Category: Sports News

LeBron Log No. 2: Sixers firsts, Philly kicks and a night at center originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

LeBron James has played more NBA seasons than some of his teammates have been alive. Philadelphia still managed to give him a week full of firsts.

Over six days, James made his first regular-season start as a Sixer, scored his first points, played his first regular-season home game, recorded his first double-double with the team, sat out for the first time, started at center and experienced his first loss.

Not every first deserves a plaque. Together, they made for a busy opening chapter.

Welcome to the second edition of the LeBron Log.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

James’ first assist as a Sixer also produced Jaylen Brown’s first points with the team.

With 8:58 remaining in the first quarter against the Knicks, James found Brown cutting to the basket for a layup. Joel Embiid returned the favor later in the quarter, finding James inside for his first Philadelphia points.

Brown assisted James’ first Sixers dunk early in the third quarter. James finished the alley-oop to tie the game at 58 and helped Philadelphia turn a four-point halftime deficit into a seven-point lead entering the fourth.

James finished his debut with 14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block. More importantly, the Sixers left Madison Square Garden with a 106-100 win after watching the Knicks raise their championship banner.

Two nights later, James’ first shot in his first regular-season home game became his first three-pointer as a Sixer. VJ Edgecombe found him on the left wing for a 27-footer that gave Philadelphia an early lead over Cleveland.

The evening became far more memorable from there.

James recorded his first Sixers double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Philadelphia erased a 29-point deficit for the largest comeback win of James’ career and the franchise’s largest in the play-by-play era, which dates to 1996-97.

He also received his first complete introduction to the Philadelphia crowd. The Sixers were booed into halftime and cheered off the floor after their 114-106 win.

“We got the boos,” James said. “That was amazing, and we deserved it.”

His daughter Zhuri celebrated her 12th birthday courtside, while his mother was also in attendance.

It was quite a first night at home.

ONE RED, ONE BLUE

James began his Sixers career at Madison Square Garden wearing a purple-blue Nike LeBron 24 player-exclusive with iridescent branding.

The inspiration behind the colorway has not been revealed. House of Heat reported that the shoe could be tied to one of the five themes behind the LeBron 24 line: wonder, family, fear, luck or discovery.

For his home debut, James went with something unmistakably Philadelphia.

He wore a red Nike LeBron 24 on his left foot and a blue one on his right. The mismatched “Philly” edition featured a textured knit upper, metallic lace hardware and James’ crown logo on the tongue.

Only 76 pairs were released, a nod to his new team. They were made available through James’ Welcome to Philly pop-up, which ran from Oct. 20 through Oct. 22 at 901 Market East.

James did not have to choose between the Sixers’ two primary colors. He wore one of each.

CENTER, FOR NOW

James sat out Saturday’s win over Milwaukee as the Sixers managed the lower-back pain and sciatica that has followed him since last season.

He returned Sunday to find a very different assignment waiting for him.

Embiid was unavailable for the second half of the back-to-back. Jabari Walker, Dominick Barlow and Tacko Fall were also sidelined, leaving the Sixers short on frontcourt options against Detroit.

For only the 15th time in his career, James started at center. It was his first start at the position since the 2021-22 season.

James won the opening tip against former Sixer Paul Reed and scored 18 points on 8-for-15 shooting. He added five assists and two rebounds in Philadelphia’s 106-93 loss.

Do not expect the experiment to become permanent.

“Well, s—, we got an MVP over there,” James said. “I’m not here to have a sustainable role at the five.”

The Sixers were outrebounded 54-37 and surrendered 24 second-chance points. When James was asked how the team could improve on the glass, he borrowed an answer from former Lakers teammate Taurean Prince.

Prince happened to be sitting on Detroit’s bench Sunday. His blunt explanation of rebounding after Baylor’s 2016 NCAA Tournament loss to Yale remains one of college basketball’s great press-conference clips.

“In the great words of Taurean Prince, who I saw tonight on the bench, a good friend of mine, the ball goes up into the air, and then you go grab the ball,” James said.

Adem Bona did much of the traditional work at the position. He grabbed 13 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, in a season-high 25 minutes.

“I thought he was amazing tonight,” James said. “His energy, his effort.”

James can play center when the Sixers need him there. He also made it clear that he did not come to Philadelphia to take Embiid’s job.

“HE CAN BUY ME A NEW NOSE”

James and Edgecombe connected for the former’s first home basket. Their next notable connection did not work out as well.

During the third quarter against Cleveland, the two went after a missed Jarrett Allen free throw. James inadvertently caught Edgecombe across the face with his elbow, leaving the 21-year-old guard with a bloody nose.

Edgecombe remained in the game with cotton in his nostril and helped the Sixers finish their comeback.

After the game, he was able to joke about the friendly fire.

“It’s nothing bad,” Edgecombe said. “But if it was, he can buy me a new nose.”

Three games into James’ Sixers career, the partnership has already produced points, a comeback win and a potential medical bill.

With the Mavericks floating around .500 and Cooper Flagg establishing his place as one of the league’s young superstars, I find myself quoting the first John Wick movie as the Mavericks head home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

It’s been a tumultuous 20 months to be a Dallas Mavericks fan. We’ve gone through the worst trade in league history, seen a GM get fired, switched out head coaches, traded away most of the roster that led the team to the 2024 NBA Finals, and control just one first round pick in the next five NBA Drafts.

Yet, after Monday’s 113-109 win in Miami, I’m feeling like Keanu Reaves.

“People keep asking if I’m back and I haven’t really had an answer, but now yeah, I’m thinking I’m back.”

Dallas now sits at 2-2, having beaten Indiana and Miami on the road, while suffering losses to San Antonio and Houston. Heading into the year, I would’ve prayed for a 1-3 start and if you had told me Flagg would’ve been out for a game and a half and Kyrie Irving would be sitting the second night of a back-to-back, I’d have braced for 0-4.

But there’s just something about this Mavericks team.

“Our guys simply made big, big plays and big shots at the end,” first-year head coach Dusty May said in his postgame comments on Monday. “It’s a lot of fun when your two superstars are as unselfish as [Flagg and Irving] are, and they show as much grace as they bring along these younger players. It’s been fun to be a part of and see it so far. Obviously a long way to go, but this is a very, very good win for our team.”

After a disappointing season-opening loss, Dallas has shown bright spots in three straight games and kept a game against the defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs close for three and a half quarters without its two best players — Flagg and Irving. They’ve earned two road wins over key Eastern Conference opponents that hope to make deep runs after disappointing 2025 campaigns.

Flagg has been exceptional. His per game stats won’t tell the entire story since he missed half of one of his three games following a controversial foul by Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith that forced him to miss a game and a half, but even with that caveat, the 19-year-old is averaging 25 points per game on 57% shooting. He has 11 steals and five blocks in three games and his playmaking has taken another leap, averaging over six and a half assists a night.

While Flagg’s ascension will get most of the attention — and he’s owed that respect — it’s the rest of the team that gives me hope that Dallas could defy expectations this year and maybe even make it to the playoffs.

Walter Clayton Jr., who was signed the day of the Mavericks’ first game in Houston, has been a perfect fit for this team. He scored 15 points in 17 minutes in Dallas’ win over Miami and was a team-best +22 in those minutes. He’s giving Flagg and the Mavericks an outlet when drives to the basket stall or when someone loses their dribble and has to reset.

Zaccharie Risacher has also made an impact. While his shot may not be falling, his defensive impact cannot be ignored. He led the league in stocks (steals + blocks per game) going into Monday’s game, only to be passed by Flagg and a couple others during the night’s action, and Risacher’s block of Davion Mitchell’s layup sealed the win Monday. He’s not the No. 1 overall pick Atlanta wanted two years ago, but Dallas doesn’t need him to be that and he’s filling into his role beautifully and helping Dallas stay competitive.

P.J. Washington is as steady as ever, averaging over 15 points and seven boards a night while bringing the defensive toughness that helped this team reach the Finals two years ago. Daniel Gafford is ready to go to war every night and his physical play in Monday’s game energized Dallas in moments where they may have folded last season.

It’s not a perfect team, and there are still moments that make me want to tear my hair out — like a 30-17 fourth quarter against the Spurs or a 38-12 second quarter against the Rockets or having to come back from a double-digit deficit twice in one game because Dallas’ concentration lulled after the first comeback — but this is a young team and they’re going to make some dumb mistakes. They’re going to have lapses, and some games are going to get ugly because of them.

But the signs of life this team has shown in the first week of the season have me hopeful. Hopeful that we might just have something cooking in Big D for the first time in three seasons, and that the pain of the last two seasons can be forgotten with a young team that never gives up.

I can’t tell you how many games Dallas will win this year, but I can promise you this: it’s gonna be a lot of fun to watch.

Monday, October 26th was a disastrous day for Utah Jazz big men. Before gametime, Jaxson Hayes was ruled out due to right shoulder soreness. In the first quarter, Lauri Markkanen suffered a nasty wrist injury on his shooting hand, and he staggered back towards the locker room. Not too long after that, Jaren Jackson Jr. sustained a right knee injury after Ty Jerome stumbled into his leg – if the tweet found below correctly reads coach Hardy’s lips, this could keep Trip out for a long time.

So, with 4 separate 7 footers now riding the bench with injury (Nurkic was looking classy as usual), where does the coaching staff turn for big man production? Surely, surely this would be the time for Kyle Filipowski, 3 year Jazzman with thousands of prime developmental minutes under his belt, to step up and show that all of the priority placed on his improvement since the 2024 draft was wisely spent. This would be that magical moment where Flip proves to all that his stats were not empty and his skills not gimmicky. In the face of necessity, Filipowski stands ready.

Instead, this quickly became the Mo Bamba game. And it was fun! He blocked shots, ran the court hard, and climbed Mount Edey in a way I’ve never before seen. Our defense was struggling, so I get it – Hardy wanted an anchor down low, and Bamba fits that archetype better than Filipowski does. However, Bamba was not the only bench big to get the call-up in the second half; Tony Bradley also reacquainted himself with Jazz fans, to the tune of one of the worst 5 minute stretches of basketball I can remember.

Ultimately, in a game where the Jazz were lacking some serious size in the frontcourt, Kyle Filipowski only played 8 minutes. Last season, he started half of the season’s games, and played nearly half of the 48 minutes of each game. And he showed us something! He was a really solid defensive rebounder, and his passing from the top-of-the-key was the perfect fit for Hardy’s offense. Of the bench youngsters at the end of last season (Collier, Flip, Cody, and Brice), Filipowski was the one that I was most confident would be a winning NBA player in our first non-tanking season (even if I preferred Brice in the long run). He needed to be able to eat minutes for our bench lineups to make sense.

Throughout the first 4 games, however, we have not been so lucky. Filipowski has flashed nothing so far. The rim protection has not taken the leap that many were (perhaps irrationally) hoping, and it seems that some added weight over the offseason has prevented Flip from playing any meaningful minutes at the power forward spot. On offense, he has been completely invisible. He is shooting 1 for 6 from the field across 3 games (DNP against the Lakers), with zero assists and zero offensive rebounds. On both ends of the court, he has been floating, and it seems that Hardy has noticed and cut his playing time accordingly.

Now, I want to give Filipowski the benefit of the doubt and offer an alternative theory. While training during the Summer, Flip suffered a herniated disk in his back which kept him out of most of the Jazz’s preseason contests. Could this disappointment be attributed to rust or justifiably poor conditioning? Has his flexibility been hampered by the remaining effects of his injury? Will Flip be playing more minutes, more effectively in a few weeks when he is completely recovered? I do not know the answer to any of these questions, but the uncertain nature of his injury leaves room for Filipowski to be an unfortunate victim of circumstance.

The insult to this injury is just how well an actualized Filipowski would fit with this team. The Jazz are currently lacking playmaking, especially in the frontcourt with Jusuf Nurkic out. If we could go back to a dribble hand off, top of the key offense, we’d take some of the pressure off of Isaiah Collier which has led to him being one of the worst watches in the league so far. Flip has been able to function this way his entire basketball career up until this season, and he chose the wrong time to lose this superpower. Additionally, one of the lineups I was most looking forward to were the JJJ+Flip combos – their strengths and weaknesses complement each other in a way that I thought would unlock the funkiness of Kyle’s game. However, if Flip has meaningfully lost aggression/flexibility/touch, then even that synergy with Jaren isn’t enough to get him consistently onto the court. In an ideal world, that doesn’t seem to me to be too unrealistic, this very well could’ve been the best year of Filipowski’s career.

So, what should we be looking for as we track Flip’s journey back up to his old production? First, he needs to understand his role in Hardy’s offense. Currently, it seems that no one really understands their role in Hardy’s offense, so this may come in time. But, even if confusion persists and Flip doesn’t become a top-of-the-key playmaking hub, he still must find ways to make his presence felt on offense. Crashing the glass, setting hard screens, quick decision making: every scheme requires these things, and even if Hardy’s isn’t quite getting implemented right now, Flip would certainly be a much more beneficial offensive player if he solidified the little things. Additionally, picking up his defensive rebounding would be a huge sign of life for the young big man. He’s snagged 2 rebounds in 3 games, and for a team lacking consistent boardmen, this is unacceptable. Flip is not only a good rebounder, but he’s a good passer too – some of our offensive struggles in the first few games could be mitigated with more semi-transition attempts, which may be borne with some solid outlet passing. These are not big changes that Flip needs to make, but they provide a base level of value, even if the shot isn’t falling.

Jaren may be out for a long time, and who knows how long Lauri will be sitting on the bench next to him. Hayes will come back soon, and Nurkic won’t be too far behind, but as long as 7 footers are healing up, there is a hole that Filipowski can fill. More than ever, this team needs Kyle to prove that the last two years weren’t flukes, or the product of tanking teams, because if he doesn’t, Tony Bradley might just end up bear-hugging opposing defenders again, for no discernible reason. The Utah Jazz need Kyle Filipowski to play well, and as Kyle nears second contract negotiation time, he may very well need that too, if his goal is to stick around the league for more than a cup of coffee.

How have you felt watching Filipowski thus far? Sound off below!

A team needs to have standards.

That was the idea running through my mind when I heard that Kevin Porter Jr. was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this week. In the last, disastrous season for Cream City, Porter averaged more than 17 points and seven assists, with more than two steals per night. While his efficiency wasn’t fantastic, his production was undeniable, and under usual circumstances, he would have been an ideal acquisition for a number of teams, including the Toronto Raptors.

But with KPJ, circumstances are far from normal.

Serious legal problems

The guard’s documented history of violence has already sent him out of the league in a previous stint. As early as 2022, there were already “ongoing concerns about volatility,” said Nate, over at our sister site, Brew Hoop. He continued to describe Porter Jr.’s legal troubles that resulted in felony charges as a result of accused domestic abuse.

The circumstances of the case are murky, as his partner at the time, Kysre Gondrezick, is alleged by police to have told the authorities that she had been struck in the face multiple times to the point of bleeding, as well as been a victim of strangulation by Porter Jr. An ABC report pointed to a Manhattan Assistant District Attorney alleging a pattern of abuse in the relationship.

However, Gondrezick had come out and denied that any such attack had taken place in an interview with the New York Post. Porter Jr. ended up accepting a plea deal where he accepted responsibility for misdemeanour assault and harassment.

The circumstances resulted in Porter Jr. being traded and waived, before eventually making his way back into the league, ending up on the Los Angeles Clippers and eventually the Milwaukee Bucks. The PG was waived by a team that had a number of other standout guards, namely, recent acquisition Tyler Herro, and Ryan Rollins.

Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins called the waiver a “very difficult decision” made to support other guards on the team, but spoke positively about Porter Jr, in a clip shared by journalist Cameron Ezeir.

However, there was been very little discussion about where exactly a player of his calibre might end up since his departure from the team, which, as aforementioned, would be unusual without being coupled to the point guard’s apparent history of disgraceful personal conduct.

Why the Toronto fit wouldn’t work

Some Toronto Raptors fans have been clamouring for a change at point guard, displeased with Immanuel Quickley in the role. However, it should be undoubtedly clear based on two waivers thus far, that regardless of what he does on the hardwood, Kevin Porter Jr. should not be on any Toronto fan’s wishlist for the roster.

The Raptors’ strength is in large part based on locker room cohesion, and an absence of tension. The Raps are not in the business of managing problem players, and someone like Kevin Porter Jr. has demonstrated himself to be exactly that, even in his earliest days on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Porter Jr. could be a massive disruptor of chemistry, and after his very public legal battle, has demonstrated himself unfit to play for any team, let alone the Toronto Raptors.

Fans and front office alike will be testing the waters this year for new additions to the Raptors as they make a playoff push, but regardless of how dire the circumstances get, Kevin Porter Jr. is not the answer to anyone’s problems.

As you watch the Phoenix Suns play basketball against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that is severely undermanned, a situation that became even worse when Alex Caruso went down with an ankle injury in the first half, your natural inclination is to ask who’s to blame. Which player isn’t playing up to expectations? Is it the Miles Bridges trade and the impact it’s had on both ends of the floor? Is it Devin Booker failing to elevate his game to the level Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was playing at on the opposing side before he got into foul trouble? Is it the bench? Is it the injuries?

Surely, somebody has to be to blame. Somebody has to be the reason this team is struggling against a Thunder squad that’s quite literally limping through the game. But why does it always have to be someone? Why do we feel the need to point a finger at an individual and declare, “Yeah, that’s the reason why!” Because it gives us the justification to follow it up with, “Yeah, that’s the guy who needs to go!”?

In the case of the Phoenix Suns, it’s a collective issue. I don’t think there’s one sole culprit responsible for the poor basketball we’ve witnessed through the first three games of the season. While continuity exists in theory, connectivity is clearly missing at this extremely early stage of the season, and we witnessed it again Monday night in Oklahoma City.

The offensive sets aren’t crisp, and their execution leaves plenty to be desired. But defensively, the Suns collectively have a real problem. They allowed players like Ajay Mitchell to attack the lane at will, converting layup after layup. And don’t get me wrong, Mitchell is a skilled player. With the injuries Oklahoma City is dealing with, he could very well be someone who takes a significant leap this season. But Phoenix’s inability to contain his drives was troublesome.

Combine that with another night of ineffective rebounding (they lost that battle 48-38), and you have a team that seemingly can’t get out of its own way. Whenever the offense sputters, the defense can’t prevent the opposition from going on runs. Teams can knife into the lane for easy points while taking chances from beyond the arc, knowing that even if those shots don’t fall, there’s a good chance they’ll get another opportunity courtesy of an offensive rebound.

That’s why you can’t point the finger at one person. The problems we’re seeing aren’t isolated. They’re interconnected. Poor communication leads to defensive breakdowns. Defensive breakdowns expose rebounding deficiencies. Those extra possessions put additional pressure on an offense that’s still trying to figure itself out. And suddenly, everybody looks worse than they actually are. Three games into the season, the Suns don’t need a scapegoat. They need accountability across the roster, better execution, and a collective understanding of what winning basketball requires. Because pointing fingers won’t fix what five guys have to solve together.

Bright Side Baller Standings

There are some nights when you know early on that Devin Booker is going to take over a basketball game. Against the Warriors, that was evident from the jump. Booker poured in 43 points, the most ever scored by a Phoenix Suns player in a home opener. Another record for a guy who seems determined to rewrite the franchise record books one page at a time.

Naturally, he dominated the Bright Side Baller voting, earning 85% of the total vote. A landslide victory, and deservedly so. Shoutout to the three people who still thought Mariah Carey was better.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 3 against the Thunder. Here are your nominees:

Jalen Green
20 points (8-of-13, 1-of-3 3PT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, -10 +/-

Dillon Brooks
19 points (4-of-14, 3-of-10 3PT), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 0 turnovers, -12 +/-

Miles Bridges
17 points (7-of-17, 2-of-10 3PT), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, -17 +/-

Jordan Goodwin
12 points (4-of-9, 4-of-8 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, -10 +/-

Khaman Maluach
12 points (5-of-10, 0-of-1 3PT), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers, -2 +/-

Luke Kennard
9 points (3-of-5, 3-of-5 3PT), 1 rebound, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, -6 +/-

Hear ye, hear ye! Cast ye votes here, ye!