Category: Sports News

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s relationship has been scrutinized for much of the past decade. The conversation has only intensified in recent weeks, after Brown left a “cap” emoji on a behind-the-scenes Tatum YouTube video about his reaction to the trade.

Both players spoke at length to the media about their relationship this past weekend, Tatum on Friday night and Brown on Saturday.

“I don’t have any animosity or beef or ill will towards him,” Tatum said after the Celtics’ home opener. “The frustrating part is since he’s not on the Celtics anymore, the narrative or conversations haven’t been enough about what we accomplished, all the games we won, winning the championship, how we’ve grown together, right?”

Tatum also made it clear he’d like to talk with his former running mate.

“I reached out to him the day he was traded. I called, I texted,” Tatum said. “I understand people process things differently. At this point in our lives, we’re too old to be having our relationship discussed on the internet. If there’s a conversation to be had, we can definitely have the conversation.”

The next night, after the 76ers win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Brown reacted.

“I didn’t see the full thing, but I saw that he said there’s no beef, and he’s right,” Brown told reporters, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. “There’s no beef. Jayson comes from a wonderful family. We’ve accomplished some great things. He’s a hell of a basketball player. He’s got a great PR team. There’s no beef, but it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times.”

At Celtics practice on Sunday, Joe Mazzulla reacted to the saga

“Those two guys, they were together for 10 years, and they had great, great moments together,” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day, nobody is perfect. We all can be better. We all did great things. We all did things that we want to be better at. So, I think it’s more just focusing on the greatness that those two were able to achieve, and the fact that they’re both great people.”

Mazzulla also noted how different Tatum and Brown are.

“They’re different in how they play the game,” he said. “They’re different in how they handle things. They’re just — they’re different. It doesn’t mean that it’s good or bad. They’re just different.”

“We’re focused on Jayson because he’s with us. He plays for us. He’s our guy. We’re grateful for what Jaylen did in the past, but our focus goes to Jayson — who he is as a player, who he is as a person, and we just move on from there. But you never forget the gratitude and the perspective of a former Celtic who has left this place in a better place. You can’t forget that.”

Joe Mazzulla on Tatum-Brown's comments this weekend: "We're focused on Jayson because he's with us, he plays for us, he's our guy. We're grateful for what Jaylen did in the past." @CLNSMedia | Q: @GwashburnGlobepic.twitter.com/4xkbrzeP4M

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) October 25, 2026

Mazzulla was asked if he’s sad that this is what Brown and Tatum’s relationship has come to.

“It doesn’t necessarily make you sad,” Mazzulla said. “I think that’s just kind of the nature of the space that we’re in. I think you just, you have a choice to decide what we’re going to focus on.

“We make this phrase for every Celtic — once a Celtic, always a Celtic. You left this place better than you found it. You cannot forget that. You have a gratitude and a perspective of that, and then refocus on the present moment.”

But through all his comments, Mazzulla made one thing clear: Jayson Tatum is the priority.

“We can’t let a day go by where we don’t focus on Jayson’s greatness, who he is as a player, and what he does for this organization and what he’s done on and off the court,” he said. “That’s our guy now. So it doesn’t necessarily make you sad. It just forces you to choose what you’re going to focus on, and you have to focus on the gratitude and the perspective of a great former Celtic. And we’re going to choose to focus on the greatness of Jayson and what he’s done for our organization, what he’s continuing to do, and what he is going to do for us.”

Despite Jayson Tatum’s efforts to cool the conversations around the Celtics star and his former teammate, Jaylen Brown poured fuel on the fire by Saturday night.

The most recent development in the back-and-forth saga in regards to having “beef” with one another, Brown — now a 76er — didn’t say there is as much.

However, he suggested there are “lamp chops and some gravy” and that Tatum “should stay ready at all times.”

“I didn’t see the full thing, but I saw that he said it’s no beef, and I think he’s right,” Brown said of Tatum’s most recent comments following the 76ers’ 127-116 victory over the Bucks on Saturday. “There’s no beef. Jayson comes from a wonderful family. We’ve accomplished some great things. He’s hell of a basketball player. He’s got a great PR team. There’s no beef, but it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times.”

When a follow up question came, asking why he said that Brown stated “That’s what it is.”

“No beef. It should never, ever be that. It’s just basketball. We both blessed. But it might be a little lamb chop. We’ll be alright,” he concluded.

The he-said, he-said all stems from a comment Brown made on Tatum’s post of the new episode of his “The Sit Down” series on Thursday.

The episode highlighted how Tatum learned of Boston trading Brown to Philadelphia during the offseason in July. He explained he was “caught off guard as the rest of the world.” That didn’t seem to sit right with Brown, who commented the blue cap emoji on the post.

The following day, Tatum responded to Brown’s comment during his postgame press conference after the Celtics’ win over the Knicks, stating the situation “ain’t no f–king Shaq and Kobe.”

“I understand we’re in the entertainment business. Me personally, I’m not much of an off-the-court entertainer type of guy,” the 28-year-old said. “For me, I don’t have any animosity or beef or ill will towards him. I think the frustrating part is, since he’s not with the Celtics anymore, the narrative or the conversations haven’t been enough about what we accomplished. All the games we won, winning a championship, how we’ve grown together. And it’s turned into this drama type of thing.

“I’ve seen all these things about ‘get your popcorn ready when they play.’ This ain’t no f–king boxing match. I play basketball. Again, there’s no animosity. There’s no beef. I just hate the way the conversation and the narrative around it when there’s not enough communication. And I think a conversation would solve or put out a lot of fires.”

After Saturday’s game, Brown was asked if his cap emoji comment was meant to suggest Tatum was lying about the true sequence of events in Boston. Yet, he dodged the question.

“Hey, look, like I said, there’s no beef. The PR and all that type of stuff, it is what it is. But I think we’re just both focused on what’s in front of us,” the 30-year-old said.

In 2016, the Celtics drafted Brown third overall in the NBA Draft. The following year, Tatum was taken third overall out of Duke.

Since then, the two have been defining figures for the franchise.

Since the 2016-2017 season, the Celtics made four Eastern Conference Finals appearance and two NBA Finals berths. The two led Boston to take home the title in 2024 and Brown won the Finals MVP.

Despite their successful history, it’s unknown if the two will reconcile their differences. When asked if he’s open to having a conversation with Tatum, it didn’t seem high on Brown’s to-do list.

“We both got so much stuff in front of us. So, you know, at the end of the day, he gotta do what he gotta do for his team. I gotta do what I gotta do for my team,” he said.

The 76ers will host the Celtics for their first meeting of the season on Nov. 10 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Through three games, Joel Embiid has been healthy and available.

That wouldn’t be notable for most players, but Embiid didn’t play all three of the first three games of the 2024-25 or 2025-2026 seasons.

While he’s not likely to play Sunday in the Sixers’ second leg of their home back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons, it won’t be for lack of trying.

“I have no idea,” Embiid said when asked about the plan to play him Saturday. “I actually want to play tomorrow, so can you guys put pressure on them?”

Embiid relented a little, understanding there are still 79 games to go and greater goals ahead.

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask them, but obviously you get three days off,” he said. “Could have been two, but you get three days off. It doesn’t really matter. It’s all about the beginning of the season. It’s going well, so I guess more time you can get to recover, the better, and then get used to it.”

Still, Embiid couldn’t help himself.

“But yeah, I want to play tomorrow, so start writing articles. Put pressure on them so they let me play,” he said playfully.

It makes sense Embiid would want to keep things rolling. He put up a triple-double in the team’s 127-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday, moving the Sixers to 3-0 on the young season.

Embiid’s performances have been a mixed bag — unsurprising, as Embiid is a notorious slow starter and still needs to adjust to his new superstar teammates, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. On the one hand, he’s looked better physically than he has in two years and is contributing to winning. On the other hand, he’s still not moving like his former MVP self and is still feeling out his place in a new offensive ecosystem.

After a poor shooting performance on opening night, Embiid has been much more efficient in his last two games. He was 8-for-20 against the Bucks, but did have an outstanding stretch in the fourth quarter, being the team’s offensive hub. He seemed to make the right plays consistently throughout the night. His 10th assist came at a great time as Brown nailed a three late in the game to extend a shrinking lead back to six.

With James sitting the first leg of the back-to-back, Embiid became the team’s primary facilitator. The abundance of talent allows Embiid to play his preferred brand of basketball.

“I get more fulfilled when I play team basketball and the ball is moving and I’m making plays for everybody,” he said. “Like it just feels so much better as a basketball player. A night like tonight … that’s the way I like to play. The ball moves, everybody’s touching it, side to side, and then that’s good offense.”

So much for all that there’s only one ball! talk.

Embiid isn’t moving like he was in 2023, but you have to be encouraged by what you’ve seen so far if you’re the Sixers. This is a guy who thought he might have to retire not all that long ago. To get to this point three games into the season is a positive start.

Even Embiid knows he still has work to do, but he believes he can do it — no small thing for a player who’s lacked confidence in his body the last several years.

“I’m happy that I’m playing basketball, but I’m not really happy about the way I’ve been playing,” Embiid said. “I just haven’t been efficient. Not even close to what I should be. So, yeah, that’s the part that I got to work on.

“But everything else, kind of getting the feeling back, whether it’s on defense, rebounding, making plays for guys — slowly getting there. But as myself, as the great scorer that I’ve always been, I gotta figure it out because I think once I really get back to myself — whether it’s in the post, midrange, from three — that’s going to be a game-changer for us.”

Embiid and Walker out for Sixers vs. Pistons to finish back-to-back  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers on Sunday afternoon ruled Joel Embiid and Jabari Walker out for the last leg of their back-to-back. 

Embiid’s official injury report listing was “right plantar fasciitis injury management” and Walker’s was “left knee soreness.” The 3-0 Sixers will host the 2-0 Pistons on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Embiid and Walker join Dominick Barlow (lower back stress reaction), Ariel Hukporti (right Achilles tendon tear) and Tacko Fall (left quadriceps strain) on the sidelines. LeBron James is set to return after sitting Saturday night. 

Following a 28-point triple-double Saturday in the Sixers’ win over the Bucks, Embiid made a good-natured public pitch to play. In his postgame media availability from the Sixers’ locker room, Embiid asked reporters with a smile to make it known that he felt good and wanted to go Sunday. The Sixers stuck with their original plan of Embiid splitting the back-to-back. 

Adem Bona will presumably be the next center in line behind Embiid. Detroit is also down its usual starting big man with Jalen Duren out because of a right hamstring strain. Former Sixer Paul Reed should play a large role for Detroit without Duren. 

Walker “tweaked his left knee” against the Bucks, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said postgame. He played 12 solid minutes, posting six points and three rebounds, before exiting late in the third quarter. 

Embiid, Edgecombe and Walker out for Sixers vs. Pistons to finish back-to-back  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers on Sunday afternoon ruled Joel Embiid and Jabari Walker out for the last leg of their back-to-back. 

Embiid’s official injury report listing was “right plantar fasciitis injury management” and Walker’s was “left knee soreness.” The 3-0 Sixers will host the 2-0 Pistons on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

VJ Edgecombe was a late addition to the Sixers’ list of injuries.

The Sixers ruled Edgeceombe out with an abdominal contusion approximately 45 minutes before tip-off. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that Edgecombe picked up the injury Saturday night during the team’s win over the Bucks when he took a knee to the abdomen and was “very sore.”

Embiid, Edgecombe and Walker joined Dominick Barlow (lower back stress reaction), Ariel Hukporti (right Achilles tendon tear) and Tacko Fall (left quadriceps strain) on the sidelines. LeBron James was set to return after sitting Saturday. 

Following a 28-point triple-double in the victory over Milwaukee, Embiid made a good-natured public pitch to play. In his postgame media availability from the Sixers’ locker room, Embiid asked reporters with a smile to make it known that he felt good and wanted to go Sunday. The Sixers stuck with their original plan of Embiid splitting the back-to-back. 

Walker “tweaked his left knee” against the Bucks, Nurse said. He played 12 solid minutes, posting six points and three rebounds, before exiting late in the third quarter. 

Nurse named Dean Wade, LeBron James and Adem Bona as the Sixers he expected to play center minutes in Embiid’s absence. Detroit was also down its usual starting big man with Jalen Duren out because of a right hamstring strain. Former Sixer Paul Reed has stepped into a large role for Detroit without Duren. 

The Sixers’ starters vs. Detroit were Tyrese Maxey, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jaylen Brown, James and Wade.

With 5:53 left in the second quarter, Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford grabbed an offensive rebound, dunked it home, and screamed at his home crowd. The energy play gave the Mavs a 49-43 lead, despite missing several key starters like Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving. That play prompted a timeout from San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson.

At that point, all of the doom and gloom about the Spurs’ first two games seemed warranted. The team looked sluggish and disengaged in a genuinely worrisome way. What happened to the fire and spunk this team played with last season? Johnson may have asked them the same question in the huddle during that second-quarter timeout. A different team emerged from the bench after the pep talk.

San Antonio responded with a 25-11 run after the timeout, leading to their first win of the season, 122-106.

So what changed after that point? It started with defensive pressure at the point of attack. Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and De’Aaron Fox all had multiple steals as the team forced 21 turnovers, leading to 26 points off them. The energy and intensity on defense changed after the timeout. The Mavericks’ backcourt mistakes led to easy runouts for the Spurs, igniting a scoring explosion that inevitably won the game. Just a tweak in intensity and aggression made a major difference on the scoreboard.

To start the season, San Antonio’s players and coaches have talked a lot about effort and focus. Fox cited a bad preseason, and Mitch Johnson talked about playing up to a standard and not being a team that just flips the effort switch on and off. It’s concerning that a team coming off an NBA Finals in which they blew multiple winnable games is still showing inconsistent effort. But maybe a dominant win against a team they are supposed to beat will wake them up from this early-season stupor.

San Antonio is entering an easier part of their early-season schedule with games against teams that failed to make the playoffs last year. Some dominant wins would be the type of continued response this team needs, and could signal this game as a turning point for this year’s squad.

Takeaways:

• San Antonio is still struggling to figure out its new rotation. The four-guard starting lineup has forced Johnson to change how he staggers his guards. The results thus far have been mixed. The starting lineup has a +1.8 net rating in 28 minutes, with the defense looking great and the offense shaky. Johnson has then taken Fox out first and brought him back in to run the second unit with Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, Carter Bryant/Harrison Barnes, and Luke Kornet. Small sample size here, but that lineup has a net rating of -77.8 in 9 minutes. The group simply needs more playmaking to succeed. It ultimately turns into Fox dominating the ball with limited movement, and no offensive flow. The bench lineup was on the floor for most of Dallas’ scoring runs on Saturday.
• Part of what has made those second-unit lineups look so bad, and what killed San Antonio in the playoffs last year, has been the play of Kornet. Plus-minus is not usually a great stat, but it can be helpful when it matches the eye test. Kornet was -18 in 14 minutes, going 0-2 from the field, grabbing 4 rebounds and recording 2 turnovers. He has not finished in the paint, nor protected the rim well to start this season. His offensive limitations are exacerbated by the Spurs’ lack of second-unit creation, and if he’s not crushing the glass or holding down the paint, it’s hard to find a lot of positives in having him out there.
• With Kornet struggling, the Spurs went to the rookie, Tarris Reed, to start the third quarter. The rookie helped the team go on an 11-4 run in his 4-minute stint. Reed scored his first NBA bucket on a lob from Vassell, and snatched an offensive rebound that eventually led to a Champagnie three-pointer. He had 2 points, 3 rebounds, and a turnover in 7 total minutes. That performance, and Kornet’s struggles, should earn the rookie some more minutes moving forward. We’ll see if the coaching staff gradually increases his opportunities as they did for Bryant last season.
• Victor Wembanyama had a much better game by keeping things simple against Dallas. He led the team in scoring with 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting, making 2 of his 6 three-pointers. He mainly served as a lob threat in the pick-and-roll, particularly thriving when running the action with Fox. He still took some frustrating three-pointers, but the ones he made genuinely came within the flow of the offense. He was also one of the players who benefitted from Johnson’s second-quarter pep talk. Wembanyama looked a step slow and lethargic in the first half, but responded with improved defense in the second. It was a step in the right direction, but we still haven’t seen Wembanyama put it all together this season.
• Fox was the Spurs MVP on Saturday night. He had 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting, adding 9 assists and 3 steals. He was fantastic in the pick-and-roll, developing chemistry with Wembanyama. He’s taking and making shots within the flow of the offense. He may be thriving more than any of Spur in these new guard-heavy lineups.
• Castle’s shooting may be real. The third-year guard is now shooting 37.9% from three on 9.7 attempts to start the season. He went 3-for-8 from deep on Saturday. Teams are leading him open for the most part, and he still struggles to shoot threes off the dribble, but when his feet are set, his shot looks good. If he becomes a 36%+ shooter this season, he’ll make it easier for the Spurs to play him alongside Harper and Fox.
• Keldon Johnson was back to playing the high-energy role that made him so successful last season. He had 7 points and 6 rebounds, 4 of them offensive, in his 26 minutes. Johnson continues to be at his best when he is driving hard to the cup in transition and crashing the boards.

Having completed a remarkable comeback to knock off the Pelicans on Saturday night, Nikola Jokić shifted his attention toward his unexpected next opponent: Nuggets fans who had booed the team.

The superstar center heard the jeers of an unhappy, home crowd at Ball Arena, who witnessed the Nuggets getting stomped through the first half. After leading a rally that ended in a 141-135, overtime victory, Jokić used his postgame news conference to state that those disbelieving and venting fans are not welcome in the Denver arena.

“We get booed in the first home game,” Jokić told reporters after the Nuggets’ first victory of the season. “I think those fans who booed us, they don’t need to come anymore. Because if you guys follow us, you know that we never quit. And we came back from much worse or similar situations.

“If they ask me, they are not welcome anymore.”

The Pelicans are blowing out the Nuggets in Denver

Loud boos coming from the crowd pic.twitter.com/hRGo7MKAX0

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) October 25, 2026

The Nuggets had trailed, 45-26, in the second quarter when the boos began to rain down, according to the Denver Post. Coming off a season-opening defeat in Oklahoma City, the Nuggets dug a hole as great as 23 and were losing by 16 points at halftime against a New Orleans team that is not expected to be good.

Nuggets head coach David Adelman told reporters his team’s first-half effort was “dismal.”

“I didn’t expect our team to come out the way they did,” Adelman told reporters. “It was a horrendous first half for us. But I liked the fight back.”

Perhaps motivated and clearly angered by the boos, Jokić scored eight of his 35 points in overtime and added 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his 222nd triple-double of his regular-season and playoff career, passing Russell Westbrook for the most combined in NBA history. It was the 199th of Jokić’s regular season, second to Westbrook’s 209.

As Jokić made history and led the comeback, Nuggets fans cheered. Afterward, though, Jokić remembered the boos during an odd start to his 12th season with the team.