Category: Basketball

It’s no secret the connection that Knicks fans of a certain generation feel toward the 1972-73 championship-winning squad. But a pair of stars from that team share a deeper connection that was on display Thursday morning in the South Bronx. 

Speaking before a packed gymnasium at the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School, two-time NBA champion and former U.S. senator Bill Bradley spoke from the heart about his friend, one-time on-court rival and eventual Knicks teammate, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. 

“The fact that it has Earl Monroe on the [school] name, that might be a little reason why I’m here, but you guys are the reason that makes my heart full. Earl is the reason of my heart, because he is in my heart,” Bradley said with Monroe sitting off to his left and drawing an audible reaction from the school’s students in the crowd. “When you are a teammate and you go to the top, it’s a forever bond, and we did that twice.” 

Bradley, 83, added that his appearance Thursday was “one small way for me to say to my friend, I love you.” 

The two Knicks legends were side by side once again to celebrate the opening of the new 69,000-square-foot facility for the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School, a specialized charter school in The Bronx whose curriculum is based around basketball and careers beyond the court. 

The school opened in 2021 and provides its 440 students from grades 9-12 with an education in topics ranging from broadcast, print and digital media to law and marketing. 

“Everybody can’t play basketball, even though everybody wants to, but there’s so many other aspects of the sports and the game that you can be involved in without being the sports person,” Monroe, 81, said after the event. “I think that this is an excellent way for people to be involved in the sport and still get the same satisfaction as scoring a basket.” 

The ribbon-cutting ceremony drew a star-studded list of guests, including former Knicks stars John Starks and Stephon Marbury, Knicks celebrity superfan Tracy Morgan, ESPN personality Mike Greenberg, who hosted the event, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver. 

Silver noted how fitting it was that Thursday’s ceremony was taking place after the Knicks ended their 53-year championship drought this past summer, making them the first Knicks title squad since Monroe’s 1973 team. 

“It felt great,” Monroe said about seeing the Knicks win another title. “We’ve had some great players come through over the years, and finally getting over the hump. Not only just for me, just for the city itself. We’re a city of champs, so we deserve it.” 

But the Knicks will have a target on their back this season as defending champions, and repeating is no small task. 

Monroe was part of the Baltimore Bullets team that prevented the Knicks from repeating in 1971, knocking them out in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer didn’t seem too worried about the Knicks’ mindset going into this season. 

“Certainly, the fact that you’ve won, obviously, it makes it so that you understand that you can win again,” Monroe said. “So I’m quite sure that they’re coming into this thinking that we’re No. 1, and I’ll tell other people to prove that we’re not.” 

While Monroe and Bradley are forever tied together on the court, from their days playing in the Baker League in Philadelphia through college and into the NBA, Bradley’s lasting memory of Monroe reflected more from what he saw Thursday than on the court. 

“This is the Earl Monroe that I know,” Bradley said prior to the start of the ceremony. “From the first day I met him, when we had a shootout at Bry Pope Baptist Church in Philadelphia in the summertime, Earl Monroe was interested in the community, and this is the epitome of being interested in the community.”

The Knicks looked like their championship selves Thursday night, beating the Toronto Raptors, 122-120, in their final preseason contest. New York finished the preseason 1-4.

Here are the takeaways...

-- New York mounted its strongest performance of the preseason, avenging (can you seek revenge for a preseason game?) its 50-point loss to the Raptors on Tuesday. Despite falling behind early, New York quickly took the lead with confident threes, quick drives to the basket, and clean rebounds.

Overall, the team shot 48 percent from the field, 36 percent from behind the three-point line, and 78 percent from the free-throw line — the first two representing preseason bests.

-- Though coach Mike Brown stayed true to his pregame promise of treating the matchup like a dress rehearsal for the regular season, affording his five starters — Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mo Diawara — real starter minutes for the first time, the winning effort came from players up and down the roster. (Diawara was starting in place of Josh Hart, who missed the game with ankle soreness.)

Eleven different Knicks saw the court across the first half. Every one of them scored at least two points, and six grabbed five or more. Aside from Pacome Dadiet, they each played six-plus minutes.

-- Brunson, though, drove the effort, racking up 20 points, three rebounds, and seven assists across 29 minutes of play. He also went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line and landed his single three-point attempt.

-- Towns had a huge impact at the high post, recording one-third of the Knicks' 21 first-half assists (7 of 21) and rebounds (9 of 27). He finished the game just one assist shy of a preseason triple-double (13 points, 15 assists, 9 rebounds).

-- After waiving Tony Bradley and Drew Eubanksduring the day Thursday, the Knicks were left with just two candidates looking to fill the highly contested final slot: James Wiseman and Bruce Brown. 

Only Wiseman played, and he only took the court in the waning minutes of the game. In that four-minute stint, he recorded two points and one rebound.

-- Though Miles McBride sat out much of the latter half of the game, the longest-tenured Knick carried the first quarter on his back, ending the frame with three-straight triples and going 3-for-6 both from the field and from the arc.

-- Toronto's Jaden Bradley, a 2026 second-round draft pick, tied the game at 117 with less than a minute left, landing a field goal and earning a free throw on a foul from Tyler Kolek, but the Knicks pulled ahead again by the end thanks to a three from Kolek and two foul shots from Tyler Nickel.

-- Scottie Barnes (23 points, 4-for-5 from beyond the arc), as well as former Knicks RJ Barrett (21 points) and Immanuel Quickley (18 points), kept the Raptors in the mix, but their efforts to topple the reigning NBA champions once again fell just short. 

Game MVP: Scottie Barnes

The 25-year-old guard led all players in points (23).

Highlights

Mo banks a triple! https://t.co/e8ISMkEl4z

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 15, 2026

KAT with the drive! https://t.co/FH5XtMNiAN

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 15, 2026

Three straight triples from Deuce! https://t.co/dEuhCCXmDu

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 16, 2026

Landry Shamet throws it down! https://t.co/AbxLRJ5atF

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 16, 2026

OG throws it down! https://t.co/UDWfH89XP0

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 16, 2026

What's next

The Knicks will kick off their title defense with the first game of the 2026-27 regular season at MSG, hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 20. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

In an ideal world, by now the Lakers would’ve already gotten at least one look at what their team would look like with close to their full roster available.

But that’s not the situation the Lakers find themselves in entering Friday’s preseason finale against the Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena.

It’s also not a matter that coach JJ Redick is worrying about, with his team primed to getting closer to being whole before the games start to matter in the standings next week. 

“Can’t control it, so it’s not even a concern,” the Lakers coach said. “Play the guys you can play.”

Thursday provided optimism that the Lakers will have more guys available to play in their final exhibition after multiple key players sat out the previous four games. 

Ziaire Williams is trending in the right direction after dealing with left foot swelling, fully participating in Thursday’s practice after sitting out the previous three exhibitions. 

Luka Doncic also fully participated after getting the night off against the Warriors on Tuesday.

Which means the Lakers could have their preferred starting lineup available against the Nuggets for the first time this preseason. 

But even with a healthier roster, the Lakers still need to show they can improve in two key areas before the Oct. 21 regular-season opener against the Warriors: defensive rebounding and ball security.

Both have been areas of struggle over the last couple of weeks.

Which is why it was a significant focus of Thursday’s practice.

“I’d like us to do a better job taking care of the basketball, and I’d like us to do a better job on the defensive glass,” Redick said. “Those two things, showing improvement there, showing a heightened awareness offensively of being organized with certain groups, and the heightened awareness of not playing in a crowd and just making a simple play. 

“And then defensively, we did three different box-out drills [on Thursday] at practice; it’s a point of emphasis going forward.”

It’s clear why those areas are being emphasized. 

The Lakers had the third-worst defensive rebounding rate (63.1%) and second-worst turnover rate (24.1%) among all teams that’ve played in the preseason entering Thursday. 

They emphasized reducing their turnovers before playing the Warriors this week but recorded 30 giveaways. 

“Just like a bunch of new guys,” Quentin Grimes said of the Lakers’ ball security issues. “You don’t know where guys might cut, guys might spot up, you don’t know guys’ tendencies right now. Like some guys play in certain preseason games, some guys don’t, but it’s getting those reps in with each other, figuring out where guys like the ball, where they don’t cut when you got the ball, stuff like that. So guys are just trying to figure out a rhythm, but once we get that rhythm and the spacing and stuff like that, it’ll calm down, for sure.”

Walker Kessler’s return helped on the defensive glass against the Warriors — at least for the first half that he played before sitting out the second half. 

Having Williams, the Lakers’ second-tallest player at 6-foot-10, should also help.

“It just takes all five of us to gang rebound,” Williams said. “Especially when [Kessler’s] not in. We just gotta do a better job of just wanting it a little bit more. We’ll get there.”

With the NBA season beginning in five days, the Phoenix Suns are narrowing down who the final members of their regular-season roster will be, and it appears they’ve likely decided on who the last standard roster spot is going to, according to Arizona Sports insider John Gambadoro.

Based on what I have heard and the way he has played
Jamaree Bouyea will earn the 14th roster spot for the Phoenix Suns. Bouyea had 15 points (7-11 FG, 1-2 3Ptr), eight assists, four rebounds and one steal in 28 minutes last night. I do not expect the Suns to fill the 15th…

— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) October 15, 2026

27-year-old Jamaree Bouyea is in line to stay on the roster after a strong end to last season and a noteworthy preseason. Even though the team can roster 15 players on standard deals, Gambadoro reports they will likely use the flexibility they have for a few of the two-way players they signed this offseason and stay at 14. This means the Suns will most likely cut Haywood Highsmith, who is currently on a non-guaranteed deal.

The 6’2” guard from the University of San Francisco had the best season of his NBA career last year, reaching career highs in points per game and games played. After the team waived Cole Anthony in March, Bouyea’s contract was converted from a two-way to a standard deal.

Known for his quickness, Suns fans saw Bouyea in spurts last season, with his playing time increasing as the season went on. His development into a full-time NBA player is one that team owner Mat Ishbia has lauded as an example of the team’s ability to develop players who’ve been with other teams and can fly under the public’s radar.

While no formal cuts have been made yet and no decisions have been formally announced, expect a slew of announcements on the final roster after tomorrow’s game against the Utah Jazz, their last game of the preseason.

The Suns’ season tips off next Wednesday, October 21st, at 7:00 pm Arizona time when they head to Portland to face the Trailblazers.

---

What is the Lakers’ ceiling?

Lakers coach JJ Redick and Luka Doncic believe the team could compete for a championship this season. 

But is that realistic?

In the Western Conference alone, there’s a Goliath-sized impediment. 

You know, the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama who carried the Spurs to the NBA Finals last postseason before his team blew double-digit leads in four of its five games against the eventual-champion Knicks. Wembanyama, who’s next in line to become the face of the league after LeBron James retires, spent all summer stewing — and plotting. 

There’s also a well-established impediment. 

You know, two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led the Thunder to a championship in 2025 and is now chomping at the bit to carry his team back to the Finals after the Spurs stunned Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.

The thing with this Lakers team is that their championship hurdles will be as much external as internal. 

There are nine new players, including Walker Kessler, who’s going to be an integral part of the Big 3 alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves. There are questions around the team’s perimeter defense. It’s going to take time for everyone to build chemistry. To jell. 

Not only do the Lakers have to worry about everyone else. But they have to worry about themselves. What’s their identity? 

Redick raised eyebrows when he claimed ahead of media day that he was confident the Lakers would develop into a championship-level team this season. 

When asked at Thursday’s practice why he believes that, he didn’t hesitate. 

“I think that every season,” Redick said. “Unless somebody blatantly tells me that we’re not trying to win, I think that every year. That’s why I say I’m confident. I said the same thing last year for all of January and February that we were going to figure it out at some point, and we did. And then we had some injuries.”

Redick’s not wrong.

He kept insisting that Doncic, Reaves and LeBron James would work out their kinks. Those words seemed empty at times. But eventually they shape-shifted and came together, going on a 16-2 run last spring before Doncic suffered a strained hamstring and Reaves suffered a strained oblique on April 2.

During that time, Doncic looked like the NBA’s best player, regularly delivering stunning 40-point performances. Reaves looked like an All-Star. And James, who’s arguably the greatest player of all time, wholeheartedly committed to becoming the team’s third offensive option.

Redick has his work cut out for him again.

Can Walker become an All-Defense-caliber player? Can Redick unlock the potential of guys like Ziaire Williams, Adou Thiero, Cameron Carr, Quentin Grimes, Jake LaRavia, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton and Matisse Thybulle?

Redick has a way of getting through to players.

He got James to agree to be the third option for the first time in his then-23-season career. He helped Luke Kennard transform into an ephemeral star in the first round of the playoffs against the Rockets when Doncic and Reaves were sidelined. He got the best out of defensive juggernaut Marcus Smart.

It’s not far-fetched that he could work wonders with this team. It’s not out of the question that he could make them believe they’ve arrived. It’s not absurd that they could buy into the idea that their time is now.

The Lakers have arguably the best player in the league in Doncic. They have a lot of talent. They have a great coach.

But they also have holes, such as proven starting forwards and a reliable backup center. There’s a lot of questions around them. They have a lot to prove. Especially against teams that already have most things figured out.

The Thunder have been atop the league together. The Spurs tasted victory before letting it drop out of their mouths like a dog rejecting a healthy snack. 

The Lakers are seemingly behind. 

But they could get there. 

Now, being a championship-level team doesn’t necessarily mean walking away with the Larry O’Brien Trophy. That’s not what Redick is saying. There are too many variables there. 

“Being a championship-level team or being a — I don’t like the word ‘contender’ — but being a team that can make a run and can play in the playoffs and can play different ways in the playoffs, those things take time, and it doesn’t mean you’re going to be in the NBA Finals,” Redick said. “It’s just not the way this works, particularly with the way the playoffs work in terms of just matchups and what you can exploit and what you can’t exploit versus certain teams. But I think because of our talent, because of our fit, because of our depth, I really like our team.”

Redick thinks the Lakers could be elite.

They could make the league nervous. If things go right, they could become a threat. They could really be in the mix.

And right now, there’s no reason to believe him. 

But there’s also no reason to doubt him. 

The Lakers currently have 16 players on the team and not enough roster spots to retain everyone.

LA has already been actively exploring trade avenues for Jarred Vanderbilt, but have reportedly had no luck in their efforts. As Opening Night quickly approaches, the Lakers are looking to trade Dalton Knecht before the season begins.

Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reported the latest on the Lakers’ roster battle.

“[Dalton Knecht] will not be apart of this roster long-term,” Siegel said.

Vanderbilt and Knecht have been the odd men out for a while as the new look Lakers embark on the Luka Doncic era. But it appears the Lakers are running out of options in their attempts to part ways with the former, who is currently owed $12 million as Vanderbilt is in the final year of a four-year, $48 million deal.

The Lakers have traded Knecht before in February 2025. Knecht was sent to Charlotte in exchange for center Mark Williams before the trade was rescinded.

Since the trade, Knecht has been a non-factor on the court. The Lakers had high hopes for the small forward as the team selected him with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Knecht has shown flashes of brilliance in the purple and gold, particularly during his breakout rookie year where he averaged 18.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in the final nine games of November 2024. But his confidence seems to have vanished since the Lakers attempted to trade him to the Hornets.

Now, the Lakers are actively looking to find Knecht a better opportunity elsewhere with an inevitable roster crunch looming.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — On the eve of their final preseason game against the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers are more concerned with getting healthy than using it as a dress rehearsal.

The Lakers have been shuffling through different lineups and players through the first four games, but haven’t gotten a clear look at their full revamped roster.

“Can’t control it, so it’s not even a concern. Play the guys who can play,” JJ Redick told reporters after practice on Thursday. “We would have loved to have gotten looks with everybody healthy and everybody good to go. But we also have to be smart with an 82-game season.”

Redick added that the decrease to five preseason games has been a blessing in disguise because it afforded Los Angeles double the amount of preseason practice time compared to seasons prior, which is more beneficial when integrating a bunch of new players.

It has also allowed more time for players to heal from injuries, which has been a storyline of these preseason.

Collin Sexton hasn’t suited up for a game and, though his status for Friday’s game against Denver is still up in the air, Redick says he is making good progress toward playing on opening night. Sexton has been dealing with what Redick labeled a lower body/leg injury. Sexton was seen in practice Thursday with his calf taped up.

Los Angeles’ struggles without a tertiary ballhandler have been evident all preseason, and that’s exactly where Sexton slots in.

Ziaire Williams, who played in only the Lakers’ first preseason game, was a full participant in Thursday’s practice. He told reporters that he was dealing with some swelling in his left foot, but that it all looks good now. 

“Good,” Williams said on how he’s feeling. “It’s up to the staff now. I’m in good hands. They’ve been taking care of me. See how we feel. But yeah, it’s up to them. I’m ready to go as long as they say I am.”

Redick also noted Adou Thiero was a limited participant in practice, but that it’s just a maintenance thing for him. Cameron Carr was out on Thursday. We last heard that he was dealing with a contusion of some sorts, but haven’t been given much clarity on it.

Other than that, Redick says everyone else appears to be good to go. Asked how important it is to have as many people healthy as possible for their final preseason game, Redick said he doesn’t care about that and is more focused on getting everyone as healthy as possible for the season opener.

“It’s important, just to get game reps together, but health is key,” Williams said. “If you can’t go, you just can’t. It’s not the end of the world. … It’s not worth [it] to risk your body for a game that doesn’t count and then be out for the real game. We have a great staff who’s leading us in the right direction.”

You can follow Connor on Twitter at @cmorenoNBA.

The Knicks are back at the Garden tonight, wrapping up their preseason with a second rumble with the Raptors. On Tuesday in Toronto, the Canadian starters demolished the New York reserves by 50. In tonight’s final dress rehearsal, with Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and the other Knicks’ starters playing, the fight should be a little more fair.

Tip off is 7:30 p.m. EST on MSG. This is your game thread. This is RaptorsHQ. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Extend kindness to your fellow humans. And go Knicks!

He made one of the biggest splashes in the Lakers’ first preseason game. Ziaire Williams set the tone of the Lakers’ new defensive style, pressuring the ball the full length of the court and injecting energy into his teammates. The Sierra Canyon High alumnus sank three three-pointers in a stellar debut for his hometown team.

Then came the swelling in his left foot.

After a minor injury slowed Williams’ preseason ascent, the 6-foot-9 forward could be in position to return to the lineup for the Lakers’ preseason finale at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the visiting Denver Nuggets. Williams practiced fully Thursday after missing the last three games. He’ll leave the final call up to the Lakers’ medical staff as the team tries to maximize its preseason preparation.

“It’s important, man, just to get game reps with each other, but health is key,” said Williams, who had 13 points and a steal as a starter in the preseason opener against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 5. “If you can’t go, you just can’t. It’s not the end of the world. Going back to championship identity, we’re looking ahead at the bigger picture. So it’s not worth [it] to risk your body for a game that doesn’t count and then be out for the real games.”

With nine new players, the Lakers needed training camp and preseason games to build chemistry as a group. Small injuries to several players interrupted the process, but with one fewer preseason game than last year and almost double the total practice days, coach JJ Redick said integrating new players still has “been pretty seamless.”

“We would love to have gotten looks with everybody healthy and everybody good to go,” Redick said, “but we also have to be smart with an 82-game season.”

Read more:Walker Kessler debuts, but Luka Doncic sits during Lakers' preseason loss to Warriors

The Lakers debuted new center Walker Kessler only this week, and the star acquisition who jammed a pinky finger early in training camp still has not played in a game with guard Luka Doncic, who was held out of Tuesday’s game for a planned rest day. Doncic participated fully in practice Thursday, as did forward Adou Thiero, who sat out Tuesday because of “maintenance,” Redick said. Rookie Cameron Carr (undisclosed) remained out of practice Thursday after missing the last two games.

Guard Quentin Grimes has been a preseason iron man. The free-agent signing who is angling for a starting position has played a team-high 97 minutes in four preseason games. With Doncic and Austin Reaves playing together only once in the first four games, Grimes has filled a larger ballhandling role than he might have if the Lakers were at full strength. The 26-year-old guard who is on his fifth team in six seasons credited his journeyman history for helping him get comfortable with a do-it-all role.

“I’ve done a good job of just creating offense, creating opportunities whether that be for myself or for teammates, getting everybody involved,” said Grimes, who is averaging 12.3 points and 2.5 assists on 53.3% shooting in the preseason. “I feel like this team allows me to play on the ball, off the ball in any situation. I feel like I’ve played that kind of [role at] every stop.”

Collin Sexton is the only offseason acquisition who has not made his Lakers debut. Battling a lower leg injury, Sexton participated in all of practice except for periods of live play Thursday. After practice, the guard was seen with kinesiology tape snaking up his right calf while working on the court with assistant coaches.

Sexton’s presence could help stabilize the Lakers’ offense, which is averaging 25.3 turnovers during the preseason.

When Sexton was sidelined at the beginning of the preseason, Redick said he was not worried about the guard’s status for the Oct. 21 season opener against Golden State. When asked Thursday about Sexton’s availability, Redick said simply he was “trending in the right direction.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Houston Rockets vs. ONT Thunder

October 15th, 2026

Location: Toyota Center, Houston, TX

Time: 7:30 PM CST

TV:NBA TV and Space City Home Network
Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790 / KLTN 102.9 (en español)

Probable Starting Lineups?

Rockets: Fred Vanvleet, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun

Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, Chetnik Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein

I truly have no idea what the starting lineups will be for this game, and whether either team will try to play their first string against each other. My sense is, they won’t. This is the Rockets third, and last preseason game, and it will be the fifth and last for OKC, too. NBA preseason basketball wraps up tomorrow night, with the actual season (hooray!) beginning on Tuesday the 20th, which will see the Thudner play the Spurks.

The Rockets will begin their season on Wednesday the 21st, at home against their overseas foe, the Dallas Mavericks.

The following players are listed as Game Time Decisions or Day To Day:

Rockets: Steven Adams, Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet, Kevin Durant

OKC: Jaylin Williams, Chetnik Holmgren, Ajay Mitchell, Thomas Sorber, Nicola Topic – Otega Oweh is out for the season.

There’s a reason I picked Bruce Thornton for the picture. I suspect we might see a good bit of Basher Thornton.

The Lakers provided a positive update on one of their potential starters on Thursday.

Ziaire Williams was a full participant in the team’s practice ahead of Friday’s preseason finale against the Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena. 

The 6-foot-10 forward missed the team’s previous three preseason games after dealing with “a little bit of swelling” in his left foot.

“No idea actually,” Williams responded when asked what caused the swelling. “But the swelling is back down and I was getting up and down and it felt great.”

Ziaire Williams says he's feeling great after dealing with "a little bit of swelling" in his left foot.

His status for tomorrow after missing the previous three preseason games?

"Good. It's up to the staff now. I'm in good hands. They've been taking care of me. See how we… pic.twitter.com/27btQpgrjL

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) October 15, 2026

Williams started in the lone preseason game he’s played, the Oct. 5 win over the Kings in Sacramento, and is competing for one of the two open spots in the starting lineup alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler.

The Lakers haven’t filled those starting slots yet.

“It’s great competition,” Quentin Grimes said. “Everybody wants competition, everybody wants to compete for something, fight for something, earn something. Nothing’s given, so I think it just creates a healthy competition within the team.”

Williams appeared to be optimistic about his available for Friday’s matchup against the Nuggets. 

“Good – it’s up to the staff now,” the former Sierra Canyon star said. “I’m in good hands. They’ve been taking care of me. See how we feel. But yeah, it’s up to them. I’m ready to go as long as they say I am.”

Doncic also fully participated in Thursday’s practice after sitting out of Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors. 

Guard Collin Sexton participated in all of the team’s drills but didn’t play in the live scrimmage against his teammates, according to Redick. 

“He did some up and down drills vs. coaches,” Redick added, “and then we played live the rest of practice.” 

Sexton, who hasn’t played in a preseason game, “trending in the right direction” for the Oct. 21 regular season opener against the Warriors in Los Angeles, according to Redick.

Second-year forward Adou Thiero (maintenance) was a partial participant in practice, while rookie wing Cameron Carr was out.

Arkansas men’s college basketball coach John Calipari was too intimidated to approach pop megastar Taylor Swift at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks-Spurs Game 4 of the NBA Finals earlier this year.

During an interview on the “Eye on College Basketball” podcast on Thursday, Calipari explained that he was embarrassed to go up to Swift and acted like he was on his phone.

“I’m in the back corner just kind of watching, and Taylor Swift was there,” Calipari said, painting a picture of a star-studded “dugout” area where celebrities were mingling at the game. “I was embarrassed to go up to her. She was talking to whoever she was talking to, Adam Sandler and his wife [Jackie].

John Calipari closed down SEC Media Days with me at the third-floor bar last night and shared a hilarious story about how he was too scared to say hello to Taylor Swift during the NBA Finals. The phone detail at the end is incredible. pic.twitter.com/F6GdX105NS

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) October 15, 2026

“Normally I take a picture, and then I send it to my daughters and stuff. I was intimidated. [Swift] came up and was bubbly, and then I’m sitting here at this table. She’s at the other end. Adam and his wife go up. They converse…

“… Chris Rock is with his mom [Rosalie] right there. I’m fine, ‘Chris, how are ya?’ But she walked up. And what I did was this. I took my phone, and I acted like I was on my phone. I wasn’t on my phone, but I acted like I was… intimidated,” Calipari said.

Calipari was then asked by host Matt Norlander if he went to the Sandler-officiated Swift and Travis Kelce wedding, which took place on July 3 at Madison Square Garden.

“I didn’t get invited. I was kind of disappointed, but, you know, things happen,” Calipari joked.

Calipari shared a photo he took with Sandler and his wife while sitting on Celebrity Row for the Game 4 thriller at MSG.

“I got to spend some time with all the Knicks Alums, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock but I was too nervous to introduce myself to Taylor Swift! LOL!” Calipari said at the time.

The Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit — the largest in NBA Finals history — and OG Anunoby tipped in a missed 3-pointer by Jalen Brunson with 1.2 seconds remaining to give New York the lead en route to a 107-106 victory over the Spurs. Swift was joined by singer sisters Este Haim and Alana Haim and was among the thousands enjoying the wild celebration.

The Knicks beat the Spurs in four of five games to win their first NBA title in 53 years.

Herald NBA GMs high on Celtics’ Mitchell Robinson, view Mike Conley as future coach

Six takeaways from Celtics’ win over Hornets in penultimate preseason game

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Game Info

When: Friday, October 16th at 8:00 p.m. ET

How to watch: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass

Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA

Injury Report

Wizards: Anthony Davis – Questionable (Rest), Khris Middleton – Questionable (Rest), Jamir Watkins – Out (Knee), Tristan Vukcevic – Out (Hip)

Thunder: Dejounte Murray – Questionable (Toe)

Pregame notes

The final preseason game is upon us. The Wizards so far have shown some flashes of brilliance during this preseason, with some encouraging performances from the Anthony Davis and Trae Young, as well as some of the youngest stars like AJ Dybansta, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly and Tre Johnson.

With that in mind, there are still some things that the preseason has shown. The Wizards’ defense was rather sloppy during their, 131 -122, loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Despite a solid offensive output, the Wizards on defense allowed the Nets to shoot 57 percent from the field for the game. Call it just the preseason woes or not, the Wizards’ brass will most definitely want to show that this team can defend at a high level. Let’s see if we see any adjustments or improvement from what we saw on Monday night.

On the other side for Friday’s game, the Pelicans are getting ready for what is also their 4th and final preseason game. New Orleans, like the Wizards, have a young roster and are looking to continue to round out their roster as they look to improve upon a very disappointing 2025-26 campaign.

Given this is the last preseason game, we should expect to see more playing time from the deeper parts of both teams’ rosters as the teams will begin final cuts in preparation for the season’s start next week.

Simons and Bona to sit out Sixers' preseason finale vs. Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ final dress rehearsal is on deck.

The team will host the Celtics on Friday night in its preseason finale. After that, the regular-season opener next Tuesday against the Knicks is on the calendar.

As far as their stars, the Sixers have had a healthy preseason so far. Two key bench players will sit Friday, though. 

The Sixers ruled Anfernee Simons and Adem Bona out vs. Boston. Both were full participants in practice, a team official said, and they joined Exhibit 10 and two-way contract players in a full-court, post-practice scrimmage.

Post-practice Anfernee Simons jumpers: pic.twitter.com/6vGonbFtxh

— Noah Levick (@NoahLevick) October 15, 2026

Simons has been out with a hamstring injury, Bona a left foot sprain. They’ve each been sidelined for the full preseason. Same with Dominick Barlow (back). 

“They’re going through good portions of practice,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Thursday of Simons and Bona. “Listen, the coaching staff was obviously hoping to get them in a game before the opener just because it’s nice … to see where they’re at in that kind of game rather than see where they’re at in a real live one. 

“But it is what it is. Long season ahead. Hopefully, we’ll get them back sooner rather than later.”

Ariel Hukporti suffered a torn right Achilles tendon in the Sixers’ preseason opener, meaning Bona appears set to be the team’s clear primary backup center. The sharpshooting Simons seems poised to be the first guard off the bench. Over his last six seasons, Simons has averaged 16.9 points and 3.6 assists in 28.8 minutes per game and shot 38.6 percent from three-point range. 

“I’m super excited about Ant,” Tyrese Maxey said. “The little bit we’ve seen of him, just the way he shoots the ball, it’s going to open up so many different things. He can play with so many different groups, so many different lineups because of the way he shoots the ball. I’m excited to get on the court with him.”

Nurse indicated the Sixers plan to roll with their first-choice starting five in the preseason finale.

The unit of Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and Joel Embiid played its first game together last week in a loss to the Nets.

“(The plan) is always a bit fluid and flexible, I think,” Nurse said. “We would like to get the majority of them into the second half. I think it’s now time to play, go in at halftime, come back out and get ready to go again. … And then it’s probably fairly short after that, but going through that part of it.”

In past preseasons, injury troubles have hindered the Sixers’ efforts at building a stable foundation.

They’re hoping for a relatively smooth start this time around. 

“A lot of guys are pretty healthy,” Maxey said. “I think that’s different. And then the preseason last year, it was kind of hard to get (Paul George) in. He was going through some (injury) things. Joel was going through some stuff. 

“Our first five has been pretty healthy and we’ve been out there pretty much every day. That helps.”

Nurse called this year’s training camp “a lot of fun.”

“The guys have been amazing as far as attitude and just coaching them,” he said. “Really fun couple of weeks. Their energy and their focus and their desire to get better (quickly) has been great, and that’s always really fun to coach. We’ve been healthy. That’s been much more fun than it has been. 

“There’s been a lot of things that have made it enjoyable. Just keep on working, keep on getting better.”