Hoops Rumors

Neemias Queta has seen an increased role this season, but Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla turned to two other big men after a sluggish first half at Washington Friday night, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. The first was Luke Kornet, who replaced Queta in the starting lineup for the second half. He responded with a 3-for-3 shooting night and a few hustle plays that had his teammates … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Kornet, Tillman, Mazzulla, Brogdon, NBA Cup

Free agent forward Oshae Brissett joined his former Celtics teammates for Thursday’s visit to the White House, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Brissett was part of the 2024 championship team after signing a two-year contract with a $2.58MM player option in the summer of 2023. He declined that option over the offseason in hopes of getting a better offer from another team, but … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Brissett, Grousbeck, Porzingis, Tillman

Sixers All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey explained his thinking behind some of the comments he made during a team meeting on Monday, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Philadelphia had fallen to a 2-11 record after losing to the Heat and former Sixers star small forward Jimmy Butler. Maxey reportedly called out All-NBA Philadelphia center Joel Embiid for tardiness issues and … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Maxey, Brown, Tatum, Knicks, Barnes

The Nets have been competitive thus far, in large part due to their remaining veterans. A source tells Brian Lewis of the New York Post (subscription required) that it may not last for long. The Nets are pointing toward the future and next June’s rich draft, in which they control four first-rounders. They might start a fire sale sooner than later. “It’s kind of a perfect storm … [Read more...] about Eastern Notes: Nets, Rivers, Embiid, Queta

The Sixers hold the NBA’s second-worst record at 2-10, only one game ahead of the Raptors for last place in the league. They rank last in the league in scoring, rebounding, assists and shooting. Amid the early season struggles, they’ve had some bright spots like rookie Jared McCain‘s strong play and Guerschon Yabusele‘s return to the league. This version of the Sixers wasn’t … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Sixers’ Struggles, Embiid, Drummond, Porzingis, Tillman

Kristaps Porzingis continues to make progress after offseason surgery on his left leg and there’s hope that he might be able to return soon, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Porzingis underwent a procedure for a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in late June after the NBA Finals ended and was projected to miss five-to-six months. He appears … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Holiday, Mazzulla, Scheierman

The Sixers fell to 2-9 on Wednesday with their loss to the Cavaliers, but rookie Jared McCain continued to be a bright spot for his team. The Duke product scored career highs of 34 points and 10 assists in the loss, making six of his 13 three-point attempts. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer observes, McCain’s 34 points were the most by a rookie in a game this season … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: McCain, Bona, Quickley, Pritchard

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who is recovering from a right hamstring strain, has resumed on-court work and will be reevaluated early next week, the team announced today (Twitter link via Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer). When Maxey’s hamstring injury was confirmed last Thursday, the team said he’d be reevaluated in one week, while reporting from Shams Charania of ESPN … [Read more...] about Atlantic Notes: Maxey, Raptors, Bridges, Celtics

The Celtics‘ hopes of stacking an NBA Cup title on top of last season’s championship got off to a rocky start Tuesday night, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Jaylen Brown blamed a lack of focus as Boston squandered a 15-point second half lead while losing at home against Atlanta. “I think mentally we were careless tonight,” he said. “We expected to win. Too careless and it … [Read more...] about Celtics Notes: NBA Cup, Tatum, Paint Problems, Mazzulla