NBA Atlantic

The scorching-hot Boston Celtics earned their eighth straight win by virtue of a 126-101 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday evening.

Despite missing Marcus Smart (ankle), Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring) and Robert Williams III (knee), the Celtics shot 54.5 percent from the field and 21-of-46 from three-point range. They had more than twice as many assists (29) as turnovers (14). Seven players scored at least 14 points, with Jaylen Brown pacing the team with 22.

The Celtics' performance is more impressive when considering that superstar Jayson Tatum struggled from the field (6-of-19) en route to his 19 points, although he did finish with a starter-high plus-28 rating. But the Hawks had no answer for the Celtics defense, which held Atlanta to 7-of-32 three-point shooting.

Boston also had plenty of unsung heroes on a deep roster that had no problem against a Hawks team that was third in the Eastern Conference entering Wednesday.

Derrick White entered the starting lineup and dropped 16 points and 10 assists. Grant Williams scored 18 points.

Reserves Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet each scored 15 points and combined to shoot 12-of-13, with the former player hitting all but one of his six three-pointers. The Celtics also outscored the Hawks by 35 with Hauser on the floor. Payton Pritchard added 14 more points off the bench too.

Overall, Boston delivered a masterpiece, and Twitter recognized the team's efforts with a focus on its deep and talented roster.

Deepest Celtics team of my lifetime. I’m having a good time this season!

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 17, 2022

Boston Celtics domination. Love this team. Next man up and everyone contributes. 🍀

— Jason Romano (@JasonRomano) November 17, 2022

Celtics are just a complete masterclass in team-building since Stevens took over. What a ridiculously good roster. Missing 4 rotation players, including 3 of their top 7, and still rampaging through a good team on the road.

— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) November 17, 2022

Tatum and Brown are just a combined 10-29 FG. The way the role players and bench are stepping up tonight to keep the Celtics up is ASTOUNDING. This team is deep....and this also --- all without Rob. #bleedgreen

— Amina Smith (@aminajadeTV) November 17, 2022

#Celtics bench has been phenomenal, yes, but the perimeter defense from the team as a whole will likely win them this game. The #Hawks have had nothing going from behind the arc in this one

— Owen Crisafulli (@O_Cris3) November 17, 2022

The Bucks have lost to the Hawks twice this season
The Boston Celtics are beating them by 20 in the fourth
-No Marcus Smart or Timelord
-Neither of the stars scored more than 25 pic.twitter.com/co6tbUq8Cs

— WorldOfCeltics (@WorldOfCeltics) November 17, 2022

The Celtics are missing their two point guards. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are a combined 6 for 17 from the field. As a team, they're still scoring 122.6 points per 100 possessions so far tonight, per @cleantheglass. This offense has been relentless.

— Jay King (@ByJayKing) November 17, 2022

Unselfish ball movement makes my heart sing 😍😍😍

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) November 17, 2022

The Celtics might be the deepest team in the league this season.

— JT Muse (@TatumMuse) November 17, 2022

The Hawks are a good team. The Nuggets are a good team. The Grizzlies are a good team. It simply doesn’t matter. The Celtics are just better

— Stephen St🏀ne (@StephenRStone) November 17, 2022

The Celtics are so good.

— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) November 17, 2022

The Celtics will look for their ninth straight win when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving, who is currently suspended for promoting an antisemitic film on social media and failing to denounce antisemitism when given multiple chances to do so, may return to the team for Sunday's home game against the Memphis Grizzlies, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Per that report, Irving will miss Thursday's road contest against the Portland Trail Blazers, which will be his eighth consecutive game on the sidelines. He was initially suspended for at least five games, but Wojnarowski reported the point guard is "nearing completion" of the requirements set for his return.

Wojnarowski explained that Irving eventually apologized with a message on his Instagram account after he was suspended, but it "came in the wake of two news conferences and a public statement issued with the Nets that didn't include an apology or a condemnation."

Brooklyn released a list of tasks for the Duke product to accomplish before any return:

Sources: Nets have delivered Kyrie Irving six items he must complete to return to team:

- Apologize/condemn movie
- $500K donation to anti-hate causes
- Sensitivity training
- Antisemitic training
- Meet with ADL, Jewish leaders
- Meet with Joe Tsai to demonstrate understanding

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 6, 2022

National Basketball Players Association executive director Tamika Tremaglio suggested that Irving is nearing the completion of the process:

"Kyrie is continuing his journey of dialogue and education. He has been grappling with the full weight of the impact of his voice and actions, particularly in the Jewish community. Kyrie rejects Antisemitism in any form, and he's dedicated to bettering himself and increasing his level of understanding. He plans to continue this journey well into the future to ensure that his words and actions align with his pursuit of truth and knowledge."

Wojnarowski noted NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Nets governor Joe Tsai each recently said they do not believe the point guard holds antisemitic beliefs after meeting with him, however, Silver also said, "Whether or not he is antisemitic is not relevant to the damage caused by the posting of hateful content."

While Marc Stein reported the NBPA may look to file a grievance at some point if a return date for Irving cannot be finalized, it seems like he will rejoin the Nets after their four-game road trip ends Thursday.

The team is 2-6 with him and 4-3 without him this season, although it struggled mightily the last time out during an ugly 153-121 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.

The defense looked lost throughout the game against the Kings, and the Nets appeared to be nowhere close to being a true contender. Their position in the standings suggests that as well considering they are 6-9 and sitting in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.

It seems like Brooklyn will have one of its key pieces back in the near future, though, as it looks to turn its season around.

The Boston Celtics have started 11-3 under interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, and it appears inevitable that he'll eventually be given the full-time title.

"Everything is aligned and in place for Joe Mazzulla to be the long-term coach for the Boston Celtics except for one thing: Ime Udoka is technically still the head coach of the Boston Celtics, on suspension," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said on Wednesday's SportsCenter. "But for all intents and purposes, he has coached his last game in Boston. This is uncharted territory, certainly."

With Udoka serving a minimum one-year suspension from the Celtics for a number of violations, including having an improper workplace relationship,

Udoka was reportedly a candidate to be hired by the Brooklyn Nets earlier in November after the team fired Steve Nash, though the team instead promoted interim head coach Jacque Vaughn.

Per ESPN's Nick Friedell and Wojnarowski, "The Nets backed off an initial plan to hire Udoka based on several factors, including a prolonged antisemitism controversy with Kyrie Irving coupled with the impending disruption that would've come with the hiring of Udoka in the aftermath of his suspension in Boston for an improper relationship with a female subordinate."

Had the Nets hired Udoka, appointing Mazzulla the long-term head coach would have been simple enough. Instead, the team will have to either fire Udoka or wait for another team to hire him.

Both men have had success in the role. Udoka led the Celtics to the NBA Finals last season in his first year on the job. Mazzulla has picked up where he left off, with the Celtics holding the best record in basketball thus far this season.

Given the early success the Celtics have had under Mazzulla, any concerns about growing pains on the job have likely been alleviated. When Udoka was suspended, the Celtics had the luxury of giving Mazzulla an extended trial period under the interim tag to see how he would handle the position.

The early returns have been nothing but positive.

The Ben Simmons experiment with the Brooklyn Nets is off to a dreadful start, with members of the organization starting to get frustrated with the three-time All-Star.

Per The Athletic's Shams Charania and Sam Amick, frustration around Simmons has "been building in recent weeks" with coaches and teammates "concerned about his availability and level of play, with some questioning his passion for the game."

Simmons was reportedly a key subject during a players-only meeting following the Nets' 125-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 29:

"Sources with direct knowledge of the meeting, but who were granted anonymity so that they could speak freely say that in that meeting, Markieff Morris—a veteran leader on these Nets—spoke up in front of all of his teammates about how they need Simmons to succeed and that he has to respond when he deals with adversity on the court. Those sources all described a meeting where Simmons appeared to take Morris’ words in stride and was responsive and attentive throughout."

Charania and Amick noted Nets team officials and teammates are "in regular contact with Simmons about how to make him comfortable."

Things have been a mess in Brooklyn going back to the offseason, when Kevin Durant wanted to be traded if general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash weren't fired.

Even though neither one was let go at that time, Nash parted ways with the Nets on Nov. 1 following a 2-5 start this season.

Kyrie Irving is still serving a suspension after promoting a film containing antisemitic tropes and misinformation and refusing to condemn antisemitism in subsequent press conferences. He did issue an apology to all "Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post" on Nov. 3.

On the court, Simmons has been one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA thus far. The 26-year-old is only averaging 5.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 26.6 minutes per game. All of those are on pace to be career-low totals for him.

Simmons missed four consecutive games from Oct. 31 to Nov. 5 with left knee soreness. He has come off the bench in each of his past four games since returning to the lineup Nov. 7.

Tuesday's 153-121 loss to the Sacramento Kings marked the first time all season Simmons has scored at least 10 points in a game (11). He's only attempted 17 free throws in 10 appearances.

It was reasonable to expect some level of rust from Simmons to start this season. He missed the entire 2021-22 campaign because of mental health issues and back injuries that required microdiscectomy surgery in May.

The Nets acquired Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers as part of a package for James Harden on Feb. 10. He was expected to add playmaking to their offense and boost their defensive presence.

Instead, the Nets find themselves in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 6-9 record. They rank in the bottom half of the NBA in offensive and defensive rating, per Basketball Reference.

Jalen Brunson scored 25 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 118-111 road win over the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena on Tuesday night.

Brunson was the main addition during a Knicks offseason that also included heavily rumored trade talks with the Jazz for Donovan Mitchell, who ended up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also tallied eight assists, three rebounds and three steals in Tuesday's victory.

"We stuck together for four quarters," Brunson told reporters. "When they made a run, we just looked at each other and said, 'It's time to tighten it up,' and just kept fighting."

Jalen Brunson tonight vs the Jazz:

25 PTS, 3 REB, 8 AST, 3 STL

Knicks got the W on the road. pic.twitter.com/SywnlMffdx

— NBA (@NBA) November 16, 2022

The 26-year-old Villanova product has been the team's most consistent performer during an up-and-down 7-7 start to the 2022-23 NBA season. He's averaged 19.9 points, 6.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals while playing in all 14 games.

Here's a look at some social-media reaction to his latest strong showing against Utah, a team he also fared well against during his time with the Dallas Mavericks:

Jalen Brunson still owns the Jazz pic.twitter.com/fmrxN9EPOo

— Brunson Is Better 🍉 Anyone But Cuomo 🙏🏽 (@Runs0nFumes) November 16, 2022

Jalen Brunson really does not like the Jazz

— Dylan Backer (@DylanBackerESM) November 16, 2022

Jalen Brunson reminding the jazz he still owns them.

— . (@redpillsblue) November 16, 2022

Jalen Brunson loves cooking the Jazz. Goodness gracious

— Jake Hatch (Yawk) Utah Hockey Club Aficionado (@JacobCHatch) November 16, 2022

Jalen Brunson has added his name to the “Jazz Killer” list.

— Jason Shepherd (@jsnshep) November 16, 2022

Busting The Jazz’s Ass Power Rankings:

1. Michael Jordan
2. Vernon Maxwell
3. Jalen Brunson

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 16, 2022

Jalen Brunson is the opposite of a stat padder. His 20 point games feel like 40 point games.

Every bucket he scores feels very important.

— NYKTerry (@NykTerry) November 16, 2022

Jalen Brunson took over the fourth after the Obi/Quickley duo got the team momentum to open the quarter. #Knicks were grinding and got a rare win in Utah.

— Alan Hahn (@alanhahn) November 16, 2022

Jalen Brunson has been worth every penny the Knicks paid him so far this season

— Board Man Takes (0-0) (@BoardTakes) November 16, 2022

Jalen Brunson is a real deal pg. Big Knicks W.

— Sam Morril (@sammorril) November 16, 2022

Brunson was one of six Knicks players to reach double figures in scoring as part of a well-rounded offensive attack. The others were Cam Reddish (19 points), RJ Barrett (18), Julius Randle (15), Immanuel Quickley (13) and Jericho Sims (11).

"I think we just had more of a sense of urgency," Randle said. "Guys came in prepared today and were ready to go. Got a great win."

Kelly Olynyk paced the Jazz with 27 points and 11 rebounds, marking his first double-double performance of the campaign. Lauri Markkanen chipped in 13 points, six boards and four dimes as Utah dropped to 10-6.

This season's second meeting between the teams won't take place until Feb. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Knicks are right back in action Wednesday night as they continue a five-game road trip with a visit to Ball Arena to take on the Denver Nuggets.

The current iteration of the Brooklyn Nets has been at the center of intense scrutiny and plenty of turmoil, though Ben Simmons is trying to focus on his love for basketball rather than everything else that accompanies life in the NBA.

"I love the game. Do I like all the bulls--t around it? No," he told reporters on Tuesday. "But I love the game and it comes with it. ... It is what it is. I love playing basketball and I love to work. Not every day's gonna be perfect. Everyone has down days; but that's life."

Simmons, in particular, said that he didn't want to let his own adversity—such as the mental health issues and back injury that kept him out of action for all of last season, or his struggles to start the 2022-23 campaign—rob him of the joy of playing.

"It's a roller coaster. You have good days. You have bad days,” he told reporters. "But it's life, too. So you've just got to stick with it."

The 26-year-old Simmons has had a tough return to the court, fouling out of two of his first three games of the season while dealing with a knee injury that's kept him off the court for six games.

His lack of offensive aggression—he's averaging just 5.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists and just five shots attempts per game—and his inability to space the floor have been issues for the Nets, and interim head coach Jacque Vaughn has opted against starting Simmons with center Nic Claxton, another non-shooter.

"It's tough because he's such a talented player. How do you correct it? That's a psychological issue. Forget about basketball." #Nets

-@JimJackson419 discusses what's gone wrong with Ben Simmons

Jim's full appearance: https://t.co/v07N4Y1XSs pic.twitter.com/SJN0QAXqoU

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) November 15, 2022

Instead, Simmons has been coming off the bench for the Nets, a disappointing outcome for a player who's supposed to be the third star behind Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. That has set Simmons up for criticism from fans and pundits, though he's trying to tune out the external noise.

"Yeah, I don't think you could fully shut it out," he said. "It's one of those things where you take certain things, certain information. But at the same time, I know who I'm going to listen to and talk to. And then on top of that, it's day by day: Everyone's going to have certain expectations of me. Obviously mine are probably higher than everyone else's, which they should be. But I know it's going take time to get back to where I was. And I’m OK with that."

It's less ideal for the Nets, who have started 6-8 amidst Simmons' struggles and yet another Irving controversy. But the power forward is trying to take the adversity in stride.

New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett was benched during Sunday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and reflected on the experience.

"I think it’s time [to sit] when you’re fouling enough," Barrett said, per Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post. "It falls on me for sure because I was guarding Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], and he got me into some foul trouble. And that's not good. I got to do a better job of not fouling."

The Duke product finished with four points and four fouls on 2-of-10 shooting from the field in the 145-135 defeat.

Gilgeous-Alexander posted 37 points, eight assists, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks in a dominant performance.

The 22-year-old Barrett has been better than his most recent showing for much of this season and is averaging 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

He steadily increased his scoring output across his first three NBA seasons after the Knicks selected him with the third pick in the 2019 draft. He averaged 14.3 points as a rookie, and that number was up to 20.0 last year.

Barrett's 2021-22 season came to a slightly premature end when he suffered a knee injury in the team's penultimate game.

The Duke product otherwise has remained mostly durable over his first three years in New York, playing in 198 of a possible 220 games.

Immanuel Quickley would likely see more playing time if Barrett was benched more as the season progresses, but the latter figures to retain a crucial role as the Knicks look to bounce back from missing the playoffs last season.

Kyrie Irving's team-issued suspension will continue through at least Tuesday's game against the Sacramento Kings.

ESPN's Nick Friedell reported the Brooklyn Nets said the point guard will miss his seventh consecutive game.

Brooklyn initially suspended him on Nov. 3 because he promoted an antisemitic film on his social media accounts and then failed to disavow antisemitism on multiple occasions in the aftermath.

The Nets also generated a list of things Irving had to accomplish before he could return to the court:

Sources: Nets have delivered Kyrie Irving six items he must complete to return to team:

- Apologize/condemn movie
- $500K donation to anti-hate causes
- Sensitivity training
- Antisemitic training
- Meet with ADL, Jewish leaders
- Meet with Joe Tsai to demonstrate understanding

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 6, 2022

It is notable he will not play Tuesday, considering Marc Stein reported "word is Irving is itching to get back on the floor and there have been rumbles for days that the National Basketball Players Association, at some stage, could move to file a grievance on Irving's behalf if the various parties involved can't reach a resolution on a return timetable."

Whether a grievance is eventually filed remains to be seen, but Irving met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who said the Duke product isn't antisemitic.

Nets governor Joe Tsai also tweeted that "it's clear" the point guard "does not have any beliefs of hate towards Jewish people or any group" after a meeting, adding the two sides will continue "working constructively toward a process of forgiveness, healing and education."

Brooklyn was just 2-6 on the season in eight games with Irving at the time of the suspension.

Since the punishment, the team is 4-2 with him sidelined. While it still remains on the outside of the early Eastern Conference playoff picture at 6-8 overall, it has taken strides on the floor without the seven-time All-Star.

The Boston Celtics apparently didn't go above and beyond to get a new contract finalized with Grant Williams before the Oct. 17 deadline for rookie-scale contract extensions.

HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported the team "never offered more than $50 million guaranteed over four years." Scotto previously reported in October the 6'6" forward was believed to be wanting a deal paying him $12-14 million annually.

Williams is now due to hit restricted free agency in the offseason. That allows the Celtics to match any offer sheet he signs, but they may not utilize that luxury when the moment arrives.

According to Scotto, Boston might balk if Williams is handed a deal worth $18 million or more from another team.

The 23-year-old is off to a strong start. Through 12 games, he's averaging 9.5 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 60.9 percent from the field and 50.0 percent on three-pointers. The Celtics have been 5.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court, per NBA.com.

Based on Scotto's reporting, the front office may not view Williams as an irreplaceable member of the rotation. The payroll moving forward is undoubtedly a factor in that calculus.

The Celtics are on track to have $149.5 million committed in 2023-24, per Spotrac, with the salary cap expected to come in at $134 million. Their cap commitment in 2024-25 falls to $111.4 million, but the figure will easily surpass $140 million if they re-sign Jaylen Brown.

Considering Williams might be playing his way into as much as $20 million on his next contract, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens could be facing a dilemma.

Williams is providing great depth in the frontcourt, and he's an ideal complementary piece for a roster built around Brown and Jayson Tatum. But the money that's required to keep him around might be better spent elsewhere when Stevens is looking at the bigger picture.

Kyrie Irving has not yet been reinstated by the Brooklyn Nets, which could lead to an intervention from the players' union, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.

"Word is Irving is itching to get back on the floor and there have been rumbles for days that the National Basketball Players Association, at some stage, could move to file a grievance on Irving's behalf if the various parties involved can’t reach a resolution on a return timetable," Stein wrote.

Irving was suspended by the team for a minimum of five games for his failure to disavow antisemitism after sharing an antisemitic film on social media. The Nets also provided a list of tasks for the veteran guard before he can return to the team:

Sources: Nets have delivered Kyrie Irving six items he must complete to return to team:

- Apologize/condemn movie
- $500K donation to anti-hate causes
- Sensitivity training
- Antisemitic training
- Meet with ADL, Jewish leaders
- Meet with Joe Tsai to demonstrate understanding

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 6, 2022

Irving has now been out for six games, with head coach Jacque Vaughn confirming that the guard would not return for last Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Irving met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who said he had a "direct and candid conversation" with the player. He also met with team governor Joe Tsai.

Clara and I met with Kyrie and his family yesterday. We spent quality time to understand each other and it’s clear to me that Kyrie does not have any beliefs of hate towards Jewish people or any group.

— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) November 11, 2022

The 30-year-old still has yet to return to the team, which could lead to action from the NBPA.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, the NBPA's vice president, told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe last week that he believed the steps to return were too harsh:

He made a mistake. He posted something. There was no distinction. Maybe we can move forward, but the terms in which he has to fulfill to return, I think not just speaking for me, speaking as a vice president from a lot of our players, we didn’t agree with the terms that was required for him to come back and we’re waiting for this Tuesday meeting to happen to see what comes of it.

NBPA president CJ McCollum had said it was important that Irving apologized and hoped it could be a "learning experience."

The players association will keep a close eye on the situation as the seven-time All-Star looks to return to the floor.