Philadelphia 76ers Rumors

Gilgeous-Alexander, Mitchell Named Players Of The Week

November 24th, 2025 at 2:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (Twitter links).

Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champions to four wins during the week of November 17-23 while averaging 31.0 points and 6.5 assists per contest and shooting 60% from the field and 64.3% from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City was +82 in SGA’s 125 minutes on the court last week.

Gilgeous-Alexander also earned Player of the Week honors three weeks ago and is the second repeat winner of the award this season, joining Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

Mitchell posted averages of 31.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as the Cavaliers went 3-1 this past week. He opened and closed the week with matching 37-point performances against the Bucks and Clippers, going 14-of-22 from the field in each of those two outings.

Santi Aldama (Grizzlies), Luka Doncic (Lakers), De’Aaron Fox (Spurs), James Harden (Clippers) and Jokic (Nuggets) were the other Western Conference nominees for Player of the Week.

Jalen Duren (Pistons), Josh Giddey (Bulls), Brandon Ingram (Raptors), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers), Norman Powell and Kel’el Ware (Heat), Ryan Rollins (Bucks) and Franz Wagner (Magic) were also nominated in the East.

Atlantic Notes: Simons, Clowney, McCain, Raptors’ Start

November 24th, 2025 at 12:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Anfernee Simons is pumping up his trade value. The Celtics guard has posted back-to-back 23-point games. Playing time has been key — his minutes have fluctuated from 12 to 33 over the course of the season, and he’s averaging 24.9 MPG overall, Brian Robb of MassLive.com notes.

“I think honestly just keeping it simple,” Simons said. “In previous years, that was kind of my thing — just ease into the game and see how they guarded me, and then I started being more aggressive in the second half. And so here, obviously I don’t have that much time to be able to ease into the games, so taking the opportunities as they are — just being myself, aggressive, and also making the right plays, as well. So I think simplifying that way has been easy for me for the past couple games.”

Simons has a $27.7MM expiring contract, which could make him a major name on the in-season trade market.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Nets forward Noah Clowney has perked up after a slow start but he took an ill-advised late three-pointer in a loss to the Raptors on Sunday, Brian Lewis of the New York Post points out. Clowney has thrived since moving into the lineup and contributed a season-high 22 points against Toronto. The third-year pro, who is averaging 15.1 PPG in a starting role, is eligible for a rookie scale extension next offseason.
Jared McCain delivered a season-high 15 points in 26 minutes in the Sixers’ loss to Miami on Sunday. McCain, who is working his way back into a groove after missing time with a thumb injury suffered in camp, had his rookie campaign short-circuited by a knee injury. “It definitely felt the best,” McCain told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer of Sunday’s game. “I think each game is just getting more reps on the knee and more reps of movement. But I felt really good (Sunday). Felt like I got a little burst for my first step, and yeah, just continue to build off each game. And the more minutes I play and the more time I’m in, I feel like I can get more reps up. And yeah, it felt really good.”
The Raptors have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Is the hot start for real or a mirage? The Athletic’s Eric Koreen explores that topic, noting that Toronto has played just two games against the teams with the six best records — Detroit, Oklahoma City, Denver, the Lakers, San Antonio and Houston — and lost them both decisively.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Edgecombe, George, McCain

November 23rd, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

While Sixers center Joel Embiid is said to be making progress, he continues to deal with soreness in his right knee. The seven-time All-Star missed his seventh straight game on Sunday vs. Miami, but head coach Nick Nurse is optimistic Embiid will return sooner rather than later.

“I think we’re trying to take the best care we can of him and get him out there,” Nurse said (Twitter link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). “He wants to play. He’s being very diligent. … He’s doing a lot to try to get back on the floor. And I think it will be soon.

“I know this has been a long [process]. I think it will be soon, but just keep doing the right things, keep listening to what the doctors tell us.”

Here’s more from Philadelphia:

The 76ers were also without VJ Edgecombe on Sunday, as the rookie guard experienced left calf tightness toward the end of Thursday’s victory at Milwaukee. Nurse said Edgecombe underwent imaging, which came back clean, and the No. 3 overall pick was held out Sunday for precautionary reasons, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports.
After opening Sunday’s game as a starter, forward Paul George was brought off the bench for the second half. According to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link), Nurse explained the decision afterward, stating that he was trying to keep George matched up with Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., one of the early frontrunners for Sixth Man of the Year. George, a four-time All-Defensive member, was making his third appearance of the season following offseason knee surgery.
The shorthanded Sixers lost Sunday’s contest, but one bright spot was second-year guard Jared McCain, observes Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). McCain, who struggled to find his rhythm to open the season after missing extended time with knee and thumb injuries, played 26 minutes and scored 15 points — both marks were season highs.

Eastern Notes: Ivey, Pistons, George, Carter, Cavs

November 23rd, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

Playing in his first regular season game since January 1, Pistons guard Jaden Ivey made his season debut on Saturday in Milwaukee and helped his team pick up its 12th straight win by registering 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 15 minutes, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.

Ivey said during his post-game media session that he “cherished the moment” to be back on the court after being sidelined due to a fractured left fibula last season and right knee surgery this fall. Ivey said he had “so much gratitude to be out there again,” and his head coach suggested the team reciprocated that feeling.

“We’re just happy to have him back,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters, including Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. “That’s the most important thing. For him to have that joy and competition and competing with his teammates, that was the most important thing for him out there. Obviously you see the way that he can impact the game at a high level. Fifteen minutes is hard to catch a rhythm sometimes but I thought he did all the things we needed him to do. This was just more celebration of his journey to get back out on the court and we were happy to be a part of it.”

All 13 Pistons who were active for the game saw the court in the 129-116 win over the Bucks, with 11 logging at least 13 minutes. Bickerstaff said after the victory that he’s going to try using a 12-man rotation going forward as he assesses Detroit’s best lineups and fits.

“We’re going to give guys opportunity, especially in the first half and see how the game progresses in the second half,” Bickerstaff said (Twitter link via Sankofa). “It may not always be easy but guys are going to have an opportunity because they’ve earned it.”

We have more from across the Eastern Conference:

With the 14-2 Pistons sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings and well positioned from a salary cap perspective for in-season roster moves, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) evaluates whether it makes sense for them to try to make a major trade before February’s deadline. Gozlan ultimately concludes that Detroit is more likely to wait until the 2026 offseason to take a big swing.
Sixers forward Paul George played well in his second game back from knee surgery on Thursday, contributing 21 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes of action. George’s conditioning still isn’t 100%, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, but he provides the team with some stability at the forward spot and said all the right things after the game about his role. “Listen, whatever it is, to make the game easy for No. 0,” George said, referring to Tyrese Maxey. “I’ve been saying he’s been doing a lot for us. He might not want to say it, but I know he’s tired. He’s got to be tired. So, you know, I’m just trying to make the game easy for him within the offense, play my game.”
Starting center Wendell Carter Jr. has been an under-the-radar impact role player for the Magic so far this season, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, who takes a look at the ways in which Carter is making the team better both offensively and defensively. “Both sides of the floor, (he has) a huge gravitation. Whether that’s rebounding, defensive position, I feel like that’s stuff that maybe goes unnoticed,” teammate Tristan Da Silva said of Carter, who is averaging 12.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on .530/.458/.797 shooting.
Darius Garland (toe) and Jaylon Tyson (concussion) returned to the Cavaliers‘ lineup on Friday after missing five games apiece due to injuries and were on minutes restrictions of roughly 30 minutes, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. While the Cavs got some reinforcements in that game, they remain banged up as they prepare to host the Clippers on Sunday. Jarrett Allen (finger) will miss a second consecutive contest, while Craig Porter Jr. has been ruled out for the first time this season due to a left hamstring strain, per Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Maxey, Embiid, Bona, Demin, Rajakovic

November 22nd, 2025 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics held their own without injured star Jayson Tatum through the first month of the 2025/26 season and entered Friday’s game with an 8-7 record. However, hosting the lowly Nets, Boston experienced its most discouraging loss of the season, falling 113-105 to a Brooklyn club whose only two previous wins had come against Indiana and Washington.

As Jay King of The Athletic writes, star wing Jaylen Brown expressed frustration after the game with what he saw from his team, suggesting that Boston’s effort level wasn’t where it needed to be “for the majority of the game.”

“Come ready to play, or don’t play at all,” Brown said. “That’s my whole thing. We’ve gotta come ready to play. We just went through the motions today. Like, I don’t understand it. … Regardless if you’re making or missing shots, regardless of anything, we’ve just got to come out and play with great energy, great enthusiasm for the game. Like, want to win. It just didn’t seem like that was the case tonight.”

“… At the end of the day, we’ve all got a job to do,” Brown continued. “We’re all getting paid to do what we love to do. Come ready to play basketball, or you’re doing a disservice. So everybody’s got to come here and be ready to do their job and have great energy, enthusiasm and want to win. That’s what it’s about at the end of day: Celtic basketball.”

Besides losing Tatum to an Achilles tear that is expected to sideline him for most or all of the 2025/26 season, the Celtics traded away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis over the summer, so there’s less talent on the roster than there has been during the past couple years. As a result, the team can’t afford to take any nights off, head coach Joe Mazzulla told King and other reporters.

“I think it’s true of any basketball team, but I think the margin for error is smaller for certain teams,” Mazzulla said. “And the margin for error is smaller for us. We have to be the best. We have to be sharp physically and mentally every night. We’ve understood that that’s a strength of ours when we’re at our best, and we have to try to play at our best.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Just 24 hours after Paul George told Tony Jones of The Athletic that Tyrese Maxey is the “heart and soul” of the Sixers, the star guard submitted arguably the best performance of his career on Thursday in an overtime win over Milwaukee, with 54 points and nine assists, per Steve Megargee of The Associated Press. Maxey is now the league leader in minutes per game (40.7) and ranks second in scoring (33.4 PPG). “We’re asking him to do so much. We’re asking him to play a ton of minutes and he’s delivering,” George told Jones this week. “… This is similar to what Allen Iverson once did for the city. He’s our battery, and we’re witnessing one of them ones.”
Joel Embiid still has some soreness in his right knee, but Sixers doctors have determined he’s making positive progress toward a return, tweets Jones. The 76ers also said that big man Adem Bona, who is out with a right ankle sprain, will miss at least two more games, Jones adds.
Nets lottery pick Egor Demin was benched for the final 20 minutes of a loss to Boston on Tuesday, according to Dan Martin of The New York Post, who notes that the rookie guard was struggling defensively. However, Demin bounced back on Friday, hitting a big three-point shot in the fourth quarter to help Brooklyn secure an upset victory over the divisional rival Celtics, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “He played so hard, and that’s why he earned the right to be out there. And he showed composure,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said after Friday’s win.
Darko Rajakovic won just 25 and 30 games in his first two years as the Raptors‘ head coach, but he’s making an early case for Coach of the Year consideration this fall, contends Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. While Brandon Ingram‘s arrival and a deeper bench have been difference-makers for the 11-5 Raptors, Rajakovic deserves kudos for integrating Ingram – one of the NBA’s premier isolation scorers – into his “free-flowing” system and getting the most out of that bench, Lewenberg says.

Kelly Oubre To Miss At Least Two Weeks With LCL Sprain

November 19th, 2025 at 5:56pm CST by Eli Cohen

Kelly Oubre Jr. has been diagnosed with an LCL sprain in his left knee and will miss at least the next two weeks before being reevaluated by the Sixers, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic (via Twitter).

The fact that Oubre had sustained a lateral collateral ligament injury had been previously reported, but the severity of the ailment wasn’t known until now. According to Jones (Twitter link), there was concern that the injury would be more significant, so the relatively short timeline comes as something of a relief for the team.

Oubre missed the Sixers’ game on Monday, a win against the Clippers, after leaving Friday’s contest against the Pistons after just 15 minutes.

Oubre is in the midst of his highest scoring season since 2022/23, averaging 16.8 points in a career-high 34.8 minutes per game.

The Sixers have dealt with a series of injuries already this season, but recently welcomed Paul George back into the rotation following his recovery from offseason knee surgery. Trendon Watford has been one of the primary players stepping up in the absence of the team’s forwards, averaging a career-high 21.3 minutes per game while shooting 41.7% on three-pointers, also a career high.

Eastern Notes: Mathurin, Embiid, George, Ivey, Risacher

November 18th, 2025 at 10:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers’ losing streak stretched to eight games on Monday but there was a silver lining in their loss to the red-hot Pistons, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star points out. Bennedict Mathurin, who had missed 11 games due to a toe sprain, scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half.

Mathurin asserts that the team has the ability to turn things around.

“We’re 1-13 right now,” Mathurin said. “There’s teams in the NBA that have won 10 games in a row. Why can’t we be the team that wins 10 games in a row? It’s just about believing. It’s just about doing what’s right for our team. … People act like it’s the end of the world. If we were 1-57 I’d say maybe, but it’s 1-13. We’ve played 14 games. It’s not even 15% percent of the season, so I’m still positive, man.”

Center Isaiah Jackson feels the same way.

“I think energy is everything,” he said. “One guy gets going and it can give us a spark. I think that’s all you need. We’re just gonna continue to keep going.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Joel Embiid is listed as doubtful due to right knee injury management for the Sixers’ game against Toronto on Wednesday, Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice tweets. Paul George won’t play due to what the team describes as left knee injury recovery. Embiid hasn’t played since Nov. 8, while George made his season debut on Monday and played 21 minutes, in which he contributed nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a win over the Clippers. Wednesday’s game is the first of a back-to-back set, so George seems likely to suit up on Thursday.
The Pistons assigned guard Jaden Ivey to their G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, for conditioning purposes, their PR department tweets. A restricted free agent after this season, Ivey hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since New Year’s Day, when he suffered a fractured left fibula. He recovered from that injury over the offseason, but underwent right knee surgery during the preseason last month.
Hawks second-year forward Zaccharie Risacher missed his team’s game against the Pistons on Tuesday due to a left hip contusion but he should return soon, according to Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He suffered a nasty fall during a dunk attempt against the Suns on Sunday. Risacher’s legs swung up and he somersaulted and crashed to the floor, landing on his left side.

Sixers Notes: George, Embiid, Maxey, Edgecombe, Drummond

November 18th, 2025 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

Sixers forward Paul George was on a minutes restriction in his season debut on Monday vs. his former team (the Clippers) and said after the game that he “felt good,” per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. George, having recovered from offseason surgery on his left knee, returned to the starting lineup and had nine points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes of action.

“It felt great to finally play basketball again,” said George, who last suited up on March 4. “Been like eight months since I played, so it was a long journey. A lot of ups and downs, a lot of hiccups … but felt good to finally get out there, and I felt good. Rusty, but I felt good.”

As a result of George’s minutes restriction, he ended up sitting out most of the fourth quarter as the Sixers eked out a two-point victory in crunch time. According to Bontemps, the 35-year-old said after the game that a potential increase on that minutes limit would be based on his work with the team’s medical staff and how his body responds to playing again.

We have more on the 76ers:

Star center Joel Embiid missed a fourth straight game on Monday due to right knee soreness, but head coach Nick Nurse is optimistic that his absence won’t last much longer. “He’s OK, just not quite pain-free,” Nurse said, per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). “Still day to day. I think it’s getting better. I don’t think he’s far away from playing.”
With George and Embiid not fully available to open the season, the Sixers have been leaning heavily on guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe to generate offense. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, that has resulted in very heavy workloads for both Maxey (a league-leading 40.4 minutes per game) and Edgecombe (37.3 MPG). Nurse said on Monday that he has spoken to both players about the issue and that both insisted they’re comfortable with their high minutes totals. “They’re both on board,” the Sixers’ head coach said. “I said, ‘Whenever these (injured players) come back to help, we’re going to welcome them with open arms. But until that point, let’s stay focused on doing what needs to be done.”
With Embiid out and Adem Bona sidelined due to an ankle sprain, the Sixers are learning more heavily on Andre Drummond, who has started the team’s past four games and played at least 33 minutes in each of those contests. As Pompey writes, Drummond held his own against talented Clippers center Ivica Zubac on Monday, scoring 14 points and grabbing a season-high 18 rebounds. Interestingly, the two-time All-Star is also incorporating an outside shot into his game — he’s 7-of-17 on three-pointers this season after never having made more than five in a season prior to 2025/26.
In a mailbag for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pompey considers whether Embiid or George have any trade value and acknowledges that neither player would be a hot commodity on the trade market at the moment. However, Pompey believes that George, in particular, has a chance to rebuild his value if he can stay on the court for an extended stretch this season, since his health issues have been acute injuries that shouldn’t lead to chronic conditions.

Paul George Expected To Make Season Debut Monday

November 17th, 2025 at 12:13pm CST by Eli Cohen

Nov. 17: George is expected to make his season debut tonight, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.

Nov. 16: Paul George has been upgraded to questionable for the Sixers‘ game against the Clippers on Monday, relays Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (via Twitter).

George has missed the team’s first 12 games as he looks to return from offseason knee surgery, and this marks the first time he has been listed as questionable.

Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports reported earlier in the day that George was a full participant in the Sixers’ Sunday practice, as was Joel Embiid.

George, in his 16th year, is looking to bounce back from his least productive season since 2011/12, his first with the Sixers. He averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on .430/.358/.814 shooting splits in ’24/25.

The Sixers have gone 7-5 in George’s absence, despite Embiid appearing in just six games. Trendon Watford, who was a limited participant in today’s practice, is among the players who has filled in for George — Watford has started the past four games and is averaging 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest.

Sixers Notes: Oubre, Bona, George, Embiid, McCain

November 16th, 2025 at 1:41pm CST by Rory Maher

Sixers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. has been diagnosed with a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injury in his left knee after undergoing an MRI, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports. A formal update on Oubre’s condition likely won’t come until he meets with specialists to determine the severity of the injury, but he will miss Monday’s game against the Clippers, Neubeck adds.

It’s a disappointing setback for Oubre, who has been lauded by head coach Nick Nurse multiple times this season for his work on the defensive end.

Oubre, who turns 30 next month, sustained the injury in Friday’s loss to Detroit and did not return for the second half. The 11-year veteran is in the final year of his contract, which will pay him $8.4MM in 2025/26.

We have more from Philadelphia:

Adem Bona also suffered an injury — a right ankle sprain — against the Pistons and will miss the next three games prior to being reexamined on Friday, as Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports relays (Twitter link). The second-year big man has averaged 2.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks through 12 appearances (14.8 minutes per game).
While the team didn’t provide an official update on either player yet (that will come when the injury report is released at 4:00 pm Central time), Paul George (knee surgery recovery) and Joel Embiid (right knee soreness) were both full participants in Sunday’s practice, according to Neubeck (Twitter link). George was wearing a blue jersey on Sunday, which indicates he was working with rotation members during practice, notes Tony Jones of The Athletic (via Twitter)
Second-year guard Jared McCain was assigned to the Delaware Blue Coats on Thursday and played a couple of games with the 76ers’ affiliate before being recalled on Sunday. Although he didn’t play particularly well in his first game with the Blue Coats (10 points on 3-of-10 shooting), he looked more comfortable on Saturday, finishing with 15 points (on 6-of-13 shooting) and six assists in 20 minutes. “I’m getting back to my normal self,” McCain said, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “You know, I’m getting used to playing without the brace, just a smaller little thing on my [left] leg. But I feel a lot better, just getting to play up and down and get a breather in.” McCain has only made three brief NBA appearances this fall after missing nearly 11 months of action due to knee and thumb injuries.

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