at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Entering play in the midst of a three-game winning streak and putting up impressive offensive numbers in the process, it didn't take long for New York to get going. After missing their first shot of the night, the Knicks made four straight baskets, including two three-pointers, to go up 10-3 before Brooklyn's head coach Jordi Fernandez called a timeout. From there, New York was off and running.

-- The Knicks were making it rain from deep all game long. It started in the first quarter when they went 7-for-11 from downtown with six of the triples coming from the corners, something New York has been extremely good at so far this season. When they weren't draining it from deep, the Knicks were going to the line or scoring underneath the basket with relative ease to put up 40 points in the opening quarter, compared to Brooklyn's 22.

-- New York moved away from the deep ball in the second quarter, focusing more on scoring inside the paint. Karl-Anthony Towns imposed his will around the basket and got contributions from reserve players such as Jordan Clarkson and Josh Hart who both had good games off the bench. The biggest difference in the second quarter, in which the Knicks dropped another 37 points, was the Nets' shots started to fall as well. 

-- Brooklyn matched New York's first quarter output and put up 40 points in the second quarter thanks to an avalanche of three-pointers headlined by Michael Porter Jr. The two teams went into the locker rooms at halftime with the Knicks leading 77-62.

-- Following the break, New York came out firing from deep once again and continued to see them go in. Six different players made a three-pointer in the third quarter en route to a 35-point period. Even more impressive, defensively the Knicks completely clamped down on the Nets and held them to 17 points in the third. This right after allowing 40 in the second quarter.

-- New York's defense forced Brooklyn's offense to shoot a ton of threes and to no avail. The Nets went 3-for-13 from downtown and only attempted four shots from inside the arc (going 2-for-4) in the quarter.

-- Basically over since the first quarter, the Knicks put the Nets completely away in the third and fourth quarters and were able to get some of their younger players some valuable minutes at the end of the game while resting their starters. Guys like Tyler Kolek (three assists), Pacome Dadiet (two points, one rebound) and Mohamed Diawara (five points) were able to see the floor with Diawara sinking his first career three-pointer.

-- Towns led all scorers with 28 points and reeled in a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with two assists and two steals. Mikal Bridges had the most efficient night (6-for-8) and nailed down four threes on five attempts. OG Anunoby joined Bridges with four triples and also added eight rebounds (four offensive), three assists and one steal to his ledger.

-- Mitchell Robinson got the start once again and finished with eight points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 17 minutes of action. 

-- The Knicks shot 53.3 percent from the field and 45.9 percent from deep, while the Nets struggled in the second half and only shot 40.2 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from deep. 

-- Drake Powell had a good game with 15 points off the bench for Brooklyn.

Game MVP: Karl-Anthony Towns

In a game with so many stars, we'll go with the only player to record a double-double.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks are back in action on Tuesday night when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies at home. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

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Lenny Wilkens, Basketball Hall of Famer and 1996 Olympic head coach, dies at 88

NBA: Preseason-Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers

Oct 10, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Former Seattle Supersonics head coach Lenny Wilkens acknowledges the fans after being introduced during a third quarter timeout of a preseason game between the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Lenny Wilkens, whose Hall of Fame basketball career as a player and coach included being the head coach of the 1996 U.S. Olympic men's team, has died at age 88.

Wilkens was a coach for the first two U.S. Olympic teams to include NBA players in 1992 (one of Chuck Daly's three assistants) and 1996 (head coach at the Atlanta Games).

“Lenny Wilkens represented the very best of the NBA — as a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach, and one of the game’s most respected ambassadors," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "So much so that, four years ago, Lenny received the unique distinction of being named one of the league’s 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time.

“But even more impressive than Lenny’s basketball accomplishments, which included two Olympic gold medals and an NBA championship, was his commitment to service – especially in his beloved community of Seattle where a statue stands in his honor. He influenced the lives of countless young people as well as generations of players and coaches who considered Lenny not only a great teammate or coach but also an extraordinary mentor who led with integrity and true class.

“I send my heartfelt condolences to Lenny’s wife, Marilyn; their children, Leesha, Randy and Jamee; and all those throughout the NBA community who were fortunate to be touched by Lenny’s leadership and generosity.”

In 1960, Wilkens was not invited to try out for the Olympic team despite finishing his Providence career as an Associated Press All-America Second Team selection.

"To me, the Olympics were huge," Wilkens wrote in "Unguarded," his 2013 autobiography. "I wanted to represent my country. I had taken part in the ROTC program in college. During my senior year, my basketball goal wasn't the NBA, it was the Olympics. ... I couldn't even think about the Olympics without having a sick feeling for some thirty-two years, not until the 1992 dream team."

In April 1995, Wilkens was named head coach for the Atlanta Olympic team while also coaching the Atlanta Hawks, three months after breaking Red Auerbach’s career regular season wins record for an NBA head coach.

"If ever I was going to be the head coach of the Olympic team, 1996 was the year," Wilkens wrote. "And when it happened, I was very pleased. I knew the moment would be special, but when I was alone and had a chance to think about it, I was surprised at how emotional I became. I was talking about it with some friends, and I got a little choked up. I started to think of where I came from, of all the things that had to happen for me to reach that point, of the odds against a kid who played only a half-year of high-school basketball going on to have a longer career as a player and coach than anyone in NBA history."

Wilkens led the U.S. on an 8-0 run to gold at the Atlanta Games, each win by at least 22 points.

The roster included returning Olympians — Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, Mitch Richmond, David Robinson and John Stockton — as well as first-time Olympians Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Reggie Miller, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Gary Payton.

"By the end of the Olympics, I felt just like Chuck Daly had in 1992: I was relieved it was over, relieved we won, and very proud of how the players held up under the pressure," Wilkens wrote. "I was happy that we won my way, by playing all the guys, playing different lineups every game, and we still won big. But with some people, we couldn't win: If we beat a team by only 20 points, then we were flat and just going through the motions; if we won by 40 or 50 points, we were pouring it on. I thought the media criticism we got early in the Olympics was unfair; they kept putting us up against the 1992 team, and there was no way we'd every win that comparison."

Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star as a player, was the first person to reach 1,000 wins as an NBA coach and was the second person inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach.

He coached the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA title in 1979 and remained iconic in that city for the rest of his life, often being considered a godfather of sorts for basketball in Seattle — which lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 and has been trying to get a team back since.

Wilkens, the 1994 NBA coach of the year with Atlanta, retired with 1,332 coaching wins — a league record that was later passed by Don Nelson (who retired with 1,335) and then Gregg Popovich ( who retired with 1,390).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, Seattle basketball legend, dies at 88

Lenny Wilkens, the nine-time All-Star player and member of the league's 75th Anniversary team, who became a Seattle legend coaching the Super Sonics to the title in 1979, and coached USA men's basketball to gold in 1996, has died at age 88.

Wilkens died surrounded by loved ones, according to the Associated Press. The family did not release a cause of death.

"Lenny Wilkens represented the very best of the NBA – as a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach, and one of the game's most respected ambassadors," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "So much so that, four years ago, Lenny received the unique distinction of being named one of the league's 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time.

"But even more impressive than Lenny's basketball accomplishments, which included two Olympic gold medals and an NBA championship, was his commitment to service – especially in his beloved community of Seattle where a statue stands in his honor. He influenced the lives of countless young people as well as generations of players and coaches who considered Lenny not only a great teammate or coach but also an extraordinary mentor who led with integrity and true class."

Wilkens was born and raised in Brooklyn and attended college at Providence. The 6'1" point guard was the No. 6 pick of the St. Louis Hawks in the 1960 NBA Draft and went on to play 15 seasons in the league. Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star as a player, averaging 16.5 points and 6.6 assists a game. His best season came with St. Louis in 1968, when he averaged 20 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game, finishing second in MVP voting (behind Wilt Chamberlain). Wilkens was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1989.

However, Wilkens may be better remembered as a coach — he is third on the all-time coaching wins list and was the head coach in Seattle when the Sonics won the title in 1979. Wilkens loved Seattle and was deeply invested in the city, beyond coaching a basketball team.

"Lenny probably doesn't even know that without him, I'm not here," said an emotional Sacramento coach Doug Christie, who grew up in the Seattle Area.

"He was an unbelievable man. Just an incredible man ... " said Steve Kerr, who played for Wilkens for three seasons in Cleveland. "What I remember most is just the dignity. You know, he was just such a dignified human being and great leader through kind of this quiet confidence."

He has coached more games than anyone in NBA history (2,487) and was voted the NBA Coach of the Year in 1994, when he took over the Atlanta Hawks and led them to a 57-win season.

Wilkens also was an assistant coach on the Dream Team, the legendarily stacked 1992 USA Olympic men's basketball team that won Gold in Barcelona (and changed the face of basketball). Four years later, Wilkens took over as the head coach of USA Basketball for the Atlanta Olympics, leading a team that included Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, Grant Hill, Shaquille O'Neal, and others to gold.

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Observations after Sixers come just short of 2-win weekend, lose tight game to Pistons

Observations after Sixers come just short of 2-win weekend, lose tight game to Pistons originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers scrapped until the final buzzer Sunday night but couldn’t complete a two-win weekend.

They dropped a 111-108 game to the Pistons at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Tyrese Maxey missed a game-tying three-point attempt at the final horn.

The Sixers are now 6-4 and Detroit is 8-2. 

Maxey led the Sixers with 33 points and seven assists. Andre Drummond scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Pistons star Cade Cunningham had 26 points and 11 assists. Jalen Duren recorded 21 points and 16 rebounds.

The following Sixers were out on the second night of the team’s back-to-back:

  • Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) 
  • Paul George (left knee surgery recovery)
  • Dominick Barlow (right elbow laceration) 
  • Johni Broome (right ankle sprain) 

Tobias Harris (right ankle sprain) was among the sidelined Pistons.

The Sixers will host the Celtics on Tuesday night. Here are observations on their loss to Detroit:

Drummond’s 1st start 

The Sixers used a starting frontcourt of Trendon Watford and Andre Drummond. 

The day after his first NBA triple-double, Watford turned 25 years old. He posted seven points, three rebounds and two assists.Drummond started his first game of the season.

The veteran center remained a very willing jump shooter. He sunk a corner three-pointer in his first stint and another in the third quarter. Drummond now sits at 4 for 10 beyond the arc on the season. 

Duren is one of a few players in the NBA with physical strength anywhere near Drummond’s. He made a couple of early driving layups and tallied eight points in the first quarter. Drummond did the same.

The Pistons went up 37-32 on a Caris LeVert three with 0.7 seconds left in the first quarter. Remarkably, Cunningham had none of those 37 points. He played through two early fouls but opened 1 for 9 from the floor. Meanwhile, Maxey started 2 for 9. 

Walker steps up, finds his shot 

The Sixers’ bench was quite impactful in the first half. 

Head coach Nick Nurse’s rotation was not what anyone would’ve predicted. Eric Gordon got his first playing time since Oct. 28. Jabari Walker received backup center minutes over Adem Bona, although Bona entered late in the first quarter and Walker then slid down to power forward. 

Walker canned a three to give the Sixers a 42-39 edge. He was certainly due for some long-range success. Until that shot, he’d been 0 for 7 as a Sixer from three-point territory.

The 23-year-old continued to crash hard for offensive rebounds and helped the Sixers hold their own on the glass with a tough, physical Pistons team. Walker scored a put-back layup and then nailed a heat-check three on the Sixers’ next possession. 

Before Sunday, his season scoring high was eight points. He had a dozen by the midpoint of the second quarter. 

Nurse brought Jared McCain in with 8:29 to go in the second and the second-year guard heard loud cheers from the home fans. Injury misfortune had kept him out 11 months. 

McCain contributed to a highlight soon after coming in, picking up a steal and then passing ahead to Maxey for a fast-break triple. With just two games under his belt, he’s obviously still rusty and growing accustomed to playing with a brace on his left knee. In nine minutes, McCain had zero points on 0-for-3 shooting.

Cunningham and Maxey duel in the clutch

Kelly Oubre Jr. built the Sixers’ lead to 62-51 with a three late in the second quarter. Oubre gave a strong, resolute defensive effort against Cunningham, staying tight to his body and making him work for everything off the dribble.

However, Cunningham snapped into a higher gear in the second half.

He led a Pistons charge late in the third quarter and hit a free throw that put Detroit up 82-81. The Sixers again had a hard time with Maxey on the bench and trailed by three points after three quarters. A Paul Reed reverse dunk was the final basket of the third period.

Cunningham expertly orchestrated Detroit’s offense early in the fourth quarter and looked plenty confident in his ability to steer the Pistons to victory. The Sixers eventually blitzed Cunningham and tried to force the ball from his hands in the closing minutes.

After two Sixers offensive rebounds, Maxey drained a three to lift the Sixers to a 101-100 lead. He and Cunningham traded huge plays in the clutch.

Cunningham’s monstrous and-one slam put Detroit up 109-104. Maxey then scored the next four points, jamming in a fierce dunk of his own and hitting two free throws.

Ultimately, Cunningham had the last word. He navigated into the paint and made a difficult fadeaway jumper to give the Pistons a three-point lead with 16.9 seconds to play.

The Sixers couldn’t generate a good look on their final possession and ended up having to hope that Maxey’s tightly contested shot would send the game to overtime. He couldn’t force five extra minutes.

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What we learned as Warriors' team effort gets job done in win vs. Pacers

What we learned as Warriors' team effort gets job done in win vs. Pacers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Boring can be beautiful. That sure wasn’t the scene Sunday night at Chase Center. 

The Indiana Pacers’ injury report was longer than a receipt from CVS. Their only win of the 2025-26 NBA season was a short-handed victory against a Warriors team looking for revenge. Plus, the Pacers were on the second night of a back-to-back after playing the Nuggets in Denver the previous night. 

The Warriors’ response was sleepwalking in front of their home fans until the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth. 

While the final score was a 114-83 Warriors win, the results weren’t pretty. The Warriors outscored a run-down Pacers squad 39-18 in the fourth quarter.

Jimmy Butler was the Warriors’ offense, and he nearly put together a triple-double. Butler was a plus-19 in 30 minutes, scoring 21 points with nine rebounds and seven assists.

Al Horford had his best game with the Warriors. The 39-year-old center hadn’t made a three in the first week-plus of November, going 0 of 7 in his last game and 0 of 2 in the Warriors’ loss to the Pacers to open the month. Sunday night against the same team, Horford finally found a rhythm. 

He missed his first attempt but made his final four of five, scoring 12 points – all threes – in 18 minutes off the bench. Horford also had four rebounds and blocked three shots. 

Steph Curry missed his third straight game due to an illness. He went through a workout on the Warriors’ practice court and will have another Monday morning before the team’s flight to Oklahoma City in hopes of playing the Thunder on Tuesday night to start off a tough six-game road trip.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ win to snap a two-game losing streak.

Where’s The Offense? 

Sitting on the bench in street clothes. 

It was a good sign to see Curry back around his teammates after not traveling to Sacramento or Denver. But it was a bad sign to once again see the Warriors look lost without him. The first quarter was a hard watch, and it didn’t get much better as the game went on. 

The Warriors opened the game on a 13-4 run, but once coach Steve Kerr called on his bench, the tides began to turn in the Pacers’ favor. From the 7:34 mark of the first quarter when Brandin Podziemski made a 3-foot floater, the Warriors didn’t make another shot until an Horford three with a minute and a half left. The only other points they made in that span were two free throws from Jonathan Kuminga.

There were signs of life when the Warriors went on an 11-0 run at the end of the second quarter before the Pacers closed it with the final five points of the first half. For the most part, that was largely because of Butler getting the ball in his hands and taking over for spurts.

A scrappy Pacers team that never lacks fight took the lead from the Warriors in the third quarter, and Golden State didn’t get it back until two Buddy Hield free throws with under three minutes left sparked a 10-0 run. The Warriors never trailed again. 

Give The Ball To Jimmy 

Speaking of offense, the Warriors’ best game plan was simple and straight to the point. Give the ball to Butler and get out of the way.

There were far too many possessions where he wasn’t involved in multiple trips down the court. Especially in another game without Curry. The system doesn’t have to drastically change. Understanding what’s needed from said game does. 

This was a game where it needed to be Butler and Co., and mostly just him. Butler in the first half was the only player to score in double digits (10 points). He then dropped seven points with five rebounds in the third, and had four points and three assists in the first three and a half minutes of the fourth to put the Warriors ahead by 14 points. 

Butler’s 21 points came on 10-of-15 shooting, dominating around the rim at his own pace. The longest shot Butler took was a 19-foot turnaround in the final second of the second quarter that got blocked. Everything else was a layup, floater or short jumper in the paint. 

His seven assists also led to 19 points for the Warriors.

Podz, JK Struggle Again

At least Moody brought the required effort and energy needed for a get-right game ahead of the impending road trip. Moody’s outstretched arms on defense disrupted the Pacers, and he scored some highly important points in the third quarter. 

Coming out of halftime, Moody only had two points off the bench as a minus-4 in nine minutes. He then was a plus-9 with eight points and two steals in the third quarter, highlighted by a wild four-point play. He also made a three earlier in the quarter with four minutes remaining that put the Warriors back ahead by two points. 

Moody’s plus-22 with 13 points had a much different feel than Podziemski being a plus-22 with 14 points, even though they each were 4 of 11 from the field. 

Through three quarters, Podziemski was a plus-5 with seven points on 2-of-8 shooting and was 0 of 4 from 3-point range with one assist and two turnovers. He then scored seven points in eight minutes in the fourth quarter. Kuminga, however, was the lone Warriors player who didn’t see any action in the fourth. 

It wasn’t his night, again. Kuminga did grab eight rebounds, a continued improvement for him. But he scored just five points on 1-of-9 shooting and missed all five 3-point shots. In the past two games, Kuminga has scored 11 points on 4 of 19 from the field, and has missed all seven of his shots from deep.

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Clippers' Kawhi Leonard to miss 'next few games' with ankle sprain

The Los Angeles Clippers, losers of four in a row and 5-of-6, will be without Kawhi Leonard for a few more games due to a sprained ankle, coach Tyronn Lue said Saturday before the Clippers went out and dropped that fourth in a row to the Suns.

"He's gonna miss the next few games, but nothing serious, and we'll just evaluate it from there," Lue said, via Justin Russo at Substack.

Leonard has already missed the Clippers' last three games. Lue's assessment is pretty vague, but welcome to modern NBA injury reporting (the discussion of that and the league’s gambling challenges is a topic for another day). Leonard played just 37 games last season due to injuries and has cleared the 65-game threshold just once in the past nine seasons (two years ago, when he was an All-Star and second-team All-NBA player, he still has that impact when healthy).

Leonard is averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game this season, but the Clippers are still getting outscored by 10.7 points per 100 possessions when he is on the court (which is more about struggles with the Clippers than Leonard himself).

The Clippers are home Monday (Hawks) and Wednesday (Nuggets) — games it sounds like Leonard will miss — before heading out on the road for seven straight across two weeks (one of those games is against the Lakers).

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Steph Curry out for third consecutive game with illness as Warriors host Pacers

Steph Curry out for third consecutive game with illness as Warriors host Pacers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry will miss his third consecutive game when the Warriors host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at Chase Center.

The 37-year-old has been out due to an illness, and not coincidentally, Golden State has lost the past two contests without its best player.

Curry has been playing at an elite level this season, averaging 26.8 points on 45.4 percent shooting from the field and 38.9 percent from 3-point range.

The Warriors, with Curry in the lineup last Saturday, lost to the injury-ravaged Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

A week later, the Pacers have a staggering 10 players listed as out for Sunday’s game, including forward Pascal Siakam (rest).

Curry’s illness came at a bad time for the Warriors, who are trying to build consistency and good habits.

The Warriors hope Curry will be well-rested as they brace for a grueling six-game road trip to Oklahoma City, San Antonio (twice), New Orleans, Orlando and Miami.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 'Honestly speaking, I didn't like the way we won' the championship

Winning a championship requires an NBA team to be able to play in the mud — it's going to get ugly and championship teams have to show real grit to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Oklahoma City did that last season, grinding out seven-game series wins over Denver in the West and a gritty Indiana team in the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks back on that and thinks the Thunder can be better. Here is what he said after OKC improved to 9-1 Friday night with an NBA Cup win over Sacramento, via Sam Amick at The Athletic.

"Honestly speaking, I didn't like the way we won, if that makes sense," said Gilgeous-Alexander ... "I didn't think we won an NBA championship playing our best basketball. That was the first time we'd been that far in the playoffs, so it was a learning experience for us.

"But it takes another level of focus, discipline, assertiveness, aggression, to be who we were in the regular season, and do that throughout the postseason."

Watch this season's Thunder and you see a team with a strong identity, confident in who they are and what they want to do. They have the best defense in the NBA and sixth-ranked offense — and they have done it all without their second-best player, All-NBA forward Jalen Williams, who remains out following wrist surgery.

Earlier in the week, coach Mark Daigneault discussed how the Thunder approached this season.

"Offensively, we've tried to look at the season as if we lost in the second round, if we lost Game 7 against Denver. How would we be approaching this?" Daigneault said. "Rather than allowing the fact that we won it to bias us coming in, it was kind of more if we didn't win it and we fell short, how would we have been looking at this? And we tried to look at it like that. So we're pushing ourselves to evolve."
The Thunder have evolved and the rest of the league will have to catch up.

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Fantasy Basketball Week 4 Schedule Primer: Avoid the 76ers

While Week 3 of the fantasy basketball season included two double-digit game days, there's just one during Week 4, with Wednesday featuring 12 games. Monday and Friday are nine-game slates, and Sunday has an eight-game schedule. The light game day for Week 4 will be Thursday, with just three games, and three of the six teams in action will have played the night before. Let's take a look at the Week 4 schedule breakdown and a few of its key storylines.

Week 4 Games Played

4 Games: ATL, CHA, CLE, DAL, GSW, LAC, LAL, MIL, NOR, ORL, PHX, POR, SAC, SAS, UTA

3 Games: BKN, BOS, CHI, DEN, DET, HOU, IND, MEM, MIA, MIN, NYK, OKC, TOR, WAS

2 Games: PHI

Week 4 Back-to-backs

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

Monday-Tuesday: UTA

Tuesday-Wednesday: BOS, DEN, GSW, MEM, NYK, OKC, SAC

Wednesday-Thursday: ATL, CLE, PHX

Thursday-Friday: None

Friday-Saturday: CHO, LAL, MIL, MIN

Saturday-Sunday: None

Sunday-Monday (Week 5): CHI, DAL, LAC, NOR

NBA: Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz
Fantasy Basketball Minutes Report: Injuries to Trae Young, Walker Kessler shake up rotations
Each week we’ll dig into shifting rotations, uncovering which players deserve more attention in fantasy basketball

Week 4 Storylines of Note

- The 76ers are the team to avoid during Week 4.

Philadelphia, which played two back-to-backs during Week 3, has another rough schedule for Week 4. Nick Nurse's team plays only twice, Tuesday and Friday, meaning there won't be any opportunities for fantasy value on the weekend or on the lone light game day in Week 4 (Thursday). That could bode well for Joel Embiid and Jared McCain, who remain under minutes restrictions, and Paul George may be able to return from offseason knee surgery. However, it isn't guaranteed that anything will change for those three players.

Also, fantasy managers won't get as much value out of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe or Kelly Oubre Jr. that they did during Philadelphia's four-game Week 3. And the schedule split for Week 4 is such that dropping a fringe fantasy option after Tuesday's action won't do managers much good, unless they're certain that said player won't help them on Friday.

- Detroit, Miami and New York are also off on Saturday and Sunday.

In addition to the 76ers, the Pistons, Heat and Knicks won't have games scheduled for the final two days of Week 4. That won't impact the team's respective stars in terms of fantasy value, but someone like Detroit's Isaiah Stewart (if healthy) or Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. may not be worth holding onto after Friday's games. However, Detroit, Miami and New York all play on Monday to begin Week 5, with the Pistons having a Monday/Tuesday back-to-back.

- Fourteen teams, including the Warriors, Lakers and Bucks, play three games between Wednesday and Sunday.

Each of these teams will have to navigate a back-to-back at some point during Week 4. Golden State has a Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back, which could be an issue for a few of their players beyond Al Horford. The Lakers end Week 4 with a Friday/Saturday back-to-back, which impacts Luka Dončić among others, and that doesn't take into consideration LeBron James' potential return from sciatica.

As for the Bucks, they also end with a Friday/Saturday back-to-back. Giannis Antetokounmpo has dealt with left patellar tendinopathy recently, and that has the potential to be a reason to keep him on the sideline for a game. The teams that will be busier at the end of the week are worth sifting through for potential value, and three (Atlanta, Cleveland and Phoenix) are active on Thursday, the lightest day of the Week 4 schedule.

Golden State Warriors v Portland Trail Blazers
Fantasy Basketball Stock Up Stock Down: Jonathan Kuminga taking a leap to begin fifth season
Kuminga is showing signs of growth to begin the season while Raptors center Jakob Poeltl has struggled out of the gate.

- How many games will the Clippers have Kawhi Leonard for?

Leonard sprained his left ankle during the Clippers' November 3 loss to the Heat and has missed the last three games. The Clippers play four games during Week 4, starting with the Hawks on Monday, and they'll end the week with a Sunday/Monday road back-to-back against the Celtics and 76ers. Nicolas Batum has been Leonard's replacement in the starting lineup, but to say he's provided minimal fantasy value as a starter would be generous. Even John Collins, who had the look of a player who could be more valuable when the Clippers are shorthanded, has not provided much value over the last week. Derrick Jones Jr., who was already a starter, may be the one to consider if Leonard's status for the start of Week 4 is in doubt.

- Are fantasy managers looking at another extended absence for Jalen Green?

After a stellar Suns debut on November 6 against the Clippers, Green appeared to aggravate the right hamstring injury that sidelined him during the first quarter of Saturday's rematch. He couldn't put much weight on the leg, and the Suns guard could be in for another extended absence. If so, this would likely mean a return to the starting lineup for Ryan Dunn, who played 20 minutes off the bench on Saturday. Phoenix plays four games during Week 4, starting with the Pelicans on Monday, and the team has a mid-week back-to-back. Green's absence would also impact Royce O'Neale, who came off the bench due to Dillon Brooks returning from a core injury.