Central Notes: Giannis, Duren, White, Okoro
The Bucks folded in the late stages of a 122-115 loss to Houston on Sunday. Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 37 points, eight rebounds and three assists but couldn’t sustain that same level of production in crunch time, Eric Nehm of The Athletic notes. In the final five minutes, Antetokounmpo had one field goal, went 2-of-6 from the free throw line, and committed two turnovers.
“We didn’t execute as well (as them),” Antetokounmpo said. “The ball was sticking a lot… Whenever we were double-teaming or trapping the pick-and-roll, they were moving the ball, finding the open man. They were able to make some shots and we did the complete opposite.”
The Bucks superstar is listed as probable to play against Dallas in the second game of a back-to-back on Monday, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal tweets.
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Pistons are shooting for the seventh straight victory when they host the Wizards on Monday. They pulled out a 111-108 road win over Philadelphia on Sunday. During the winning streak, Cade Cunningham is averaging 29.2 points and 11.2 assists per game, while center Jalen Duren — who is headed to restricted free agency — is averaging 23.5 PPG and 13.5 RPG.“He’s been dominant,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Duren, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “The way he helps us protect the rim, the job he does on the boards, the threat that he is in the pick-and-roll and in the pocket … he’s a guy that can connect our group, too. He’s another guy who can facilitate and playmake, and then he’s an elite communicator, which has been a huge growth for him defensively. He’s talking to guys, always in the right spot, so I thought he was great again (Sunday).”
- Coby White (strained right calf) has yet to play this season, but the Bulls guard is expected back soon. Coach Billy Donovan anticipates he’ll make a seamless return to the rotation, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I feel pretty good about him coming back,” Donovan said. “He’s always been a team guy. The rhythm for him individually, he’s going to work through that, and in time, it will get better, but in terms of him seamlessly coming back, I don’t worry about the chemistry at all, not with him. He plays the right way. Being around these guys, his IQ, his years in the league, I think he’ll know how to come back and integrate himself.” White was assigned to the G League’s Windy City Bulls on Monday to get some practice time, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets.
- Isaac Okoro faced his former team on Saturday when the Cavaliers defeated the Bulls, 128-122. The Bulls forward, who was traded by Cleveland during the offseason, scored 19 points with four rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes. “I had a wonderful five years in Cleveland,” Okoro said, per Johnson (Twitter link). “They treat their players right –coaches, front-office staff. I love all these guys. But once tip goes up, it’s Bulls vs. Cavs.”
Bucks Forward Taurean Prince Out Indefinitely With Neck Injury
Bucks reserve Taurean Prince has a herniated disk in his neck and is expected to miss a significant period of time, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
The team released an update via social media (Twitter link), which indicated that Prince underwent an MRI last week that revealed the herniated disk. The veteran forward will be sidelined indefinitely as the team’s medical staff and external specialists determine the best treatment plan.
Prince has appeared in eight games this season but missed Milwaukee’s last two contests after going 0-for-5 from the field against Toronto in 21 minutes of action on Tuesday. He’s averaging 6.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 21.1 minutes per game.
Prince was a starter for most of last season, appearing in 80 games for the Bucks, including 73 starts. He averaged 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 27.1 minutes per contest. Milwaukee re-signed him on a two-year, veteran’s minimum contract this summer.
Prince’s ability to guard multiple positions on defense and knock down three-pointers on offense makes him a valuable rotation player on the wing. He converted a career-high 43.9% of his attempts from beyond the arc in 2024/25.
Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers has used smaller starting lineups this season with A.J. Green and Gary Trent Jr. manning the wings. The loss of Prince could result in more minutes for Kyle Kuzma and Amir Coffey.
Prince, 31, began his NBA career in 2016 and has had stints with the Hawks, Nets, Cavaliers, Timberwolves, and Lakers.
Northwest Notes: Hartenstein, Edwards, Hardy, Markkanen
Isaiah Hartenstein erupted for a 33-point night in the Thunder‘s win over Sacramento on Friday. Along with his career high in points, Hartenstein grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked three shots.
“He was on one today,” Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell told Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. “Hart is a great player. We were able to find him, and he had a great game. He made it very easy for us.”
Hartenstein is averaging a double-double for the banged-up Thunder, with 12.9 points and 11.7 rebounds per game in the early going this season.
“He’s played great as time has gone on here,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s getting better and better with his teammates here inside the system. He was obviously highly impactful at the beginning, but he’s only gotten better, especially on the offensive side of the floor.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- In his second game back from missing four due to a right hamstring strain, Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards poured in 37 points in a 40-point romp over Utah. “He’s our leading light, and he’s got to be aggressive, and he’s got to be himself,” head coach Chris Finch told The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski. “That’s what we need. And I thought he played quick and clean. Thought we all did to start the game, and it was just really good, really fun to watch.”
- Jazz coach Will Hardy has been very vocal this season and that’s by design, according to Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune. “It’s all intentional,” Hardy said. “There is a real process right now of trying to have all of our players, especially our young players, understand that every time you take the court, you’re trying to win.” Hardy’s team is currently holds a 3-6 record. “I feel like I need to give the team the urgency every single night to not let moments pass them by, to not take their minutes for granted, to not take this moment in their career for granted — because nothing’s guaranteed,” he said.
- Lauri Markkanen was held to 12 points in 21 minutes on Friday but the Jazz forward is still averaging 28.3 points per game, which would easily be a career best. “He can truly play any style,” Hardy told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. “He can play with anybody there. You could name any All-Star player, and I would say Lauri could play with them. Because he doesn’t dribble too much, because he’s not really an iso player, because he’s not a pick-and-roll ball handler who needs X number of screens a night. It’s nice having somebody who’s that caliber player who doesn’t necessarily dictate your style. There are certain players that dictate the style you kind of have to play. Lauri gives us a lot of flexibility. It’s a real luxury as a coach and it would appear that that would be a luxury from a team-building standpoint.”
Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Johnson, Hardaway Jr., Brown
Nikola Jokic is averaging 24.4 points per game, down from his career-high of 29.6, and he’s attempting 15.1 shots per game, compared to the 19.5 he averaged last season. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, according to Nuggets head coach David Adelman, who would prefer to see the points more evenly distributed.
“If we can get through games without having to post him up 25 times, I think that’s beneficial for us and his body,” Adelman said. per Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “But if the game demands it, he will. And I think he’ll score like he needs to. But staying in the split game and the elbow game, it can get redundant, but I think it keeps everybody involved. And he keeps everybody involved anyway, because he’ll get doubled in the post or whatever it is. But (we’re) trying to play that team game as much as we can.”
We have more on the Nuggets:
- Denver is taking a ‘What, me worry?’ stance on Cameron Johnson‘s slow start. Acquired from the Nets during the offseason, Johnson is averaging just 7.5 points per game on 36.2 percent shooting. “He’s getting good looks. We’re looking for him and stuff. I think it’s all part of the game,” Jamal Murray told Durando. “Everybody knows Cam can shoot. If you go look at his career, he can shoot the ball. So he didn’t just lose his arm.” Murray’s coach expressed similar thoughts. “Cam’s going to have a night soon and somebody else may not play a lot, and we’ll talk about their production. But who really cares if we’re winning?” Adelman said.
- Tim Hardaway Jr., who started regularly for the Pistons last season, has become a key reserve for the Nuggets. He’s scored in double digits during five of eight games this season. “He’s such a weapon, and he can get his shot off so easily and quickly,” Adelman told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “It’s a big deal. You know, a lot of teams have the athleticism these days. But a guy that releases the ball that quickly and gets it off, it’s a big deal. And not to mention, he just really knows how to play. Tim fits right in.”
- Bruce Brown played a major role in their championship run in 2023. The hard-nosed guard is looking to make the same kind of defensive impact in the playoffs this season, according to Durando. “Later in the season (referees will) let things go just because they know you’re a physical defender,” he said. “(The Thunder’s) Lu Dort has a reputation as being a physical defender, so they don’t really call much on him. So (I’m) just trying to do that.”
Celtics Notes: Brown, White, Walsh, Simons
Jaylen Brown believes the officials are making a point against him. The Celtics forward ripped the officiating after a late no-call against Utah on Monday and he felt that played a role in Boston’s loss to Orlando on Friday.
“I think in the fourth quarter, I think the officials made their point,” Brown said, per Jay King of The Athletic. “So I get it. I’ll keep my mouth closed.”
Boston held a one-point lead midway through the fourth quarter on Friday but lost by 13. Brown finished with 32 points but only shot two free throws.
“In the fourth quarter, I missed some good looks that I could have got my feet set just a little bit more,” Brown said. “And then it compounded, turned into some turnovers, and then they scored. For our team, they probably need me to make those shots. I’m human. If I shoot a shot and I feel good about it, I feel good, but you know, I’ve got to be a little better, I guess.”
We have more on the Celtics:
- Should the Celtics have traded Derrick White instead of Jrue Holiday during their salary-shedding offseason? Brian Robb of Masslive.com tackles that question in his latest mailbag. Robb believes that Boston would have gotten a bigger haul for White but that Holiday’s contract would have still been an albatross for the organization. White’s four-year, $118MM contract extension kicked in this season; Holiday, 35, is in the second year of a four-year, $134.4MM deal that includes a player option.
- Swingman Jordan Walsh has gotten some playing time this month, averaging 6.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per contest. A 2023 second-round pick, Walsh is increasingly gaining coach Joe Mazzulla’s trust. “He just chips away at it,” Mazzulla said, per Robb. “Again, that was a high-level of professionalism to be ready, and he just every day treats it as if he’s going to play. So I think that mindset is kind of what you have to have, and he handled it well, and he’s got to keep that up. But he works at the same pace regardless of if he’s playing or not, and that says a lot.”
- Anfernee Simons, acquired from Portland in the Holiday trade, played sparingly in the first half at Orlando. Simons, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, bounced back and contributed 11 fourth-quarter points. “I thought he responded pretty well,” Mazzulla said, per Souichi Terada of Masslive.com. “I thought he was more aggressive in the second half. There was no message there. He just has an understanding of what we have to do on both ends of the floor. I thought he did a much better job of that in the second half.”
Pistons Notes: Duren, Cunningham, Stewart, Klintman, Jones
Jalen Duren‘s impressive start continued on Friday, as the Pistons center dominated inside with 30 points, 11 rebounds and three steals in a victory over the Nets. He’s now averaging 19.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game.
“We’ve put together a plan over the summer for him and he was as dedicated to that plan as anybody,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “He worked relentlessly on his game. He’s always had the talent. I think the confidence is coming now, too, so he can see what he can do against other guys. You watch how much more aggressive he is offensively with the ball in his hands. I think last year it was a lot of him getting set up. We wanted him to attack more. We want him to try to create for himself more, put more pressure on the defense. I think he’s done that. It all comes down to the work that he’s put in.”
Duren will be one of the top restricted free agents on the market next summer. The Pistons were unable to sign the fourth-year big man to a rookie scale extension prior to last month’s deadline.
“He’s dominant,” Cade Cunningham said. “He’s not waiting. He’s attacking every game. Really can’t enough be said about how he’s approached the game lately and he has all the ability in the world to do what he’s been doing. It’s exciting.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Cunningham supplied 34 points and 10 assists against Brooklyn. Duren and Cunningham became the first Pistons teammates with 30-plus point double-doubles in the same game since Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond did it on Dec. 18, 2015 against Chicago, the team’s PR department tweets.
- Isaiah Stewart departed in the second quarter after he rolled his left ankle. The Pistons were already without starting forward Tobias Harris, who has missed the last three games with an ankle injury. That opened up an opportunity for 2024 second-round pick Bobi Klintman, Sankofa notes. In his second appearance this season, Klintman scored two points, grabbed four rebounds and added an assist in 12 minutes.
- The Pistons claimed big man Isaac Jones off waivers from the Kings on Thursday. Bickerstaff believes Jones’ style will fit right in with the team’s identity, Sankofa tweets. “There’s an energy. He has a similar spirit to the group of bigs that we have already,” the coach said. “He’s a fighter, he’s a scrapper, his interior skills. He just gives us a boost there.”
Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Stewart, Harris, Duren, Fast Start
Cade Cunningham has been a fourth-quarter dynamo during the Pistons’ 6-2 start. The star guard has racked up 86 fourth-quarter points, tops in the league. He has scored 19 points in each of the last two games in the final 12 minutes, including a 114-103 victory over Utah on Wednesday.
“We’re just now turning the corner as far as just not being losers,” Cunningham said, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “We were losers for a little stint in the NBA. But we all have winning habits, winning mentalities. We’re just starting to get our feet wet as far as learning winning basketball.”
Cunningham continues to impress second-year Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
“He’s phenomenal,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s an unbelievable player, unbelievable person. Great teammate, great leader. Everything you want in a No. 1 guy, Cade is it.”
We have more on the Pistons:
- Move over, Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. In Bickerstaff’s assessment, Isaiah Stewart is the league’s premier rim protector. Stewart is averaging a career-best 2.4 blocks per game so far this season. “He’s the best rim protector in the league. His timing, anticipation, always being early to the spot,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s a fearlessness, right? Where a lot of people would just get out of the way because they don’t want to get dunked on anymore, Isaiah doesn’t mind. He’s going to go up there and he’s going to challenge anybody because it’s the right thing to do. And that’s his responsibility for this team – protect the rim. It doesn’t matter to him the outcome, because he’s going to get more times than he’s been got.”
- Starting forward Tobias Harris sat out for the second straight time due to an ankle injury but he should return soon. “He’s getting better. The ankle is one of those things that it’s ‘how is it today?’ – you do more and see how it responds tomorrow,” Bickerstaff said. “But Tobias has been, throughout his career, one of the more durable and reliable players who doesn’t miss a ton of time. So, we don’t expect [him to miss significant time], but again, we’ll always do what’s right by him and make sure he’s healthy.”
- Jalen Duren had a monster game against the Jazz with 22 points and 22 rebounds. “I’ve had conversations with J.B., multiple conversations throughout the summer, coming into the season on how he’s seen me work on my game in the summer, how he wants me to continue to be aggressive and kind of show what I’ve been working on,” he said. “With that came a lot of confidence. My teammates, too, telling me to keep attacking bigs and whoever opposing teams decide to put on me. I’m just trying to do what they tell me to do.”
- There’s plenty to like about the Pistons’ quick start, Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois writes, and they should be even better down the road. Langlois notes that newcomers Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert are still trying to settle into their roles, while guards Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser will provide even more firepower when they return from injuries.
Southeast Notes: Spoelstra, Adebayo, Suggs, Miller
A two-alarm fire broke out early Thursday morning at the multi-million dollar home of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, , and
The Heat and Spoelstra returned on a chartered flight from Denver at 5 a.m. ET after the team completed a four-game road trip. That was approximately 25 minutes after firefighters were dispatched to his Miami-Dade home.
The home, which sits on a 43,000-square-foot lot, sold for $6.6MM in 2023. There were no reported injuries but firefighters battled the blaze for more than four hours at the five-bedroom home with a pool and tennis courts.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Heat are dealing with an injury to one of their key players. Bam Adebayo left Wednesday’s loss to the Nuggets late in the first quarter with a left foot injury. He’ll undergo an MRI today to determine the severity of the injury, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “We’ll figure it out,” Adebayo said. “Get more tests and then see how it goes.”
- The Magic will play seven of their next nine games at home. They’re hoping to iron out their issues during that stretch after starting off the season with a 3-5 mark. “We’ve just got to play some better basketball, to be honest,” Jalen Suggs told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “We’ve got to withstand runs, withstand some adversity, get it flowing, find our groove, find our swag. All of it’s just a little off right now.”
- Hornets forward Brandon Miller will miss at least two weeks with a shoulder injury suffered during the second game of the season at Philadelphia. It apparently occurred while he was fighting through a screen. “Yeah, I really couldn’t tell you what happened,” Miller told Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “But it’s just a subluxation on the left shoulder. No timeline right now. Just kind of working to get back, get the muscles around it stronger and just go from there.”
Knicks Notes: Towns, Robinson, Hart, McBride, Backup PG, Anunoby, Oakley
More than a year after being traded from Minnesota to New York, Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns still has trouble processing the deal.
“I’m still stunned, I mean, I’m still stunned. It’s weird,” Towns said, per Vince Goodwill of ESPN, after the Knicks defeated his former club 137-114 on Wednesday. “I feel more like a Knick now after everything we went through last year, but it’s weird to see that Wolves jersey — especially the fire black one — and not see ‘Towns’ on the back of it.”
Towns believes the Timberwolves will remain one of the Western Conference’s elite teams.
“Built something special there,” Towns said. “It’s different when you’re in process and now you’re going against the process. They’re a great team. To see what they’re doing right now, special, and I expect nothing less than greatness from them.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Mitchell Robinson is on a load management plan that has included sitting out games and a minutes restriction when he suits up. He proved why he’s so essential to the club against Minnesota, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes. Robinson’s size, rebounding, defense, and rim protection were all impactful in a 16-minute stint. He finished with eight points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and a steal. “I was just out there being me,” he said.
- Despite battling some nagging injuries, Josh Hart delivered his best performance of the season, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post notes. He posted a season-high 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. Miles McBride was also key off the bench with 14 points. “I gotta give a lot of credit to Deuce,” coach Mike Brown said. “Deuce was aggressive the right way. He played under control. If they tried to pick up full-court, he drove it by them. He touched the paint. He played off two [feet] and he sprayed it. And guys got great looks when he got us into our offensive. Josh was also a big catalyst in terms of trying to get us to push the pace and play the right way.”
- With Brown already losing faith in Tyler Kolek, the Knicks once again find themselves in a familiar spot — seeking a reliable backup to Jalen Brunson. They are now using several players who aren’t true point guards in that role. Bondy identifies Jose Alvarado and Dante Exum as two options the club could consider on the trade market.
- OG Anunoby is averaging a career-high 7.3 three-point attempts and making 41.4% of them. The Knicks want their versatile wing to keep firing away. “He’s a good shooter, and we want him to shoot the ball,” Hart told James Edwards III of The Athletic. “The offense is a little bit more ball movement, body movement. We want guys to put shots up and we’ll crash and do that. We want to, obviously, generate 3s.”
- Former Knicks star Charles Oakley must pay more than $642K in lawyer fees to Madison Square Garden for deleting text messages during a court battle over his ejection from a game eight years ago, Priscilla DeGregory and Natalie O’Neill of the New York Post report. Oakley filed a defamation lawsuit against the arena firm and Knicks owner James Dolan in September 2017.
Northwest Notes: Dudley, Jazz, Ainge, Thunder
Jared Dudley had a lengthy NBA career. As an assistant coach with the Nuggets, Dudley now finds himself in charge of Denver’s defensive schemes. His main mission is a simple one.
“Coming up with a defense that protects (Nikola Jokic),” he told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.
Dudley is doing so by having Denver’s guards and wings take on more responsibilities at that end of the floor, so that Jokic can conserve his energy for the offensive side.
“I can’t teach (him) anything offensively. You’re already this. You’ve got that,” Dudley said. “But defensively, I can teach you. I’ve played with different centers. I’ve played with Boban (Marjanovic), who’s bigger than you and slower than you. … I only want him to think about going back to the rim, Point A to Point B. I don’t want him having him to go guard these guards on the wings, in rotations.”
We have more on the Northwest Division:
- How are the Jazz‘s young players faring thus far? Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune takes a closer look, breaking down the team’s last three draft classes and evaluating each of those players’ performances.
- Austin Ainge is the Jazz‘s new president of basketball operations and Larsen spoke with the Celtics’ top executive, Brad Stevens, about the son of longtime Celtics and Utah executive Danny Ainge. Stevens is confident that Austin will step out of his father’s shadow and build a winner in Utah. “He’s always been a guy that I think has a good sense for putting a team together and what wins, both in the regular season and then certainly in the playoffs,” Stevens said.
- The undefeated Thunder will be playing without several rotation players in Portland tonight. Alex Caruso (rest), Luguentz Dort (right upper trapezius strain) and Chet Holmgren (lower back sprain) are all listed as out, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman tweets.