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Each week, the California Post will power rank the NBA’s 30 teams. Records are as of Saturday morning:

1. San Antonio Spurs (11-2)

The reigning Western Conference champions remain the hottest team in the league after blowing out the Steph Curry-less Warriors on Friday night. The Spurs have won 11 games in a row. They’re top three offensively and defensively across the league, all while Victor Wembanyama is playing at an MVP-caliber level. (Last week, 3rd)  

2. Los Angeles Lakers (11-2)

Luka Dončić may have cooled off from his two-week-long 40-point barrage, but the Slovenian superstar continues to lead the Lakers in exceeding early-season expectations. The Lakers have looked like a potential championship team after seven consecutive wins. And the team received encouraging news regarding Austin Reaves’ heel injury, which the Lakers have classified as a bruise. (Last week, 2nd)

3. Boston Celtics (10-2)

The Celtics made a statement with their midweek blowout victory over the 76ers. They’re elite on both ends of the floor, and Paul George has been an impeccable fit next to Jayson Tatum. (Last week, 8th)

4. Philadelphia 76ers (10-3)

The 76ers’ cracks started to show in their last four games (2-2), suggesting they may not be as good as their 8-1 start. Their offense should click at a higher level once Joel Embiid and LeBron James find their rhythm. (Last week, 1st)

5. Houston Rockets (10-3)

The Rockets have been one of the league’s steadier teams so far, picking up three straight wins over the Nuggets, Warriors and Jazz to remain toward the top of the West. Alperen Şengün is playing at an All-NBA-caliber level. (Last week, 7th)

6. Minnesota Timberwolves (9-3) 

The Timberwolves continue to thrive without Anthony Edwards, winning five straight games including a 39-point blowout victory over the Mavericks on Thursday. LaMelo Ball and Ayo Dosunmu leading the offense while Rudy Gobert anchors the defense has been a reliable formula. (Last week, 5th)

7. Portland Trail Blazers (9-3)

Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija continue to be one of the league’s most dynamic duos, leading the Trail Blazers to back-to-back wins over the Thunder this past week. (Last week, 9th)

8. Detroit Pistons (8-3)

After starting the week with a home loss to the Dončić-less Lakers in which he was held in check offensively, Cade Cunningham provided a reminder of why he’s received All-NBA and All-Star honors the last two seasons, dropping a 52-point, 11-assist double-double in Thursday’s double-overtime win over the Wizards. (Last week, 6th) 

9. Oklahoma City Thunder (8-5)

Two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has found his rhythm as a scorer (30.5 points per game, second in the league), but the dip in playmaking (4.5 assists — his lowest mark since 2019-20) stands out amid the Thunder’s three-game losing streak in light of Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace being sidelined. (Last week, 4th)

10. Denver Nuggets (6-4)

Nikola Jokić is starting to look closer to his typical self while he and Jamal Murray (career-high 26.2 points) continue to carry a significant offensive load. (Last week, 15th)

11. Memphis Grizzlies (8-4)

The Grizzlies were the early-season darlings after starting 6-0. And there’s still plenty to be excited about with Ty Jerome (25.4 points, 5.3 assists) having a career year and Cameron Boozer (15.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists) creating early Rookie of the Year buzz. But the Grizzlies were coming back down to Earth, losing four of five games before a much-needed win over the Pelicans on Friday. (Last week, 10th)

12. Golden State Warriors (8-5)

The Warriors were one of the hottest teams in the league, winning eight straight games, before Steph Curry went down with a torn oblique and suffered back-to-back losses to the Rockets and Spurs. The time without their franchise icon will be a test for the rest of the roster. (Last week, 11th)

13. New York Knicks (6-6)

The defending champions were looking like they were turning a corner on their season, having won four straight games, before back-to-back losses to the Cavaliers and Pacers. They should be fine in the long run, but they need better play from Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. (Last week, 14th)

14. Atlanta Hawks (7-6)

The Hawks continue to be solid but haven’t shown the ability to compete with the league’s best teams. They’re 0-4 against teams .500 and above and 7-2 against teams below .500. (Last week, 13th)

15. Dallas Mavericks (7-5)

Cooper Flagg continues to shine in his second NBA season, dropping 43 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in Monday’s win over the Pacers. And Kyrie Irving (21.6 points per game) looks like his pre-ACL injury self. (Last week, 17th)

16. Miami Heat (6-6)

The Heat are finding their groove after starting the season 0-4. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are finding ways to better coexist, combining for 74 points in Friday’s win over the Cavaliers. (Last week, 19th) 

17. Cleveland Cavaliers (6-7)

Meleek Thomas (13 points on 49% shooting, 47.3% on 3-pointers) has been a revelation for the Cavaliers, who acquired the guard out of Arkansas with the No. 34 pick in June’s draft. The Cavaliers, who’ve lost five of their last seven games, have needed every bit of Thomas’ contributions in light of James Harden and Peyton Watson having slow starts to the season. (Last week, 12th)

18. Phoenix Suns (5-6)

The Suns have benefited from an easier schedule, picking up wins over the Hornets and Clippers this past week. The home victory over the Rockets and former star forward Kevin Durant last weekend stood out as a potential turning point of the season. (Last week, 23rd)

19. Toronto Raptors (5-7)

The Raptors, who’ve lost three straight games, continue to miss Kawhi Leonard, who remains sidelined as he works his way back from left knee swelling. (Last week, 16th) 

20. Orlando Magic (5-7)

Franz Wagner has reached another level during the Magic’s three-game winning streak, averaging 34 points, 7.8 assists and 7.5 rebounds over the last week. With Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs still sidelined, the Magic are going as far as Wagner can take them. (Last week, 24th)

21. Indiana Pacers (5-8)

Just when life without Tyrese Haliburton looked like it was going to be filled with doom and gloom, the Pacers picked up back-to-back wins over the Wizards and Knicks to close out the week. Pascal Siakam (22.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists) continues to be a steady presence. (Last week, 21st)

22. Washington Wizards (4-9)

The Wizards have lost six straight as the level of competition picks up with their schedule. The roster, led by Anthony Davis (25.6 points, 10.5 rebounds), has the requisite talent to be better than they have been lately. (Last week, 18th)  

23. New Orleans Pelicans (4-9)

The vibes in New Orleans have taken a turn after five straight losses and a trade request from Dejounte Murray. Losing three straight games by a combined 116 points has been a lowlight for any team across the league. (Last week, 20th)

24. Charlotte Hornets (4-8)

The Hornets ended their six-game losing streak by beating the Cavaliers on Monday. But Kon Knueppel being sidelined for at least the next few weeks has tempered any potential excitement for what this season could’ve been for the Hornets. (Last week, 22nd)  

25. Los Angeles Clippers (3-8)

The Clippers won two of their three games this past week, including the victory over the Thunder, ending a dreadful stretch of basketball. (Last week, 25th)

26. Brooklyn Nets (3-8)

The Nets made 20 3-pointers in their recent win over the Pelicans, the second time they’ve reached that mark this season. So much of their offensive success is tied to whether they’re making perimeter shots. (Last week, 26th)

27. Utah Jazz (1-12)

The Jazz have the league’s longest active losing streak at 11 consecutive losses. But at least rookie Darryn Peterson is starting to find his groove, averaging 24.4 points over his last five games. (Last week, 27th)

28. Chicago Bulls (2-9)

The overtime win over the Hawks was a pleasant surprise. But Caleb Wilson suffering a fractured hand took away a lot of the minimal excitement surrounding the Bulls for the next few weeks. (Last week, 28th)

29. Sacramento Kings (1-11)

The Kings followed up their first win of the season over the Mavericks with five straight losses. Yuck. (Last week, 29th)

30. Milwaukee Bucks (1-12)

The Bucks continue to understand what life looks like after trading away a franchise icon near the prime of his career a year or two too late. (Last week, 30th)

I was about 12 years old when I realized that there were people in the Dark Ages who had lived amongst the ruins of the Roman Empire.

Once a week in my art class (usually on a Friday) we were given free reign to pursue whatever we wanted, so long as it pertained to either the creation or study of art.

Being a poor visual artist, I tended to opt for study, and would plop myself into a beanbag chair in the corner of the room with a stack of art books.

In the time before the proliferation of google image searches this felt like a revelation, and I spent countless hours pouring through volumes of paintings that I’d otherwise only have seen in a museum.

I can still recall the goosebumpy thrill of stumbling into the deeply shadowed chiaroscuro of El Greco, or the eerie moonlit majesty of John Atkinson Grimshaw.

But it was a piece by the French Romantic painter Hubert Robert, found in a compendium of work contained in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, that so confounded me that I begged my teacher to make me a photocopy of it.

I kept my humble paper copy of ‘Ruins of a Roman Bath with Washerwomen’ in a manila folder on my childhood bookshelf for many years.

From time to time I would take it out and just stare at it. I couldn’t understand why it had captured me so, but I knew it had something to do with the nature of the situation.

If you’ve seen it, you know that it depicts a towering Roman edifice surrounding a once-ornate bathhouse. It’s clear that the architecture is no longer being maintained. The age is visible. There are stones missing.

And yet, it’s still so majestic. The ruin itself testifies to the grandeur that came before.

The structure is still enormous and strong, and I suspect that one of the first thoughts that anyone has looking at it, is to wonder what it must have looked like at the peak of the empire.

If it were just a painting of those ruins, it would be arresting enough as is.

But it’s the people the really threw me.

Gathered around the edges of the previously opulent pool, are hunched over figures, doing their laundry in the remains of the bathhouse.

I had developed quite a real fondness for the subject of history by the age of twelve, but this was something that had never occurred to me.

People had continued living in Roman ruins.

I suppose some part of my brain had to have registered this, knowing that the Colosseum was still standing, but to me, ruins weren’t a place where people lived.

Sure, if they were important enough, maybe someone would build a museum, and people would come to visit them, but the thought of anyone actually living there was astonishing.

But people had in fact done that. It’s all over the historical record. They did their best to maintain the plumbing and the roads, and the structures, and just stayed where they were.

Crusaders patched and fortified them. Some people carried on as if the Western Empire still existed, awiating a return to glory that never came.

Last night I felt that familiar feeling washing over me any time I saw Warriors fans in the crowd, as the Spurs punctured any illusions of a lingering Golden State greatness.

It’s one thing to witness the fall of an empire. It’s another thing altogether to keep living there.

For a moment (and in spite of Draymond Green’s flagrant antics), I felt a wave of pity wash over me. It quickly turned to empathy with the realization that I too had been there.

Thirty points down at the half, with an all-too-clear vision of the future in front of them, these people were still holding on to a return to glory. Maybe not in this game, but to the season as a whole.

Steph Curry turns 39 in March. Draymond Green hasn’t been an offensive plus in years. Jimmy Butler is still to return from an ACL injury at an age where recovery is negligible.

Promising rookie Yaxel Lendeborg was learning hard lessons about facing the defense of true contenders (he went 1-13), and probably won’t be up to speed in the way that aging squad needs as they approach their 40’s.

There’s no young Kawhi Leonard to tie everything together. The sun is setting. Has, realistically, already set.

There are still people doing their laundry in the ruins.

And who am I to blame them? If not for the arrival of a certain French sensation, I’d probably be right there with them.

But it does speak to the difference in approaches from the two franchises.

Pursuing longevity, the Popovich/Duncan-era Spurs almost never cashed in all their chips for an all-or-nothing swing at a title. They kept building as they went. And when the end of their run was well and truly visible, they looked at what they had left and tried to repurpose it in a productive way.

It’s not terribly dissimilar from what some of those old Roman communities did.

Recognizing the end for what it was, the citizens of cities like Avneches, Aosta, and Split began to build their own structures within the confines of the old city walls, utilizing some of the remaining architecture as ready-made stone quarries for their rebuilding efforts, while retaining the meticulously laid-out street grids of their predecessors.

There seems to be this idea circulating around the NBA that a rebuild must tear everything down to the absolute studs. That nothing should remain of the previous era. No notion. No mentality. No prolonged eye on the future.

But that’s not how the Celtics or Lakers did it. And it’s not how the Spurs have done it, either.

Sometimes it’s okay to acknowledge the wisdom of a previous era, while knowing that it’s time to turn the page. Not everything needs to be abandoned. There are some points of expertise that endure throughout the ages.

But you can’t just live in the ruins, either, hoping for a lottery ticket to cure all ills, or a glorious return to form.

These Spurs aren’t the Spurs of old, and that’s important to acknowledge.

They’re building something of their own now, but they’re doing so within the thoughtfully constructed confines of a previous glory, and the result is something that feels both new and familiar.

Something as fresh as it is reminiscent. Something as aspirational as it is nostalgic.

You can’t just do your laundry in the halls of a fallen kingdom. That’s how you end up losing your shirt.

Takeaways

• I have to say, Harrison Barnes has looked surprisingly spry so far this season. I assumed he would function as emergency depth when he was re-signed, but he look more like the early-season version of himself from last season, before a slump that allowed Julian Champagnie to work his way into the starting lineup. While he’s certainly not a starter anymore, he’s savvy and sharp-shooting enough to serve as the hot hand on nights where Carter Bryant is missing shots and assignment. That probably raises some questions about Bryant at the same time, but it really underscores just how much functional depth the Spurs have right now.
• It’s also been great seeing Luke Kornet find more of rhythm with the bench unit, after a somewhat concerning opening slate. There’s no way the Spurs win in such a landslide without him stifling their 2nd unit, and that was his 3rd out of the last 4 games with a positive plus/minus, putting him back into the positive in Defensive Wins Shares and Defensive Box Plus/Minus for the season. I still have concerns about the postseason, but it’s nice to see the trend reverse as the Spurs have badly needed it to.
• And while I’m not sure that Stephon Castle’s outstanding performance is indicative of how the rest of the season is going to go for him, it was an absolute blast of adrenaline to see him shoot the lights out against the Warriors specifically, especially after seeming hesitant over the past stretch of games, with the additional pain of his shot not falling. Still, you can really see why the Spurs are committed to turning him into an off-ball threat, because when that shot is falling, you become almost impossible to handle. Kudos to Mitch for having the good sense to ride the hot hand on a night when Wemby was getting a lot of defensive attention, but it also felt like this would have been a blowout even if Wemby had ridden the pine after the 1st quarter. If this was Castle finding his shot and his confidence, they really might keep trucking on at a 68-win pace. That quite literally changes everything, and bring into question whether or not rotations should even be altered all that much once Tobias Harris makes his debut, barring situational need.
• Also, I’d just like to note that Keldon Johnson has really become such a patient jack-of-all for the team. It really doesn’t matter who you put him with, he’s going to find the point of need and do his best to fill it. There have been night where his scoring isn’t needed/prioritized, and he just spent his time crashing the boards and giving it his all on defense, and nights where he comes alive on the offensive end when a particularly juicy matchup presents itself, or the team just needs more points. I’m not sure how the Spurs are going to re-sign him with their eyes on the cap and a whole host of contract balancing issues to come, but I’d love to see them do it. He’s not a perfect player by any means, but he’s really become a perfect Spur.

Playing You Out – The Theme Song of the Evening:

Lighting Crashes by Live

It looks like we are back to the normal back-to-back staggering. The Sixers released their injury report for their upcoming contest against the Indiana Pacers, and have ruled out Joel Embiid with plantar fasciitis management in his right foot. LeBron James, who missed the most recent game against the Toronto Raptors, is not listed and will be good to go.

Nick Nurse said that the only reason James missed that win against the Raptors was the team’s long term load management, so nothing to be concerned about there. The Sixers will get a little bit more rest than your typical home-road back-to-back. They play the Pacers at 1 p.m. on Sunday before heading up to Brooklyn to take on the Nets Monday. Perhaps there’s a chance LeBron plays in both, but Embiid being ruled out for one of them suggests not.

With Embiid out, LeBron may log a lot of minutes at center again. Adem Bona also remains out with the cervical spine sprain he suffered back in Detroit, as well as Dominick Barlow, who the team says they do not have a timeline for his return.

For Indiana, they’ll obviously be without Tyrese Haliburton who’s missed a significant amount of time with a hamstring strain. Ben Sheppard and Johnny Furphy are also on the shelf with knee injuries. T.J. McConnell is listed as probable with a hamstring strain and Aaron Nesmith is questionable with a hand sprain. Both played their cup win over the New York Knicks last Friday.

Steph Curry is expected to miss significant time with an oblique injury.

Friday’s blowout loss against the Spurs was the Warriors’ first matchup without their superstar. The following day, the NBA announced that Wednesday’s game between the Mavericks and Warriors will no longer be televised by ESPN.

Instead, the network will broadcast Celtics-Nuggets at 6:30 p.m. PT. The Warriors’ game was changed to 5 p.m. PT.

Without Curry in the mix, it’s clear the Warriors lack a certain amount of star power on the screen.

Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has had a phenomenal start to the season, but his performance against San Antonio showed there is still room for improvement as the rookie attempts to navigate a leadership role with Golden State.

The Warriors will reevaluate Curry in two weeks, but until then, Lendeborg will be a pivotal part in trying to keep the team afloat while its superstar is sidelined.

Last season, the Warriors went 13-26 in games Curry didn’t play. The hope is that Golden State can retain its winning record while the 38-year-old recovers.

Yaxel Lendeborg understands the pressure he faces without Steph Curry.

The Warriors rookie questioned whether he could live up to the expectations, and reality set in Friday night against the Spurs. Lendeborg went 1-for-13 shooting in the 123-85 blowout loss.

“We just lost by like 100. So you know I’m fu–ed up mentally right now,” Lendeborg said postgame.

It was far from the 24-year-old’s best performance, but that shouldn’t outweigh his undeniably strong start to the season. Lendeborg averaged 21.7 points and 7.4 rebounds through his first 12 games.

He is considered an early favorite to win Rookie of the Year, but the Warriors forward has his sights set on earning an All-Star selection in his inaugural NBA season.

However, against Victor Wembanyama, Lendeborg and the Warriors couldn’t find the basket. Golden State went 10-of-42 shooting when the Spurs superstar was on the floor.

In light of Curry’s extended absence with an oblique injury, the Warriors have turned to Lendeborg to transform into a leader. The San Antonio loss was an early growing pain of the process, but it was a tough first game without Curry.

The Spurs are one of the premier teams in the West, giving Lendeborg and the Warriors a difficult transition into life without Curry for the next few weeks.

Golden State should fare better against the Pelicans on Monday.

When you look at the Phoenix Suns and see a 5-6 record staring back at you, there are plenty of explanations for why they’ve stumbled out of the gate. One of the most obvious is the schedule. According to ESPN’s strength-of-schedule metrics, Phoenix has faced the third-toughest slate in the NBA through the first 11 games of the season. We can also point to the ongoing challenges surrounding Jalen Green and his inability to consistently find his place on this roster. We can discuss how Miles Bridges has yet to hit his stride as he continues adjusting to a new team, a new system, and new responsibilities.

But there’s one glaring deficiency that threatens to haunt the Suns throughout the entire season unless they fundamentally change their approach or somehow miraculously become a larger basketball team overnight. Their inability to impact the game at the rim. And the numbers are downright horrific.

Last season, Phoenix finished 29th in the NBA in field goal attempts within five feet of the basket, averaging 23.7 per game. This season? They’re averaging 23.5, the fifth fewest in the league. Think about that for a moment. The Suns have a healthy Jalen Green, a player whose athleticism and explosiveness theoretically provide the ability to get downhill and attack the basket. They also brought in Miles Bridges, another player expected to provide a more physical presence and generate opportunities around the rim. And through 11 games, neither addition has meaningfully moved the needle. Phoenix is attacking the basket at essentially the same rate as last season, despite investing significant resources in players who were supposed to address that very deficiency.

But the offensive struggles around the cylinder are only half the problem. The other half? Rebounding. And somehow, the numbers are even uglier.

The Suns rank dead last in the NBA in rebounds per game, averaging a miserable 38.9. That’s a full 10 rebounds fewer than the Minnesota Timberwolves, who lead the league at 48.9 per game. Phoenix also ranks 30th in rebounding percentage at 45.2%, meaning opponents are consistently winning the battle for available rebounds.

When you begin examining how that translates into actual points, the situation becomes even more alarming. The Suns surrender 18.1 second-chance points per game, the second most in the league. Meanwhile, they’re generating only 12.8 second-chance points themselves, the second fewest. So not only are opponents getting additional opportunities to score, but Phoenix is failing to create those same opportunities on the other end. That’s a pretty brutal combination.

If you need a recent example of how dire the situation has become, look no further than Thursday night’s victory over Charlotte. Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach, two of the players Phoenix relies upon to provide some semblance of interior presence, combined for five rebounds. In a game where the Suns were outrebounded by 21.

Shall I go on?

No matter how you slice it, this is a five-alarm fire for a team attempting to establish itself as a legitimate competitor in the Western Conference. Much like speed, size can’t be taught. You can preach positioning, emphasize boxing out, and demand greater effort on the glass, but there’s only so much coaching can accomplish when your roster consistently finds itself at a physical disadvantage.

The most deflating aspect of this deficiency is how it impacts both ends of the floor. Defensively, the Suns can execute an entire possession correctly, rotate effectively, contest shots, and force opponents into difficult attempts. But if they can’t secure the rebound, all that work becomes meaningless. The possession continues, the defense has to scramble again, and another opportunity is handed to the opposition. You cannot consistently give NBA teams extra possessions and expect to win basketball games. It places an enormous burden on your defense, especially when you’re already asking players to compensate for a lack of size and interior physicality.

And offensively, the inability to consistently attack and finish around the basket creates an entirely different set of problems. When opposing defenses don’t have to respect your ability to penetrate and score at the rim, they can become more aggressive on the perimeter. They can close out harder, pressure ball handlers, and force you into difficult jump shots because they aren’t particularly concerned about what happens if you get past the initial defender. Perhaps that also helps explain why Phoenix is averaging the second-fewest free throw attempts per game in the NBA. They’re not getting to the rack.

It’s an unsustainable combination of deficiencies, particularly for a team that doesn’t possess the overwhelming offensive firepower to compensate for them. The Suns can survive a difficult schedule. They can work through the growing pains associated with integrating new players. They can experiment with rotations, redefine responsibilities, and hope that chemistry improves as the season progresses. But how exactly do you overcome being one of the worst teams in basketball at attacking the rim, rebounding the basketball, and preventing opponents from generating second-chance opportunities?

That’s a much more difficult question to answer. And right now, I’m not sure the Phoenix Suns have one.

I’m trying to find a little optimism in all of this. The Suns are 5-6, they’ve played one of the toughest schedules in the league, and they have plenty of areas that need improvement. But we’re still early enough in the season for adjustments to matter. Jalen Green can find his footing. Miles Bridges can become more comfortable in his role. The coaching staff can experiment with lineups and find better ways to generate opportunities around the basket.

None of that is guaranteed to solve the rebounding problem, and the lack of size remains a legitimate concern. But this team doesn’t need to become a dominant interior force overnight. It needs to become more competitive in the areas that are currently costing it possessions and points. If Phoenix can make even modest progress there, there’s still plenty of season left to build something worthwhile. The problems are real, but so is the opportunity to get better.

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We all know JJ Redick is a basketball sicko. 

You know, the type of guy who rewatches games in a dark basement to pore over what he and the Lakers could’ve done better. 

On Friday, we got a glimpse of what his staff is doing behind the scenes. 

Redick said his analytics team used the three-day break between games to prepare a 21-page presentation on the Lakers, who have won seven games in a row and have the NBA’s best record at 11-2. 

The coaches reviewed it for 1 ½ hours on Friday and presented it to the players. 

“Being first in the West, with the stuff that they showed us, you would think we were almost last, you know?” Ziaire Williams said, flashing a smile. “But gotta keep us honest.”

One of the main goals?

“We know we want to be a top-10 defense,” Redick said. “We know we are not going to be able to do that unless we become better than a bottom-10 transition team and better than a bottom-10 defensive rebounding team.”

While the Lakers are leading the league in steals per game (11), are third in blocks per game (6.2) and are second in total deflections (257), they’re greatly struggling in other areas defensively.

The Lakers are rated 18th defensively and 26th in rebounding (40.8).

Redick also identified a key area on transition defense he wants to tweak.

“Some of the transition stuff is live-ball turnovers,” Redick said. “We’re at a 10% live-ball turnover rate. So one out of every 10 possessions is a live-ball turnover that’s going to create a transition possession.”

As for offense?

Despite being the top-rated team in the league offensively, the Lakers have multiple areas in which they want to improve, including bolstering their third unit, which has notoriously squandered leads late in games.

Redick pointed out that Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero are still playing catch-up after missing time due to various injuries.

Lakers assistant coach Scott Brooks is trying to get them up to speed.

“He took those guys for a classroom setting [Friday],” Redick said. “We just need to coach them more. Not going to put it all on them. They need to be able to run offense, though. 

“I think that’s the biggest thing. It’s unacceptable to just consistently be calling offensive plays and then they come down and jack a 3 with 18 on the shot clock. We’re trying to use time and be organized.”

Redick, whom the Lakers hired to take over the helm in June 2024 despite having no prior coaching experience, has shined in his role. 

He led the Lakers to back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since Phil Jackson in 2007-2011. 

He has a clear idea of what he wants the Lakers’ identity to be on both sides of the court. 

Offensively? 

“Organized, unselfish and advantage-based,” he said.

Defensively?

“Organized, physical as f–k and relentless,” he added.

Game Info

When: Sunday, November 15th at 7:00 p.m. ET

How to watch: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

Injury Report

Wizards: Jamir Watkins – Out (Knee), Tristan Vukcevic – Out (Hip), Reece Beekman – Out (Shoulder), Justin Champagnie – Out (Foot), Bub Carrington – Game Time Decision (Chest)

Pistons: Steven Adams- Game Time Decision (Calf), Clint Capella – Game Time Decision (Ankle), Marcus Smart – Out (Suspension)

Pregame notes

Washington has a new addition to its injury report ahead of Sunday night’s matchup against the Rockets. Third-year guard Bub Carrington is listed as a game-time decision after suffering a chest contusion during Thursday’s double-overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons.

Carrington recorded two points and two assists in 16 minutes before being ruled out for the second overtime period. He now joins Watkins, Vukcevic, Beekman and Champagnie on the injury report, adding another setback for a Wizards team riding a six-game losing streak.

Sunday’s matchup with Houston gives Washington another opportunity to earn its first win since Nov. 2, but it won’t come easy. The 10-3 Rockets enter the contest riding a three-game winning streak. To compete, the Wizards will need to build on Thursday’s performance, particularly from their two-big lineup featuring Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr, who each scored 30 points.

Davis controlled the paint, while Sarr turned in his best shooting performance of the season. He connected on 4-of-6 attempts from three-point range and went a perfect 12-for-12 inside the arc. Trae Young also delivered a strong performance, leading Washington with 37 points and 15 assists while hitting a clutch three-pointer to send the game to overtime at the end of regulation.

Washington also had one of its best nights from beyond the arc this season, knocking down a season-high 14 triples. Carrying that shooting success into Sunday’s matchup will be important if the Wizards hope to keep pace with one of the league’s top teams.

It was only the first quarter of the 13th game of the Sixers’ season, so there seemed to be no cause for alarm (and never mind the booing). Still, they were down 17 to a Toronto team on the second half of a back-to-back and playing without its two best players. There was at least the possibility Thursday that it was one of those nights every NBA team has on occasion, where the mood and the energy and the desire are just … off.

It would be easy to reach that conclusion, after Boston smacked the Sixers around Tuesday, in what was supposed to be the Jaylen Brown Revenge Game. Also, LeBron James sat out against the Raptors. The official reason was “low back/sciatica management,” though this seems comparable to that time years ago when the Spurs rested Tim Duncan and listed him this way in the boxscore: “DNP-OLD.”

When Nick Nurse called timeout with 2:40 left in the first and his team down 32-16, he said he was thinking in the simplest terms.

“I just want the players to play well,” he said, adding that everyone seemed to be searching for a rhythm, or seeking to “shake something off from the last game or whatever,” as he put it.

They fell 17 back moments later, but soon found their inspiration, soon manufactured their own energy. Reserves Anfernee Simons and Jabari Walker found it by looking back to their time on some wretched Portland teams. VJ Edgecombe found it by looking forward to a potential spot in the NBA slam-dunk contest.

And Tyrese Maxey found it by looking over to the sideline, to his infant daughter.

The end result was a 123-112 Sixers victory over the Scottie Barnes– and Kawhi Leonard-less Raptors. Maxey scored 27, and Joel Embiid, who limped off in the first quarter after bumping knees with a Raptor, returned and finished with 20. Edgecombe enjoyed a Swiss Army Knife kinda night – 15 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a block – and the bench brigade of Simons, Walker and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributed 37 points, including 9-for-12 three-point sniping.

“You learn once you’re coming off the bench to kind of read the game before you get in there,” Simons said after going 5-for-6 from the arc and scoring 17. 

What he read before checking in at the aforementioned timeout was straight out of the Stephen King collection. So the idea, Simons said, was to “bring some energy and some life to the team.”

He provided the night’s first thunderbolt, nailing a three-ball at the first-period buzzer to cut the deficit to nine.

“Those are big momentum plays,” Nurse said, “that usually have some weight to them and carry you into the next moment.”

From that point forward, the Sixers, now 10-3, seemed inevitable. Edgecombe turned a second-quarter steal into a breakaway slam. Maxey threw an alley-oop to Brown from midcourt for a bucket late in the third, when Philadelphia went ahead for good. And with the Raptors hanging around late in the fourth, Simons and Caldwell-Pope (11 points) connected from three to put it away.

Re Simons: Now in his ninth NBA season, he is playing for his fourth team. He has been productive everywhere he’s been, but this year his minutes (21.7) and points (10.2) are down from their usual levels. He says he doesn’t care – not after playing on losing teams five of the seven seasons he spent in Portland, his first stop. The Blazers were 33-49, 21-61 and 36-46 the last three of those seasons, when Walker was a teammate. (Another Sixer, Rayan Rupert, was on two of those teams.)

“You learn a lot in those situations about yourself, the people around you, your teammates,” Simons said, adding that “you feel appreciative of the times where you go into a situation where your role might be a little bit less, but you’re winning. And so that’s something that you can’t take for granted for sure, because it’s hard to win in the NBA.”

Sometimes it’s hard to even get on the court, as Walker has learned. He is averaging 15 minutes a game over five seasons, but now looms as the best option to back up Embiid at center, despite standing 6-7. Not to worry, he said after contributing nine points and eight boards in just under 16 minutes Thursday; his dad, Samaki, had been a small-ball center himself while playing a decade in the Association. The younger Walker knows the assignment, knows what the job entails.

He’s also healthy this season, having undergone offseason knee surgery. And while it wasn’t clear where he might fit in the pecking order after the Sixers revamped their roster over the summer, he had high hopes.

“I don’t know if I was delusional,” he said, “but I always felt like I was going to play and I was going to be a part. I read some things, and they say it’s a surprise. But if you were around me this summer and saw the mindset I had, then it wouldn’t be a surprise. So this is expected, and I just want to continue to get better.”

There were also questions about Edgecombe’s role coming into the season. But his attitude is always exemplary, his approach relentless. Informed after Thursday’s game that the only guard in the league with more dunks than him was Houston’s Amen Thompson, he scoffed.

“Man, he don’t even count,” Edgecombe said.

He might have a point. Thompson stands 6-7. Edgecombe is listed at 6-4, but attacks the rim so regularly that he is musing about the dunk contest on All-Star Weekend, February in Phoenix. 

“Obviously I don’t want to sit here and give a yes, and I don’t want to give a no,” he said. “But that’s something I’m thinking about, for sure.”

Maxey couldn’t help but think about his daughter Marvel. Born May 14 to Tyrese and his girlfriend Myra Gordon, she attended her first game with her mom Thursday – “a really cool moment,” as Maxey said.

She might not be back for a while, though.

“It’s too late,” he said. “She was yawning and doing a whole bunch of stuff.”

So too were the Sixers for a while. They awakened from their slumber. They found their footing, manufactured their own energy. On many, many nights across the long season, that’s how it has to be.