Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Sixers, Kolek, Hukporti
With the streaking Celtics having climbed to the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference on the strength of five consecutive wins and Jayson Tatum doing 1-on-1 work, head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked on Wednesday when conversations might begin in earnest about the possibility of the star forward returning from his Achilles tear in the coming months.
“It’s all up to him,” Mazzulla said, per Jay King of The Athletic. “At the end of the day, his health is the most important thing, his process is the most important thing. You trust him, trust the team that’s around him — he’s got a great team — and then you just kind of go from there. So it kind of just all starts (with) where him and his team think he’s at.”
While Tatum will certainly be involved in the decision on if and when he returns to the court this season, it’s not his to make alone. The Celtics’ front office and medical team, as well as Tatum’s own doctors, will be involved in determining what that plan looks like.
Mazzulla made it clear that he’s not spending much time thinking about whether or not he’ll get Tatum back in his lineup later in the season, since he appreciates the way the 27-year-old is contributing to the team even without playing in games.
“To me, the only thing I care about is his presence and his leadership, and he’s given that in different ways — on the bench for games, communicating with guys, in film sessions, traveling with us,” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day, he’s on our team. He’s a part of our team. He’s helping us get better, and then everything else just comes down to him and the people around him, and you just trust that.”
We have more from around the Atlantic:
- The Sixers need more from their centers, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who notes that Joel Embiid went 4-for-21 from the floor in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, while Andre Drummond was a -15 in 18 minutes despite registering a double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds). Both big men struggled defensively against the Lakers’ duo of Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes, who combined to make all eight of their shot attempts, Pompey adds.
- Knicks reserve guard Tyler Kolek didn’t get off the bench during the team’s NBA Cup quarterfinal loss last season, but he used his share of the prize money to buy his mother a car, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. This time around, Kolek – who has appeared in 10 consecutive games for New York – should play a more active role in determining how far the Knicks advance. He was a +13 in less than eight minutes on the court in Tuesday’s quarterfinal victory over the Raptors. Asked if his mom will be getting another car this Christmas using his NBA Cup prize money, Kolek replied, “Nope, my dad wants the next one.”
- Ariel Hukporti‘s speed could be his path to an increased role with the Knicks, according to Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News, (subscription required) who notes that head coach Mike Brown referred to Hukporti as “one of the fastest bigs I’ve ever been around.” Hukporti, who has had a limited role this fall, logged a season-high 23 minutes in Sunday’s win over Orlando, but played just 73 seconds on Tuesday vs. Toronto and was assigned to the G League on Wednesday (Twitter link).
And-Ones: Front Offices, I. Mobley, NBA Europe, Quaintance
The Thunder are coming off a championship and are just the third team in NBA history to open a season with at least 23 wins in their first 24 games, so it comes as no surprise that general manager Sam Presti came out on top in The Athletic’s annual poll on the league’s best front offices.
A group of The Athletic’s NBA writers asked 36 executives around the NBA to rank their top five front offices, and Oklahoma City received an overwhelming 31 first-place votes.
The rest of the top five wasn’t simply made up of the teams at the top of the NBA’s standings. Brad Stevens and the Celtics placed second, followed by Rafael Stone and the Rockets at No. 3, Pat Riley and the Heat fourth, and Kevin Pritchard and the Pacers rounding out the top five. Each of those front offices received at least one first-place vote.
The Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Knicks, Spurs, and Warriors finished in the top 10, with another 15 teams cited at least once, either as a top-five front office or as a group considered to be “on the rise” and earning an honorable mention. According to The Athletic, the five clubs not to be mentioned at all were the Mavericks, Kings, Pelicans, Suns, and Bulls.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Isaiah Mobley, the older brother of reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley, is in the process of finalizing an agreement with Hapoel Jerusalem, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link). Mobley, a 2022 second-round pick who spent parts of three seasons in the NBA with Cleveland and Philadelphia from 2022-25, has been playing this fall with Manisa Basket in Turkey.
- The fall of 2027 continues to be viewed as a “realistic target” for the launch of the NBA’s European league, according to FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis. Joe Vardon of The Athletic passes along some of the other comments Zagklis made about the prospective league during a news conference on Tuesday, including the fact that the goal is to give more teams across Europe a pathway to qualifying for the NBA’s league than can currently qualify for the EuroLeague.
- Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance has cracked the top five in the latest 2026 NBA mock draft from Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, behind the usual suspects at the top. The 6’10” sophomore forward is making his way back from an ACL tear he sustained while playing for Arizona State last season.
Magic, Knicks Advance To Cup Semifinals
The Magic and Knicks advanced to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas with victories on Tuesday. They’ll face each other in the East semifinal on Saturday at 5:30 ET, the league confirmed (via Twitter).
Orlando was carried by a big outing from offseason acquisition Desmond Bane. He scored 37 points, while Jalen Suggs added 20 points and Paolo Banchero supplied 18. The Magic trailed by 13 after the first quarter, pulled within one by halftime, then outscored Miami 61-51 in the second half.
The Heat had four starters with at least 19 points, led by Norman Powell‘s 21.
The Knicks moved on with a 117-101 win over the Raptors. Jalen Brunson was the star of the game with 35 points. Josh Hart contributed 21 points and Karl-Anthony Towns tossed in 14 with 16 rebounds. Brandon Ingram led the Raptors with 31 points.
New York took control in the second quarter, outscoring Toronto 34-13.
The teams that were eliminated on Tuesday will now play each other on Monday, as the Heat will host the Raptors at 7:30 ET, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets.
The Suns and Thunder will square off in the first of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Wednesday, with the Lakers and Spurs playing in the late game. The winners of those two contests will face one another in the West semifinal on Saturday.
Raptors’ Quickley To Miss NBA Cup Game With Illness
Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley will miss his team’s NBA Cup quarterfinal game against the Knicks on Tuesday due to an illness, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.
It’s a big blow to Toronto’s chances of advancing. The Raptors are already without RJ Barrett, who is sidelined by a right knee sprain. The good news is that reserve point guard Jamal Shead, who was listed as questionable with a right quad contusion, will play tonight.
Quickley has started all 25 games for Toronto, averaging 16.5 points, 6.2 assists, 4.2 assists and 1.2 assists in 32.2 minutes per game. Shead figures to receive the bulk of his minutes with Ja’Kobe Walter also seeing plenty of action.
Knicks Notes: NBA Cup, McBride, Towns, Bridges, Anunoby
While Josh Hart says the pressure of the NBA Cup is “not even close” to competing in the playoffs, he and the rest of the Knicks are focused on winning their first in-season tournament title after being eliminated in the quarterfinals each of the past two years, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link).
“Every year, we fell short at this stage,” Hart said. “So we got to get over that hump.”
The Knicks open the knockout stage at Toronto on Tuesday. If they win, they’ll advance the semifinal and face the winner of Miami vs. Orlando in Las Vegas on Saturday.
“Life is short. And this is how I look at it — you want excitement in your life. So you try to put yourselves in position when you have pressure at times,” head coach Mike Brown said. “That’s something that, if you’re a competitor and you want some excitement in your life, you embrace it. And one of our standards is having a competitive spirit. So all of our guys. Especially as you go along and advance, you should embrace any type of pressure that comes along with it.
“And it also helps you prepare for times down the road when you’re put in the same situation. So in the regular season, this is about as close as you can get to simulating a playoff run. So we try to talk about it and add more pressure to it and handle it the right way and see if we can go get it.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Miles McBride, who sustained a left ankle injury in Sunday’s win over Orlando and underwent an MRI on Monday, has been diagnosed with a sprain and will miss Tuesday’s game, according to Bondy (Twitter links). The 25-year-old guard was spotted in a walking boot earlier in the day, Bondy adds. Karl-Anthony Towns, who was ruled out of Sunday’s contest due to left calf tightness, is questionable for the matchup against the Raptors.
- Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby are both worthy of legitimate consideration for their first All-Star appearances, contends James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. As Edwards explains, the Knicks are currently the No. 2 seed in the East, and if that continues, they’ll be deserving of having multiple All-Stars. Anunoby was arguably New York’s second-best player to open the season, but he missed nine games with a hamstring strain, leaving Bridges as the stronger candidate as of now. While neither player puts up gaudy offensive stats, they’ve both been highly efficient on that end on top of being top-notch defenders, Edwards writes. “He’s impacting winning,” Hart said of Bridges. “He plays both sides of the ball. Defensively, he’s been amazing. He’s been an All-Defense player for us.”
- The Knicks improved to 13-1 at home with Sunday’s victory, notes Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post (subscription required), and that edge at Madison Square Garden could be an important factor in the playoffs for a team with championship aspirations. “We’ve done a great job of protecting our home court,” Hart said after contributing 17 points, 12 rebounds and two steals Sunday. “This should be the hardest place to play in the NBA, and we want teams to know that.”
Jaylen Brown, Jamal Murray Named Players Of The Week
Celtics wing Jaylen Brown and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week, the league announced on Monday (via Twitter).
Brown won for the Eastern Conference, while Murray claimed the award in the Western Conference.
Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP, led Boston to an unblemished 3-0 record in games he played from December 1-7. He sat out the Dec. 4 contest at Washington, which the Celtics won by 45 points. The 29-year-old averaged 34.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steal on .538/.471/.889 shooting in three appearances last week (37.7 minutes per game).
A Georgia native who played one season of college ball for California, Brown is well on his way to making his fifth All-Star game in 2025/26. He’s averaging career highs of 29.1 PPG and 4.9 APG while also contributing 6.2 RPG and 1.1 SPG through 23 contests (33.7 MPG).
Murray, meanwhile, helped guide Denver to a 3-1 record last week. The 28-year-old Canadian averaged 29.8 PPG, 7.5 APG, 4.5 RPG and 1.3 SPG on .595/.621/.929 shooting in four appearances (33.8 MPG).
Murray is off to a fantastic start to the season himself and appears well-positioned to make his first All-Star appearance. Through 22 games (35.0 MPG), he’s averaging 25.0 PPG, 6.8 APG and 4.5 RPG — all career highs — with an elite shooting line of .506/.447/.898.
According to the NBA, De’Aaron Fox (Spurs), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams (Thunder), and Murray’s teammate Nikola Jokic were the other nominees in the West (Twitter link). Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Jalen Johnson (Hawks), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers), Michael Porter Jr. (Nets), and Brown’s teammate Derrick White were nominated in the East.
Southeast Notes: Whitmore, Hornets, NBA Cup Money, Bane
Poor practice habits are the reason Wizards coach Brian Keefe decided to bench Cam Whitmore, sources tell Grant Afseth of RG. Keefe stated over the weekend that Whitmore wasn’t living up to “certain standards,” but added that any further details would be kept internal. Afseth hears that the decision is in line with Keefe’s focus on accountability, consistency and building strong daily habits.
Washington was hoping Whitmore would blossom in his third NBA season after acquiring him from Houston, where he struggled to earn playing time on a talented roster. However, his numbers have been in line with his first two years as he’s averaging 9.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per night while shooting 45.6% from the field and a career-worst 28.6% from three-point range.
Afseth notes that Will Riley has been the biggest beneficiary of Whitmore’s reduced minutes and is earning a consistent spot in the rotation. The rookie forward has been delivering the energy that Keefe demands while averaging 11.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist in his last three games.
Afseth adds that the door isn’t closed on Whitmore’s future in Washington, but he’ll have to meet the benchmarks that Keefe has established. The organization is evaluating all its young players based on their daily habits and long-term development, and Whitmore has to improve in those areas to reclaim regular minutes.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- A five-day break comes at a good time for the Hornets, who were down to 11 healthy players in Sunday’s loss to Denver, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscription required). LaMelo Ball, Collin Sexton, Tre Mann and Moussa Diabate were all sidelined by injuries, along with Grant Williams and Josh Green, who haven’t played yet this season. “It’s going to be great for us,” Miles Bridges said of the time off. “Some guys are hurt right now. They should be back by that time hopefully. But if not, we’re going to have a next-up-mentality, next man.”
- Money is a huge motivator for the Heat and Magic as they prepare to square off Tuesday in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscription required). Players with standard contracts on the eight teams that have advanced to the knockout round have already earned an additional $53,093, and the rewards rise to $106,187 for reaching the semifinals, $212,373 for the finals and $530,933 for winning the tournament. “I think that’s kind of why they did it, for us to just buy into it a little bit more,” Miami guard Dru Smith said. “But also I think anytime you have a chance early in the season to really go and compete for something, even though it’s just a one-game series, basically, win or go home. Just to really have a chance to get a playoff feel this early, with the team, we were looking forward to that, coming into the season. I think it’s just something that will be really beneficial.”
- Knicks players were upset after Magic guard Desmond Bane fired the ball at OG Anunoby, who had fallen out of bounds, in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game (YouTube link), relays Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Bane received a technical foul and was subsequently booed by New York fans every time he touched the ball. Anunoby shoved Bane after the incident, but he decided not to escalate the situation. “I was confused at first, then it was funny,” he said. “I like Desmond. … He’s a good dude.”
Fischer’s Latest: Antetokounmpo, Knicks, Heat, Morant
While Giannis Antetokounmpo recently reiterated his desire to make things work with the Bucks, the rest of the league is preparing for the moment when Milwaukee signals it’s ready to start hearing offers for the star forward, Jake Fischer writes for The Stein Line (subscriber link).
According to Fischer, due to the widespread belief that any team acquiring Antetokounmpo would need to enter next season with championship expectations, executives around the league expect the two-time MVP to have a good amount of say in where he ends up, though there’s never a guarantee a surprise team doesn’t swoop in and land him.
Antetokounmpo recently turned 31 and is averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game while hitting a career-high 43.5% of his threes this season. He will become extension-eligible on October 1, 2026, a significant factor that will likely play a part in how teams approach making offers for his services.
Of those potential suitors, Fischer cites the Knicks and Heat as organizations to keep an eye on when it comes to a real pursuit of Antetokounmpo’s services.
Here’s more from Fischer:
- There’s a belief that the Knicks stand apart as the team the 6’11” forward would most want to end up on, per Fischer, who confirms that the New York squad was the “temptation” that Antetokounmpo discussed during the offseason. He adds that the fanbase’s post-playoff victory gatherings have been endearing to Antetokounmpo, as they appeal to his love of European basketball and soccer supporter activity.
- As far as the Heat go, Fischer notes that Antetokounmpo’s management group got as far as doing due diligence on playing in states without income tax, including Florida and Texas (when Luka Doncic was still on the Mavericks), would impact his contract earnings. Once the Heat declined to include Kel’el Ware in Kevin Durant trade discussions this summer, and likewise refused to package Ware with Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, and the 20th pick in the 2025 draft, it was assumed that they were doing so in order to be in a position to make the best possible offer should a younger top-end talent come available.
- Fischer also reports that the Heat have had internal discussions regarding Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who has missed 11 of the team’s last 12 games with a calf injury. He notes that Miami has signaled a willingness to include Andrew Wiggins in the right deal, and the lack of an extension for Tyler Herro could point to him being available in the right deal as well.
Knicks’ Miles McBride Being Evaluated For Left Ankle Injury
Knicks guard Miles McBride was injured in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over Orlando, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter links).
New York Basketball has a video of the play (Twitter link). McBride drove into the lane and was fouled by Desmond Bane on a left-handed layup attempt. Bane’s left foot appeared to land on McBride’s left ankle.
McBride was able to get up on his own and stayed in to shoot two free throws, according to Edwards, but quickly asked to be subbed out and had a noticeable limp.
The Knicks announced after the game that McBride was being evaluated for a left ankle injury, with another update to come on Monday, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (via Twitter), McBride had an X-ray on his left ankle, which was negative. The 25-year-old will undergo an MRI tomorrow, Scotto adds.
The former second-round pick is off to a strong start to the season, averaging 12.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 46.2% from long distance through 19 appearances (27.3 minutes per game).
In other Knicks injury news, Karl-Anthony Towns was ruled out of Sunday’s game with left calf tightness after initially being considered questionable (Twitter link via Barbara Barker of Newsday). Towns’ ailment — which appeared to be bothering him during Friday’s win over Utah, according to Jared Schwartz of The New York Post — doesn’t seem “too serious,” says Edwards (via Twitter).
Knicks Notes: Giannis, Anunoby, Hart, Kolek
The Knicks are a long shot to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo if the Bucks superstar requests a trade, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
The Knicks’ acquisition of Mikal Bridges prior to last season, in which they gave up five first-round picks to the Nets, left them without the necessary draft capital that other suitors could offer. The only way Giannis would wind up with the Knicks, Bondy writes, is if he specifically demanded a trade to New York and warned that he wouldn’t re-sign with any other team that wanted to acquire him.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- They rolled to a 34-point win over the Jazz on Friday. OG Anunoby returned to the lineup and scored 11 points in 23 minutes. He was on a minutes restriction after missing nine games due to a left hamstring strain. “You always worry when you get a big lead, you don’t want anybody to get hurt, but we needed to get OG Anunoby some game minutes just to work on his conditioning,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said, per Vince Goodwill of ESPN. “And I thought he looked good for the timings out there. I would have loved to get him to 25, 26 minutes. But, you know, 22, 23 worked good enough, especially with the way we had the lead.”
- Josh Hart made his seventh start of the season on Friday and Brown claims it was a staff-driven decision to put him back in the lineup, according to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “You wanna know the truth? I rely on my staff, and I had reasons why I was starting it that way, but my staff, all of them were like, ‘Hey, these are the reasons why it would be better,’” Brown said. “And the reality of it is I just listened to my staff. I said, ‘OK, If I’m the only one thinking that the other way may be better at that time, then maybe I’m wrong.’ And I have been wrong before, and I will be wrong again in the future.”
- Teammates call Tyler Kolek goofy but the second-round pick from 2024 is in a serious fight for minutes and a rotation spot. He has received steady playing time the last eight games due to injuries. “Especially a guy like me, I’m fighting for my life,” Kolek told Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “I’m trying to get as many minutes as I can, get the coach’s trust, get these guys’ trust as much as I can, so I gotta bring not just the basketball stuff every day, but my personality, my energy, give those guys whatever I can to help the team.”