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The New York Knicks fell to the Dallas Mavericks 121-100 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden to drop to 10-13 on the season, and while head coach Tom Thibodeau has been receiving plenty of criticism, Jalen Brunson was quick to defend him.

"I know he's going to get a lot of the blame. It's on us. We're the players out there battling. His job is to put us in positions, which he's done," Brunson said while meeting with the media after the loss, per SNY.

After trailing by 15 points in the second quarter, the Mavericks bounced back with a brilliant second-half performance to hand the Knicks their fourth straight loss at home, which has seemingly become a house of horrors for Thibodeau's squad.

The Knicks were outscored by the Mavs 41-15 in the third quarter. At one point, Dallas went on a 29-5 run, so Thibodeau called multiple timeouts to try and slow their progress, but it didn't work as New York entered the fourth quarter down by 19 points.

With the game seemingly over early in the fourth quarter, Thibodeau opted to empty his bench to give his starters some rest before Sunday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Brunson finished with just 13 points, two rebounds and three assists, while R.J. Barrett finished with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal. Additionally, Julius Randle finished the game with 24 points—with only three points coming after halftime—five rebounds and three assists.

It was a disappointing offensive performance from the Knicks, conceding 19 turnovers and grabbing just seven offensive rebounds. For comparison, the Mavericks had double the amount of offensive rebounds as the Knicks failed to control the glass.

The Knicks are now 4-6 in their last 10 games and are a disappointing 4-7 at home this season. If they're going to turn things around, it's going to have to start with getting better at home.

The Dallas Mavericks embarrassed the New York Knicks 121-100 on Saturday in Madison Square Garden.

New York led 32-20 after the first quarter and once held a 15-point advantage, but the Mavs destroyed the Knicks from that moment forward. They outscored New York 41-15 in the third quarter and led by as many as 32 points.

Luka Doncic guided the Mavs with 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. hit eight of the Mavs' 24 three-pointers en route to 28 points. Both players outscored the Knicks by themselves in the third quarter.

Tim Hardaway Jr. (17 points) also outscored the Knicks in the third quarter. https://t.co/VB5L3i5dAN

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 3, 2022

Spencer Dinwiddie fell just short of a triple-double with 17 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. Their production was more than enough on an afternoon where the Mavs played without Christian Wood (illness).

Julius Randle led the Knicks with 24 points, while Immanuel Quickley scored 23 off the bench. Jalen Brunson, who played against his old team for the first time since leaving the Mavs in free agency last offseason, had 13 points and three assists.

The Knicks played an eerily similar game earlier this season in a 112-99 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 2.

New York led 32-21 after the first quarter but fell apart in the third, where the Hawks outscored the Knicks 32-10. Atlanta led by as many as 19 before the 13-point win.

This game was even worse, though, and now the Knicks have fallen to 10-13, including 4-7 at home. They entered last offseason with the intent to compete this year, but New York, which began the day in 11th place within the Eastern Conference, doesn't look like it'll even make the playoffs at this juncture thanks largely to a porous defense.

NBA and Knicks Twitter called out the team's bewildering effort, with some pointing the finger at head coach Tom Thibodeau and the team's offensive game plan alongside the sheer disappointment of the loss and the team's season thus far.

I'm just gonna say it. This game encapsulates all the reasons the Knicks need a new coach. And if you tell me this just because Tim Hardaway Jr. and the Mavs got hot from 3, you don't understand what you're watching

— Ariel (@APachecoNBA) December 3, 2022

This should be the last game Thibodeau coaches for the Knicks. We’ve seen enough.

Someone will pop in and explain why this isn’t all his fault or how flawed the roster is, which misses the point. This team isn’t supposed to compete for a title. But they need a new voice, period.

— Frank Barrett (@FrankBarrett119) December 3, 2022

Never betting a knicks player again lmfao that team is poverty

— Alex (@Alex94221937) December 3, 2022

Knicks are about to fall to 10-13 in a season where the front office was looking to win

— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) December 3, 2022

Such a smart idea for the Knicks (last in the league in 3PT%) to have a three-point shootout with the Mavs.

NYK are lacking paint touches, not to mention the ball-movement is stagnant + too much dribbling. What is Thibs telling his team?

— Jake Brown (@JakeBr0wn) December 3, 2022

This is now officially embarrassing for the Knicks. And Donovan Mitchell arrives tomorrow.

— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) December 3, 2022

BLOW IT UP @nyknicks

— Blames (@blames_) December 3, 2022

Knicks stay being an atrocious 3rd quarter team. Says something.

— ShwinnyPooh, Hukporti island resident (@shwinnypooh) December 3, 2022

WTF happened in the Knicks game…. I left we’re up 5 I come back we’re down 30 pic.twitter.com/nt8UCaTSoJ

— Knicks in 4 (@Y2JA2) December 3, 2022

This is going to be without a doubt the most embarrassing loss of the season. AND TOM THIBODEAU WILL STILL HAVE A JOB TOMORROW

— Let’s Talk Knicks (LTK) (@LetsTalkKnicks_) December 3, 2022

The Knicks go away from attacking the paint after the first quarter and try to outshoot a good shooting team and you can probably guess what’s gonna happen.

— Kazeem Famuyide 🇳🇬 🍎 (@Kazeem) December 3, 2022

Not a surprise that the Knicks roster is not built to win now but this sort of performance...outscored 41-15 in the third, outrebounded by undersized Mavs.

— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) December 3, 2022

The #knicks deserve those boos.

— Michael K-B (@therealmikekb) December 3, 2022

https://twitter.com/AshNicoleMoss/status/1599125328105873408

Honestly, this is the best thing to happen, long-term. I was scared when @IanBegley reported that there would be no tanking (whatever Dolan or the Knicks FO thinks "tanking" means). Whoever's in charge has to understand that they aren't close to any kind of contention.

— Joseph Flynn (@chinajoeflynn.bsky.social) (@ChinaJoeFlynn) December 3, 2022

New York will stay home to host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant was fined $35,000 for directing inappropriate language toward an official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner after being ejected from Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Morant was ejected with 1:22 remaining in the game, just seconds after teammate Dillon Brooks sent to the locker room. After the game, the All-Star guard took to social media to cast some blame on the officiating crew for its inappropriate language.

Ja Morant’s reaction to being ejected on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/1ouQwBhwSj

— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) December 1, 2022

Morant has not gone into detail to explain what the official said to him. Earlier this month, Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie accused official Tony Brothers of calling him a "b---h ass motherf--ker" during a game.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported the NBA forced Brothers to miss a game assignment as a result of the incident. The league never announced a punishment for Brothers because it was not a formal suspension.

While the NBA has taken a hard line on issuing punishment to players who disrespect officials, it would behoove the league to keep the same energy with referees. If Morant says an official directed profanity at him, it's only reasonable the NBA looks into the matter and then announces the result of the investigation publicly.

Allowing officials to make inappropriate comments to players unchecked will only further damage the sometimes-fraught relationship between the two parties.

Draymond Green said he appreciated a fan's pledge to match the $25,000 fine the Golden State Warriors forward received after the two had a verbal back and forth during the Warriors' game against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.

"You don't see that happen," Green told reporters of the "cool gesture" made by Alykhan Rehmatullah, the Mavericks fan who jawed with Green.

Rehmatullah identified himself as the fan and said he would donate $25,000 to a charity of Green's choice:

@Money23Green I’m the guy you yelled at. Shouldn’t be like that, we were just having fun.

I’ll match the $25k to your favorite charity, or @nbacares, your call lmk! 🙏🏽 https://t.co/EdAUH3h51z

— Alykhan Rehmatullah (@AlykhanR) December 2, 2022

Green said he planned on reaching out to Rehmatullah and that the money "should help someone's kid."

Rehmatullah told ESPN's Kendra Andrews that he was not offended by Green's obscene language.

"Because of that, we can make light of the situation, do some good, make a donation," Rehmatullah said. "Make it charitable. ... [Fan decorum] is a sensitive topic, but it's not always as controversial as it's made out to be."

Thanks to Rehmatullah's donation, this player-fan interaction will result in money going toward a good cause.

The Chicago Bulls and center Nikola Vučević have reportedly made little progress on a potential contract extension.

"I think right now with Vučević, those talks on an extension have not really gained any traction," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said Friday.

Vučević is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He's making $22 million in the final year of his four-year, $100 million contract originally signed with the Orlando Magic.

An All-Star in two of his final three years in Orlando, Vučević has struggled to maintain that high level of play with the Bulls. He's averaging 16.0 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists over his first 22 appearances this season. The scoring output is his lowest since 2016-17, and his 12.9 shot attempts per game are his lowest since 2013-14.

“I really don’t think about it too much,” Vučević said of his contract status, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “I think the front office kind of wants to see how everything goes this season before they make decisions. That’s part of it.

“If I was younger, I might think about it more. But now I just play and see what happens. It also helps that I’ve been doing this for so long that teams know what I do, how good I am, what I bring to the table. In my mind, I don’t think this year is going to change the perception people have of me. You just play and things take care of themselves usually.”

Should the Bulls decide to not re-sign Vučević, it would be an admission of failure from the front office. Chicago gave up Wendell Carter Jr. and two future first-round picks, including a 2023 selection that's only protected in picks 1-4. With the Bulls sitting at a disappointing 9-13, it's possible they'll be giving up a high lottery pick next summer for a player who won't even be on their roster.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Vučević. ESPN's Zach Lowe reported the Lakers have had internal conversations about potentially trading for Vučević and DeMar DeRozan. That scenario would require a desire from the Bulls front office to rebuild the roster, given Russell Westbrook and future first-round picks is all the Lakers have to offer in trade packages.

It's an unlikely scenario, but Vučević's status bears monitoring.

The Los Angeles Lakers opened their six-game Eastern Conference road trip on a high note, taking down the Milwaukee Bucks 133-129 at Fiserv Forum on Friday to improve to 9-12 on the 2022-23 season.

The victory was fueled by Anthony Davis, who posted 44 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 40 minutes. He made 18 of 27 shots from the floor and two of his three shots from deep.

LeBron James was also key in the victory. He posted 28 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and two steals in 37 minutes. He made 12 of 27 shots from the floor and three of his six shots from deep.

Russell Westbrook had a solid game off the bench, finishing with 15 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in 29 minutes. However, it was the performances of Davis and James that sent Twitter into a frenzy:

Not only was the Best game that I’ve seen AD, Bron and Russ play together in a Lakers uniform but it also was their most Impressive win!!! Carry the hell on…

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) December 3, 2022

This AD tonite is an MVP candidate. He was the best player on the court even with 2 guys with 6 regular season mvp awards and 5 finals mvps. Go argue with homies. I’m busy celebrating #LakerNation #lakerswin

— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) December 3, 2022

Easily the win of the season, the Lakers triumph 133-129 on the road against Milwaukee in a game that always finds a way to be a measuring stick. AD with 44 points and 10 rebounds. LeBron with 28p, 11a, 8r. Russ with 15p, 11a, 7r. Great effort highlighting the best of the stars.

— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) December 3, 2022

https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1598875158596308992

https://twitter.com/drewberinger/status/1598875142670942208

What an absolutely awesome NBA game we have in our hands here.

AD going blow for blow with Giannis, and LeBron having one of the best games anyone in Year 20 has ever had.

— nick wright (@getnickwright) December 3, 2022

LeBron, AD, and Giannis put on a show!

— Matthew J. Lenix (@StarConscience) December 3, 2022

Back. I declared it. What a performance by AD and LeBron. Russ played awesome as well.

— Jake Stevenson (@JakeStevenson38) December 3, 2022

Best win of the season for the Lakers. LeBron, AD and Westbrook all played well.

— Tyler Dragon (@TheTylerDragon) December 3, 2022

The Lakers have now won seven of their last nine games and appear to be trending upward. If they can continue to claim victories on this road trip, they could be back in the playoff picture.

The Purple and Gold will be back in action Sunday against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena before facing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James passed basketball legend Magic Johnson for sixth all-time on the NBA's career assists list in Friday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.

No. 6 at No. 6

LeBron has passed Magic Johnson for No. 6 on the NBA’s all-time assists list. pic.twitter.com/51wSNXSzmH

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 3, 2022

LeBron Passes Magic on the NBA's All-Time Assists List pic.twitter.com/Rai1m8o1QB

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 3, 2022

James entered the night with 10,133 dimes, eight behind Johnson's career mark of 10,141. He tied Magic's mark with a pass to Anthony Davis for a layup early in the fourth quarter before later finding AD on a three-pointer to pass the Laker legend.

With this pass, LeBron James has tied Magic Johnson for 6th all-time in career assists.

Watch live on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/pTyJGP4Ykq

— NBA (@NBA) December 3, 2022

LeBron James has officially passed Magic Johnson for the 6th most assists of all-time.

History for the 👑 pic.twitter.com/tE5s3gSqSg

— NBA (@NBA) December 3, 2022

James finished the evening with 11 assists alongside 28 points and eight rebounds to help lead the Lakers to a 133-129 win.

The 20-year NBA veteran, who turns 38 on Dec. 30, entered the night averaging 25.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game.

The superstar is near the top of many NBA career lists, including points scored and field goals made (both second), minutes played (third) and steals (10th).

As far as the assists list goes, James could easily find himself fourth all-time before the 2022-23 season ends. Steve Nash is fourth with 10,335 assists, while Mark Jackson is in fifth with just one fewer dish.

James and the Lakers will now head to Washington, D.C., to face the Wizards on Sunday at Capital One Arena.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will be sidelined the next two games after undergoing "a minor medical procedure" on Friday, the team revealed, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Popovich will miss Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans and Sunday's game against the Phoenix Suns. He'll return when the Spurs host the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

Brett Brown is set to step in for Popovich over the next two games. He previously served as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers from 2013 to '20, when he was replaced by current bench boss Doc Rivers.

In addition to his latest absence, Popovich missed a 123-92 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 20 with an illness. Brown also stepped in to coach during that game.

The Spurs enter Friday's game 14th in the Western Conference with a 6-16 record. The franchise is in the midst of a rebuild after having failed to make the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.

Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell are two of San Antonio's best players and are a duo that it will likely want to build around in the coming years.

Popovich has been head coach of the Spurs since 1996. In his 27 seasons at the helm, the Spurs are 1,350-717 and have won five NBA titles, the most recent coming in 2014, when they defeated the Miami Heat in five games.

Popovich will turn 74 next month, and his time in the NBA is undoubtedly winding down.

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison admitted in a radio interview that recently signed point guard Kemba Walker's left knee is "not good" but that he could still play on it.

"It’s not good," Harrison said on The Ticket Sports Radio (h/t Josh Bowe of Mavs Moneyball).

"It’s not good at all. But he’s rehabbed it and it’s the best he’s felt in the last two years so, we’ll see how long that lasts."

In a follow-up to those remarks, Harrison said:

"Well, it hasn’t been good for a few years. Even last year, he had 30-point games on it. But it actually feels better now. The reality is, if you look at it, it’s not good, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play on it."

The 32-year-old Walker is a four-time All-Star who joined the NBA with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2011. His most recent pro action came with the New York Knicks during the 2021-22 season.

During that campaign, Walker averaged 11.6 points on 40.3 percent shooting and 3.5 assists in 25.6 minutes per game over 37 contests.

Walker has suffered numerous injuries to his left knee during his career, including a torn meniscus (2015 and 2016). He underwent an arthroscopic procedure in 2017 and sat 10 games with left knee soreness in 2020. A stem-cell injection in his left knee later than year kept him out until Jan. 17, 2021.

Unfortunately, his knee continued to give him trouble with the Knicks, and he was shut down in February.

When healthy, Walker can be an offensive juggernaut. He notably dropped 44 points on the Washington Wizards last December to cap a three-game stretch in which he averaged 31.3 points. Walker followed that up with a triple-double against the Atlanta Hawks on Christmas.

However, Walker struggled for much of the remainder of his campaign as his knee continued to give him trouble. Following the Christmas Day game, he averaged just 7.8 points on 35.4 percent shooting.

The pressure won't be on Walker to run the offense in Dallas like he did in New York with superstar Luka Dončić leading the way, but he could be a huge boost to the Mavs as a reserve playing quality minutes off the bench, albeit in smaller stints.

On Thursday, Kidd gave an update on where Walker is right now, per Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News.

Jason Kidd said "everybody's good to go" tonight vs. Pistons.

Kemba Walker too? “No, no. No.”

Timeline on Kemba? “We’ll see how he feels after today’s workout, and then we’ll practice tomorrow in New York, and we’ll see how that goes.”

— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) December 1, 2022

He joins a team in need of some help after a 10-11 start, including a 1-8 stint on the road. Walker did not play Thursday in the team's loss to the Detroit Pistons. His next chance to play is Saturday in a road game against the Knicks.

The Los Angeles Lakers have had "internal discussions" about the possibility of trading for Chicago Bulls stars DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported that news on the latest edition of the Lowe Post podcast (h/t RealGM and Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago).

"The trade I saw on Twitter was Russ and both picks, one with light protections I think, for DeRozan and Vučević," Lowe said on his podcast.

"I can tell you 100 percent for sure the Lakers have had internal discussions about that very possibility [trading for DeRozan and Vučević] if it would ever come up.

"Not that they [the Lakers] would do it, let me be clear. Just, you look around the league, like any responsible team would."

The picks in reference are an unprotected 2027 first-rounder and a 2029 first-rounder (top-five-protected) in conjunction with guard Russell Westbrook.

Lowe was referencing Twitter speculation from The Ringer's Bill Simmons, who suggested that Chicago should start its rebuilding process.

Hey Chicago… it’s time…pic.twitter.com/xykaIvVPwp

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 30, 2022

The Bulls and Lakers are both in need of shake-ups.

Chicago is sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 9-12 record, one year after winning just one playoff game following a sixth-place finish.

Still, DeRozan has been tremendous. The 33-year-old has averaged 26.3 points on 52.0 percent shooting, 4.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds for the Bulls. Vučević is posting double-double numbers with 15.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per matchup.

Meanwhile, the 8-12 Lakers have won six of their last eight games but still reside 13th in the Western Conference. Westbrook, whose contract runs out following this season after he picked up his $47.1 million option, has been demoted to the bench and averages 15.0 points on 39.9 percent shooting.

His expiring contract and the two first-round picks arguably serve as the team's best tradable assets. The Lakers could continue their push to compete around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, while the Bulls could begin anew with a younger core.

For now, the Lakers and Bulls are scuffling through the beginning part of the season as they hope for brighter days.