Atlantic Notes: Martin, Simmons, Nets, Raptors, Celtics
Entering Wednesday’s contest in Phoenix, Nets wing Tyrese Martin had scored 33 career points in 105 minutes over 21 NBA games. Martin, who is on a two-way deal with Brooklyn, proceeded to light up the Suns, scoring 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting — including 8-of-10 from three-point range — in 28 minutes during the 10-point win, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
“S–t, I felt like I was drowning in the ocean. Everybody’s throwing water, it’s cold. A lot of love, though. A lot of love. It felt good,” Martin said of the post-game victory celebration.
“Definitely felt surreal, especially in the environment and situation we’re in with this team. A lot of teams probably take us lightly when we come into town. … But we’re here to compete and play hard. So to do it on this stage against Hall of Fame players like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, definitely a surreal feeling.”
Martin received some extra playing time after it was reported that leading scorer Cam Thomas would miss three-to-four weeks with a strained hamstring. A 2022 second-round pick who spent all of last season in the G League with the Iowa Wolves, the 25-year-old said he took advantage of being a relatively unknown commodity.
“I just feel like they didn’t know who I was. So … they’re probably not going to really pay attention to you on the defensive end,” Martin said. “But I bet you they know who I am now.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Martin’s career night overshadowed to some extent Ben Simmons‘ best game of the season so far, according to Collin Helwig of NetsDaily.com. Simmons was unusually aggressive from the opening tip, finishing with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting, nine rebounds, eight assists and a steal in 27 minutes. “I think I’m just getting more comfortable,” the Nets swingman said. “I’ve been away from the game for a while in terms of being healthy and it takes time to get back to back to where I want to be.” Dennis Schröder (29 points, four rebounds, three assists, a game-high plus-19 in 34 minutes) and Trendon Watford (18 points in 22 minutes off the bench) also had strong outings during Brooklyn’s third straight road victory, Helwig notes.
- The Raptors‘ first road victory of the season came in blowout fashion on Wednesday in New Orleans. Toronto received contributions up and down the roster, but the play of Jamison Battle (a career-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting), Ochai Agbaji (24 points on 9-of-10 shooting, six rebounds) and Ja’Kobe Walter (14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists) was particularly encouraging, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Battle is on a two-way contract after going undrafted out of Ohio State, while Walter was a first-round pick in June’s draft (No. 19 overall). A former lottery pick, Agbaji will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.
- How will Kristaps Porzingis‘ return impact the Celtics‘ rotation? Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston explores that question and more in his latest mailbag.
Knicks Notes: McBride, Grimes, Offense, Ryan
Knicks backup guard Miles McBride returned to action on Monday following a five-game absence due to patella femoral pain syndrome in his left knee. While McBride said he “felt great” after the victory in Denver and praised the organization and training staff, he said the injury — which is more commonly known as runner’s knee — is something he’ll have to manage throughout the season.
“I would say we’re definitely gonna be managing it going forward,” McBride said, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “We just wanna be more precautionary I think than anything, just to make sure everything is right. I felt great and I think it’s gonna be behind me, but I just want to be smart with it.”
Here are a few more notes on the Knicks:
- Fourth-year wing Quentin Grimes had a tumultuous end to his Knicks tenure last season, ultimately being traded to Detroit at the February deadline before being rerouted to Dallas in another trade over the offseason. Following the Mavericks‘ victory over New York on Wednesday, Grimes praised Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays. “Credit to Thibs,” Grimes said. “He gave me a lot of those hard assignments early in my career and I feel like I was able to get a good understanding of how to guard All-Stars, superstars, and it gets me going.” Grimes, who finished with a season-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting starting in place of the injured Luka Doncic, will be a restricted free agent in 2025.
- The Knicks currently have the second-best offensive rating in the NBA but are just 24th in defense. One game after scoring a league-high 145 points in Denver, New York’s high-powered offense struggled with Dallas’ switching defensive scheme, Bondy writes for The New York Post. The Knicks shot just 26% from the field in the first half. “We couldn’t buy a basket to save our lives to start the game,” Jalen Brunson said. “Defensively, we just weren’t there. It’s a long season. Honestly, got to limit the highs and lows and be as steady as we can be.”
- Winning the NBA Cup will be a financial windfall for players whose salaries are relatively low. Each member of the first-place team will earn about $515K; a two-way player’s full-season salary is about $579K. Reserve forward Matt Ryan, who is on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal, plans to put his potential NBA Cup earnings into his startup investment company, according to Bondy (Sports+ link). The Knicks are 2-0 during in-season tournament play so far with a point differential of plus-14.
Central Notes: Jerome, Ivey, Brown, Bulls
It’s still early in the season, but to this point, perhaps no player has boosted his stock ahead of 2025 free agency more than Ty Jerome.
After signing a two-year, minimum-salary deal with the Cavaliers in 2023, Jerome was limited to just two games last season due to an ankle injury. But the 27-year-old guard has had a remarkable start to the ’24/25 campaign, averaging 12.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals in just 19.0 minutes per game through 18 outings. He’s posting a ridiculous shooting line of .597/.544/.879, for league-leading true shooting percentage of .736.
As Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes, as absurd as it might sound on the surface, considering the Cavs have three former All-Stars and a former Defensive Player of the Year runner-up all playing at a high level, there’s an argument to be made that Jerome has been the team’s early-season MVP, especially from an expectations standpoint. He ranks just 10th on the roster in minutes per game, but he has played exceptionally well when on the court.
Over the past four games alone, Jerome has set new career highs in points (29), field-goals made (10), three-pointers made (seven) and steals (four). He also tied his career-best mark with eight assists. The former Virginia star is averaging 22.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 5.0 APG and 1.3 SPG on .604/.556/1.000 shooting over that span (27.9 MPG), which is easily the best four-game stretch of his six-year NBA career.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next offseason, certainly isn’t lacking for confidence. The 22-year-old believes that he and Cade Cunningham have a chance to be a world-class backcourt. “The potential is limitless. Cade is an All-Star and will be one of the best players in this league,” Ivey told Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda. “Our ability to share the floor has been special from day one. I believe we have the talent to be one of the best backcourts ever.”
- Journeyman center Moses Brown, who signed a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract with Indiana last week amid season-ending Achilles injuries to James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson, gave the Pacers a major boost in Sunday’s victory over Washington, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. After Myles Turner picked up a couple of quick fouls in the first quarter, head coach Rick Carlisle put in Brown, who responded by scoring Indiana’s first eight points. He finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, four rebounds and a block in 12-plus minutes. “He’s gotta rebound, run, be a great screen setter, roller and execute coverages to the best of his availability,” Carlisle said. “We play a different defensive system than he’s played in the past but he’s working at adapting. He’s a great kid. He really appreciates this opportunity. This was heart-warming to see.”
- Are fans losing interest in the Bulls‘ new up-tempo playing style, which has seen the team give up at least 135 points in four of their last 10 games? Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune ponders that question, noting that the coaching staff and players are preaching patience despite acknowledging a slim margin for error defensively.
Pelicans’ Dejounte Murray Plans To Return Wednesday
Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray intends to return to action on Wednesday vs. Toronto, sources tell NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
Murray was the first of several Pelicans regulars to sustain an in-season injury, going down on opening night with a fractured left hand. The 28-year-old was the club’s most significant offseason addition, with the Pelicans sending Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., and a pair of future first-round picks to Atlanta as part of a package for an impact player they envisioned as their starting point guard.
Murray looked good in that role on October 23, nearly registering a triple-double (14 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds) in 30 minutes of action in the team’s season-opening win over the Bulls. However, he hasn’t played since then, and New Orleans has also seen Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, Jose Alvarado, and Jordan Hawkins sidelined with multi-week injuries.
The Pelicans have lost 13 of 15 games since winning their first two of the season. They’re running out of time to turn things around in a competitive Western Conference and are expected to be without Williamson and Alvarado for a while yet, but there are reinforcements coming in the backcourt.
While Murray is officially listed as out for Monday’s contest vs. Indiana (Twitter link), his backcourt mate McCollum is probable, indicating he’s likely to return after missing the past 13 games with a right adductor strain. Murray appears on track to rejoin him in the starting lineup two days later.
Brandon Ingram is questionable for Monday’s game with right calf soreness.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Kristaps Porzingis To Make Season Debut Monday
Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis intends to make his season debut Monday evening vs. the Clippers, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The Latvian big man is officially listed as probable for the contest, per the team (Twitter link).
Porzingis’ 2024/25 debut was delayed by a left leg injury he sustained during the NBA Finals last season. He underwent surgery in late June and was expected to miss approximately five-to-six months, so he’s right on track from a recovery standpoint — perhaps even a little ahead of schedule.
A one-time All-Star, Porzingis was doing full-court one-on-five work with assistant coaches a couple weeks ago and then was assigned to Boston’s G League affiliate in Maine last Monday to get some practice reps in. Evidently everything went smoothly, as he plans to return tonight vs. L.A.
Although Porzingis is likely to play Monday, the Celtics will probably be without a couple other frontcourt players in Al Horford (illness) and Luke Kornet (left hamstring tightness), who are both listed as doubtful.
Given Porzingis’ lengthy injury history, Boston will almost certainly be cautious with the 29-year-old, at least until he’s back in playing shape. I’d expect him to be on a minutes restriction for the next handful of games, at minimum.
The defending champions haven’t skipped a beat to open the season, with the Celtics currently holding a 14-3 record, the second-best mark in the NBA.
Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram Leaving Excel Sports Management
Just days after Zion Williamson decided to part ways with his representatives at CAA, a second Pelicans star is also switching agencies. Sources tell Will Guillory and Kelly Iko of The Athletic that Brandon Ingram is leaving Excel Sports Management (Twitter link).
Both RealGM and HoopsHype had Ingram’s agents listed as Jeff Schwartz and Jordan Gertler. It’s not yet known which agency Ingram will be joining, but he’ll have to wait 15 days before he can hire new representation.
It’s certainly an interesting development, as the former All-Star forward is set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2025. Ingram was reportedly seeking a maximum-salary extension over the offseason, which the Pelicans were unwilling to offer. His name then surfaced in trade rumors, but obviously he’s still with New Orleans — his contract demands likely played a factor in no move being made.
Ingram is earning about $36MM in 2024/25, which is the final season of his contract.
The second overall pick of the 2016 draft, Ingram is in his sixth season with the Pelicans, who acquired him from the Lakers in the Anthony Davis trade back in 2019. Through 16 games this season, the 27-year-old is averaging 22.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 5.4 APG on .465/.364/.830 shooting in 33.7 MPG.
Although Ingram has been very productive during his time in New Orleans, injuries have also been an issue, as he’s missed at least 10 games in each of his five full seasons with the Pelicans, who have once again by plagued by ailments to open ’24/25. The club is currently sitting in last place in the Western Conference with a 4-13 record.
And-Ones: Harrell, Covington, Neto, Awards, More
Former NBA big man Montrezl Harrell, who won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2020, is currently playing in Australia’s National Basketball League as a member of the Adelaide 36ers. The 30-year-old received a three-game suspension on Monday for his part in on- and off-court incidents during a Nov. 17 game vs. Melbourne United.
As Olgun Uluc of ESPN details, United big man Rob Loe drew a charge on Harrell early in the fourth quarter of the contest, and while both players were on the ground, Harrell shoved Loe. That led to a “melee involving most players” for both teams. Harrell appeared to throw a punch at one opponent and “multiple open-handed strikes” at other United players, per Uluc.
Directly after the on-court scuffle, 36ers staffers and players — including Harrell and teammate Kendric Davis — were involved another altercation, this time with spectators behind the team’s bench. Davis received a two-game suspension for initiating contact in that incident, which saw four spectators ejected. Davis claimed a fan directed racist language at him; the United put out a statement saying they were unable to corroborate that allegation.
The 36ers have 24 hours to appeal the suspensions, according to Uluc, who says Harrell has suggested multiple times on social media he may not return to Australia, pending the outcome of his punishment; he’s currently back home in the United States with the NBL season on pause due to the FIBA window (qualifiers for international tournaments).
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In an interview with Sam Yip of HoopsHype, free agent forward Robert Covington says he’s confident he can still contribute to NBA teams. “Ain’t nothing changed,” Covington said. “Someone that can give energy on the other side, the defensive side, can come in space the floor, move the ball, do the little things that won’t show up on the stat sheet, what made me very effective.” The 33-year-old, who holds 11 seasons of NBA experience, dealt with a knee injury for most of last season, last suiting up on December 30, 2023, but he says he’s fully healthy now. Covington is currently playing for Team USA in a qualifying round for the AmeriCup. One recent report said he might be open to playing in the G League as he attempts to make it back to the NBA.
- Former NBA guard Raul Neto has signed a rest-of-season contract with Spanish club Barcelona, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. Neto, who played eight seasons in the NBA from 2015-23, missed all of last season with a knee injury, but he’s “fully recovered” now. Barcelona was looking for backcourt help after losing Nicolas Laprovittola to a season-ending ACL and meniscus injury, Askounis notes.
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports lists his award winners for the first month of the 2024/25 season. As of now, O’Connor has Nuggets center Nikola Jokic as the frontrunner to win his fourth MVP in five years, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama leading the race for Defensive Player of the Year, and Sixers guard Jared McCain as the league’s top rookie.
- On a somewhat related note, with the first month of the season finished, several writers for The Athletic to compiled a list of each team’s biggest concern, with one exception — the 17-1 Cavaliers don’t have a have a real weakness right now, says Joe Vardon.
- Magic guard Anthony Black and Rockets guard/forward Amen Thompson are two of the six young players John Hollinger of The Athletic highlights as showing marked improvement in their season seasons.
Cavaliers Notes: 15-0 Start, Jerome, Defense, Atkinson
The Cavaliers joined illustrious company after defeating Charlotte on Sunday, becoming just the fourth team in NBA history to open a season with 15 consecutive victories, per Jenna West and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. The other three teams were the Washington Capitols (15-0 in 1948/49), the Rockets (15-0 in ’93/94), and the Warriors (24-0 in ’15/16).
Darius Garland (25 points, 12 assists, five rebounds), Ty Jerome (24 points, eight assists), Evan Mobley (23 points, 11 rebounds) and Jarrett Allen (21 points, 15 rebounds) led a balanced attack for Cleveland, which won by 14 points despite playing without star guard Donovan Mitchell, who was resting. As Lloyd notes, the Cavs have the best offensive rating in the league, having scored at least 130 points six times, which is a franchise record; they nearly accomplished the feat again on Sunday, finishing with 128.
The Cavs will face their biggest test of the season on Tuesday in Boston against the defending champion Celtics, who are 11-3, good for second place in the East.
Here’s more on the Cavaliers:
- Head coach Kenny Atkinson complimented Jerome following Sunday’s game, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “He’s one of our best players right now,” Atkinson said. “It’s always nice having another ball-handler out there so D.G. doesn’t get worn out.” For his part, Jerome said the victory was a byproduct of the team’s depth. “Just a deep, complete team,” Jerome said. “Kenny said after the game, ‘We go one through 18 and we’re 18 deep.’ Something we pride ourselves on.” The 27-year-old guard, who was limited to just two games last season due to an ankle injury, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
- While their 15-0 start has been remarkable, Atkinson said he’s unhappy with how the defense has performed of late, according to Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs gave up 73 points in the first half — and 126 overall — in Friday’s victory over Chicago, then 114 to Charlotte on Sunday.
- Brian Windhorst of ESPN takes an in-depth look at how the Cavs’ offseason plans have paid off in a major way to open ’24/25. Atkinson, who was hired in late June to replace J.B. Bickerstaff, has implemented several changes, particularly on the offensive end, and has “total buy-in” from the team’s star players, Windhorst writes. “This is rare,” Atkinson said. “We just have this incredible chemistry and an incredible understanding and respect for one another. It’s beautiful to watch.”
De’Aaron Fox, Franz Wagner Named Players Of The Week
Kings guard De’Aaron Fox has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week, while Magic forward Franz Wagner has won the award for the East, the NBA announced on Monday (via Twitter).
Although Sacramento only went 2-2 during the week of November 11-17, Fox had a phenomenal four games individually, averaging 40.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.0 steals on .574/.571/.810 shooting in 37.1 minutes per contest. He scored a career-high 60 points in Friday’s overtime loss to Minnesota and followed that up with 49 points in Saturday’s win over Utah, becoming just the third player in NBA history to score at least 109 points in back-to-back games.
Fox is averaging a career-best 28.9 PPG, which ranks sixth in the league, through 14 games. After leading the NBA with 2.0 steals per game in ’23/24, he’s currently seventh this season at 1.8 per contest. The Kings hold an 8-6 record.
Wagner, a 23-year-old forward from Germany, also had a terrific week. He averaged 30.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.0 steals while only turning the ball over three times in three home victories (36.5 MPG). He posted a shooting line of .458/.357/.889. The Magic have won five straight and, like the Kings, are currently 8-6.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Alperen Sengun and Shaedon Sharpe. Wagner, who was also nominated for the award last week, beat out Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cade Cunningham, Dyson Daniels, Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and Karl-Anthony Towns in the East.
Heat Notes: Martin, Butler, Rozier, Jaquez, Ware
Sixers forward Caleb Martin said his return to Miami has been “bittersweet, for sure,” per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Martin has been in Miami since the weekend as the 76ers had a couple days off before facing Miami on Monday. The 29-year-old spent the past three seasons with the Heat before signing a four-year, $35MM+ deal with Philadelphia as a free agent over the offseason.
“Obviously, I had a lot of great memories here, unforgettable memories,” Martin said. “I still got lifelong relationships that I still have with guys. This is my second home.”
As Chiang writes, Martin confirmed previous reporting that he declined an extension offer from Miami that was contingent upon him picking up his 2024/25 player option worth $7.1MM. Martin would have received an additional $58MM over four years on top of that option, putting the total value at $65MM over five years.
The tricky part was the timing — Martin had to make a decision on picking up his option by June 29, the day before free agents could negotiate with rival teams. His representation thought he could get more money in free agency, which didn’t materialize. But he doesn’t fault his agent for how things played out.
“Nobody has a crystal ball,” Martin said. “At the end of the day, nothing gets approved without me giving the OK, ultimately. That’s stuff that you live and you learn. Obviously, it hurts because of all the memories and everything that comes with this and there’s obviously money left on the table. But I think there are also other aspects of the decision and how things shook out that was a good thing, and that I might have had to move on.”
Martin, who was undrafted in 2019 and was released by Charlotte before catching on with the Heat on a two-way deal three years ago, said he tries to keep things in perspective, since he still signed the most lucrative contract of his career.
“I’m very fortunate to be where I’m at and still have another guaranteed four years in this league, which is hard,” said Martin. “Coming from where I come from, if you would have told me I had a guaranteed nine years in the league, I would have never believed you. Regardless, I’m blessed. I’m very blessed to still be competing at a high level.
“I do feel like I’m in a very good spot. I feel like I would have been in a good place regardless. I would have loved to have come back and made that work, as well. It’s nothing personal against [the Heat]. I have nothing but love for them.”
Here are a few more notes from Miami:
- Star forward Jimmy Butler will return to action on Monday after missing the past four games with a right ankle sprain, the team announced (via Twitter). Butler, 35, could be a free agent in 2025 if he declines his $52.4MM player option for next season. If you count the game he was injured (he played fewer than seven minutes), the Heat went 2-3 in Butler’s absence.
- While it’s obviously welcome news that Butler will be back tonight, the Heat will be without two rotation regulars in Terry Rozier (right foot discomfort) and Jaime Jaquez, according to the the team. As Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, Jaquez suffered a right ankle sprain at the end of the third quarter in Sunday’s loss to Indiana. The second-year forward had an X-ray, which came back negative. “That’s one of the craziest ones,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Jaquez’s injury. “He just happened to be backpedaling back and stepped on (T.J.) McConnell’s foot. He says he’s fine. There’s no way to know with sprained ankles. We’ll find out when we get back to Miami.”
- First-round pick Kel’el Ware hasn’t gotten many opportunities for playing time to this point in his rookie season, but he’s embracing the team’s development plan and is trying to soak up as much knowledge as he can, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “I really like the way he’s developed,” Spoelstra said. “He’s embraced us and the structure. He’s responded well to it. He’s already responded very well in the weight room, gotten a lot stronger and then he’s just been diligent, working. Is it going to be perfect? You know, no. He still has a lot of things to learn and figure out where he can be most effective in his role. But if he continues to stack days with intention the way he has been, he’s going to improve very quickly.”