Category: Basketball

Embiid ruled out for Sixers-Celtics with right knee soreness originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Joel Embiid is sidelined with a new knee issue.

The star big man has been ruled out for the Sixers’ game Tuesday night vs. the Celtics because of right knee soreness. Embiid is being evaluated by team doctors, a Sixers official said early Tuesday afternoon.

Embiid did not appear on the Sixers’ initial injury report Monday night. He’d sat out the team’s’ loss Sunday to the Pistons with a “left knee injury management” designation and generally been unavailable for both legs of back-to-backs. 

After a season plagued by left knee problems, Embiid’s minutes had been restricted to begin the 2025-26 campaign. He played a season-high 26 Saturday and scored 29 points in the Sixers’ win over the Raptors. Overall, Embiid’s made six appearances for the 6-4 Sixers and averaged 23.3 minutes. He’s posted 19.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest.

The Sixers also ruled out Paul George (left knee surgery recovery), Dominick Barlow (right elbow laceration) and Johni Broome (right ankle sprain) against Boston.

Both George and Barlow took jumpers following the Sixers’ Tuesday morning shootaround. Barlow’s presence (with a sleeve around his right elbow) is a notable development. The 22-year-old forward had been unable to participate in any basketball activities for weeks and needed to wear a large brace on his right arm. On Friday, a Sixers official had said George was set to meet with doctors over the weekend to determine his next steps.

Warriors' Draymond Green praises ‘great' hometown Pistons team amid hot start originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Detroit Pistons have been dwelling in the depths of the NBA’s Eastern Conference for much of the last decade. 

But that seems to be changing in a big way. The Pistons are 9-2 to start the 2025-26 NBA season on the heels of a playoff appearance. 

Draymond Green, on the latest episode of his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show,” said his hometown team is taking the next step and could be championship contenders this season. 

“[The] Pistons should have [beaten] the New York Knicks,” Green said. “And when you come out of a series knowing everything that you did wrong… you’re coming into that next year, you’re saying amongst each other, ‘Yo, we’re ready to take this next step…’”  

“… ‘We know we did X,Y and Z wrong, and if we can correct those things, we’re in the Eastern Conference Finals. We’re giving ourselves a chance.’ And so, they’re coming out with that type of energy and that type of attitude, and they look great. They look incredible.” 

Green notes that the Pistons, led by All-Star guard Cade Cunningham, have the team construction that a contender needs for success in the playoffs. 

“Anytime you’re gonna compete for a championship, guess what you must have? You must have an MVP candidate. Cade Cunningham is definitely that right now,” Green explained. “You usually have a second All Star, Jalen Duren is showing that he’s going to be that this year….”  

“…You usually have a great defender, Ausar Thompson is putting his fork in the ground. You must have a good bench, Caris LeVert is coming off that bench scoring. You must have some shooting. So, when you start to look at the team, you look at the schedule and yeah it is what it is, but these boys [are] coming.” 

The Pistons’ makeup of young, emerging players is an encouraging sign of good things to come. Green mentioned that their loss to the more-experienced Knicks in the first round of last year’s playoffs is akin to the Warriors’ playoff exits against the veteran-led San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers when the Golden State core was coming of age. 

The disappointing playoff exit is a learning lesson for the young Detroit core. 

“It’s beautiful to watch, man… the Pistons are taking that next step, and I’m looking forward to watching it all year,” Green said. 

The Pistons’ 9-2 record through 11 games is the best in the Eastern Conference heading into Tuesday, and is the second-best in the NBA behind the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder (10-1). 

Green’s Warriors will face the Pistons twice this season, first on Jan. 30 in Detroit and next on Mar. 20 in Golden State. 

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Warriors' Draymond Green strongly defends Nico Harrison before Mavericks firing originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Dallas Mavericks made a bold front office move that should appease the majority of their fan base, but was it the right move?

Dallas officially fired general manager Nico Harrison on Tuesday, nine months after he stunningly traded superstar guard Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in a move that sent shockwaves throughout the NBA and angered a large portion of the Mavericks’ fan base.

To put it lightly.

Despite Dallas’ productive offseason, which included shockingly landing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which it used to select consensus top prospect Cooper Flagg, the Mavericks have been abysmal to start the 2025-26 NBA season, going 3-8 through the team’s first 11 games, which prompted fans to chant “Fire Nico!” with the general manager in attendance for Monday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Nico Harrison's reaction to Mavs fans chanting “FIRE NICO” 💀💀😭pic.twitter.com/ugYc8zcRrU

— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) November 11, 2025

Well, they got their wish.

However, Warriors forward Draymond Green explained on the latest episode of his “The Draymond Green Show” podcast, which was recorded before Dallas fired Harrison, why it might not be the right time to make such a move.

“When stuff is going wrong, everyone is quick to jump and try to pounce on it and that’s just what people do in this business,” Green said. “Quite honestly, the team that Nico has placed his bet on, and I say that no pun intended, but the team he’s constructed to go win a championship hasn’t been on the court. Nobody assumed Kyrie Irving would tear his ACL. [Anthony Davis] started off with the eye [injury] as of late. The team hasn’t really been out there.”

Trading Dončić, understandably, was not received well by Mavericks fans and those around the league, but Green believes, on paper, Harrison was able to construct a team led by Irving, Davis and Flagg that, when healthy, could be competitive and that Harrison deserved to see his plan play out this season.

“I find it weird that everybody’s just like Luka’s playing great, everybody was s–tting on Luka last year,” Green added. “Now Luka’s playing great and everybody wants to take that opportunity to s–t on Nico because Dallas is playing bad. But it’s not apples to apples. The team he constructed to be out there isn’t out there.”

“Y’all just want to go point the finger at Nico because that was a storyline, now let’s make that a storyline again. That s–t is whack to me. So next year, that full team that Nico intended to be out there, and they have success, then what? … They have great pieces. So let’s see it all together before we yell ‘Fire Nico.’ Let’s see if it actually works. Because if it works next year, what are y’all gonna say?”

While Harrison will not be able to see his plan play out as general manager, Green believes that if the Mavericks eventually have success this season, and in the near future, the former executive deserves his flowers.

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With team in the cellar, Mavs fire GM Nico Harrison 9 months after Luka trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Dallas Mavericks confirmed they fired general manager Nico Harrison during a scheduled meeting with team governor Patrick Dumont on Tuesday morning, confirming recent rumors of a change in the front office.

ESPN insider Shams Charania announced the team’s plan to fire Harrison and replace him in the interim with executives Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi. The team confirmed the interim placements and said a comprehensive search will begin for a permanent general manager.

“This decision reflects our continued commitment to building a championship-caliber organization, one that delivers for our players, our partners, and most importantly, our fans,” said Dumont of Harrison’s firing.

Harrison had been the team’s GM and president of basketball operations for the last four seasons, which included two trips to the Western Conference finals, a trip to the NBA Finals and the unforgettable blockbuster trade that led to fans screaming for his ouster.

Nine months ago, Harrison traded superstar Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick. The backlash was swift and unrelenting. For months after the trade, disenchanted Mavericks fans protested the trade and chanted “Fire Nico” at every opportunity.

In April, at the season-ending press conference, Harrison said he stood by the deal but didn’t realize how much fans loved the 26-year-old Slovenian.

“I did know that Luka was important to the fan base,” Harrison said. “I didn’t quite know it to what level.”

Harrison said in April that he’d hoped the team he put together, which included Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II, would be improved by the addition of Anthony Davis from the Lakers. Because of injuries, that team never really materialized, and the Mavs fell flat.

Even after winning the lottery for the No. 1 draft pick and selecting Cooper Flagg, the Mavs are among the worst teams in the NBA and are ranked second to last in the Western Conference with a 3-8 record (2-5 at home) and five straight losses, including Monday night’s 116-114 loss to Milwaukee where fans renewed the chants calling for the team to “Fire Nico.”

The Mavericks’ next game is at home against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.

With team in the cellar, Mavs fire GM Nico Harrison 9 months after Luka trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Dallas Mavericks confirmed they fired general manager Nico Harrison during a scheduled meeting with team governor Patrick Dumont on Tuesday morning, confirming recent rumors of a change in the front office.

ESPN insider Shams Charania announced the team’s plan to fire Harrison and replace him in the interim with executives Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi. The team confirmed the interim placements and said a comprehensive search will begin for a permanent general manager.

“This decision reflects our continued commitment to building a championship-caliber organization, one that delivers for our players, our partners, and most importantly, our fans,” said Dumont of Harrison’s firing.

Harrison had been the team’s GM and president of basketball operations for the last four seasons, which included two trips to the Western Conference finals, a trip to the NBA Finals and the unforgettable blockbuster trade that led to fans screaming for his ouster.

Nine months ago, Harrison traded superstar Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick. The backlash was swift and unrelenting. For months after the trade, disenchanted Mavericks fans protested the trade and chanted “Fire Nico” at every opportunity.

In April, at the season-ending press conference, Harrison said he stood by the deal but didn’t realize how much fans loved the 26-year-old Slovenian.

“I did know that Luka was important to the fan base,” Harrison said. “I didn’t quite know it to what level.”

Harrison said in April that he’d hoped the team he put together, which included Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II, would be improved by the addition of Anthony Davis from the Lakers. Because of injuries, that team never really materialized, and the Mavs fell flat.

Even after winning the lottery for the No. 1 draft pick and selecting Cooper Flagg, the Mavs are among the worst teams in the NBA and are ranked second to last in the Western Conference with a 3-8 record (2-5 at home) and five straight losses, including Monday night’s 116-114 loss to Milwaukee where fans renewed the chants calling for the team to “Fire Nico.”

The Mavericks’ next game is at home against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.

With team in the cellar, Mavs fire GM Nico Harrison 9 months after Luka trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Dallas Mavericks confirmed they fired general manager Nico Harrison during a scheduled meeting with team governor Patrick Dumont on Tuesday morning, confirming recent rumors of a change in the front office.

ESPN insider Shams Charania announced the team’s plan to fire Harrison and replace him in the interim with executives Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi. The team confirmed the interim placements and said a comprehensive search will begin for a permanent general manager.

“This decision reflects our continued commitment to building a championship-caliber organization, one that delivers for our players, our partners, and most importantly, our fans,” said Dumont of Harrison’s firing.

Harrison had been the team’s GM and president of basketball operations for the last four seasons, which included two trips to the Western Conference finals, a trip to the NBA Finals and the unforgettable blockbuster trade that led to fans screaming for his ouster.

Nine months ago, Harrison traded superstar Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick. The backlash was swift and unrelenting. For months after the trade, disenchanted Mavericks fans protested the trade and chanted “Fire Nico” at every opportunity.

In April, at the season-ending press conference, Harrison said he stood by the deal but didn’t realize how much fans loved the 26-year-old Slovenian.

“I did know that Luka was important to the fan base,” Harrison said. “I didn’t quite know it to what level.”

Harrison said in April that he’d hoped the team he put together, which included Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II, would be improved by the addition of Anthony Davis from the Lakers. Because of injuries, that team never really materialized, and the Mavs fell flat.

Even after winning the lottery for the No. 1 draft pick and selecting Cooper Flagg, the Mavs are among the worst teams in the NBA and are ranked second to last in the Western Conference with a 3-8 record (2-5 at home) and five straight losses, including Monday night’s 116-114 loss to Milwaukee where fans renewed the chants calling for the team to “Fire Nico.”

The Mavericks’ next game is at home against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.