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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said the team has lacked a "certain commitment" at both ends of the floor during the early stages of the 2022-23 season.

The reigning NBA champions suffered a 130-119 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, which dropped their record to 6-9, including an 0-8 mark on the road.

"We lack collective grit. We're playing a Drew League game right now," Kerr told reporters. "I've always felt the game rewards you if you commit to the game. If you really compete together, shots go in, calls go your way, breaks fall your way, and we're not earning any of this stuff. That's why we are winless on the road. It's a pickup game."

The Warriors' biggest problems have come at the defensive end, which qualifies as a surprise given how well they played in that regard last season.

Golden State ranks 23rd in defensive efficiency (110.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) so far this season after leading the NBA in that category last year (103.9), per ESPN.

Those issues continued Wednesday night as the Suns shot 51.2 percent from the field (44 of 86), including 52.5 percent on threes (21 of 40).

"It's a pickup game out there," Kerr said. "There's no execution at either end. No certain commitment to the group to get three stops in a row, to execute on offense."

The inability to generate consistent stops defensively has wasted a terrific start to the campaign from Stephen Curry, who kept rolling with 50 points against Phoenix.

"I'm scoring great, trying to be efficient and I'm going to keep doing that," Curry said. "But, there's a collective kind of mindset around how I need to help everybody get in the right frame of mind to try and win, and I'm up for the challenge of figuring that out."

He's managed to keep the team somewhat afloat with his MVP-level performance, but eventually, he's going to need some help if Golden State is going to make a serious push to defend its title.

Turning things around is going to take a concerted effort to get back on track defensively, especially on the road.

The Warriors return home to the Chase Center to face off with the New York Knicks on Friday night. Their next road game comes Sunday against the Houston Rockets.

The Chicago Bulls have a talented roster, but the team has struggled to find consistency to start the season. Chicago's flaws were on full display on Wednesday night in a 124-110 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.

The Bulls trailed by as many as 26 during their third consecutive loss, which dropped them to 6-9. It was an abysmal showing against a Pelicans team that was without star forward Zion Williamson, who missed his second straight game with a foot injury.

To add to the disappointment of Wednesday's effort, the Bulls were off since Sunday and had ample time to rest, while the Pelicans were playing the second leg of a back-to-back. It was a surprise to see Chicago play with such a lack of urgency to try to end its skid.

DeMar DeRozan led the way with 28 points and Zach LaVine added 25, while Nikola Vucevic notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. No other player on the team made much of an impact on offense, and the team's defense was nonexistent as New Orleans shot 50.6 percent from the field and 51.5 percent from three-point range.

NBA Twitter didn't hold back its disdain for the Bulls' pitiful showing on Wednesday:

Remember how much fun this #Bulls team was just a year ago at this time? Remember the joy they provided just playing fun/winning basketball?? This is the exact opposite of that.

— Silvy (@WaddleandSilvy) November 17, 2022

Bulls no good

— KENNY BEECHAM (@KOT4Q) November 17, 2022

Tonight is trending toward being a "3-pointer loss" for the Bulls -- not a schedule loss, a talent loss or a game-plan loss or an effort loss.

— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) November 17, 2022

My internal #Bulls debate is the extent to which a November game can be a notably bad night for every level of an organization.

— Dan Bernstein (@dan_bernstein) November 17, 2022

We're probably at the point where the Bulls have to change their starting lineup

— Jason Patt (@Bulls_Jay) November 17, 2022

Pels beating that Bulls ass like it owes them money

— Ralph Malbrough 🥃 (@SaintsForecast) November 17, 2022

If the Bulls miss one more layup I'm jumping off the roof.

— Matt Peck (@Bulls_Peck) November 17, 2022

Pelicans delivering a straight up ass kicking to the Bulls, on second half of back-to-back, without Zion.

😳

— Scott Kushner (@ScottDKushner) November 17, 2022

https://twitter.com/mkhoops/status/1593070756224958464

Bulls are just awful right now #BullsNation. They should be embarrassed for this performance.

— BullsKickAss (@Bullskickass) November 17, 2022

This is a complete thrashing of the Bulls

— Shamit Dua (@FearTheBrown) November 17, 2022

Bulls cannot lose to a Pelicans team that is without Zion and a team that just played last night, while the Bulls have been off since Sunday

— Bulls Central (@BullsCentralYT) November 17, 2022

The Chicago Bulls aren't a good basketball team right now.

— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 17, 2022

The Pelicans are straight up embarrassing the Bulls.

Can only imagine what Lonzo stans are thinking right now

— Justin (@ProPelsTalk) November 17, 2022

No Zion and the Bulls are still getting boatraced in New Orleans.

Good thing the Bears' offense is entertaining enough to carry us to the new year.

Can't believe that isn't sarcasm.

— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) November 17, 2022

Ayo airball followed by an Ingram 3.

Turnover followed by a McCollum 3.

Bad defensive rotation followed by a Murphy 3.

9-0 run for Pelicans to start the 3rd. Something is wrong with this team.

— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 17, 2022

Bulls suck. A move needs to be on the horizon. Probably Vuc

— Alec B Goldin (@alecbgoldin) November 17, 2022

The Bulls definitely don’t lack talent. The eye test and the stats support this. But it’s putting the pieces together… the right rotations, putting players in positions to succeed… it’s a common trend at this point. Player development is great, but there’s more to the puzzle.

— Ross Pins (@chisportsross) November 17, 2022

Don’t believe there are must-win games in November. But Friday at home vs. Magic is fairly large. Bulls follow with at home vs. Celtics and at Bucks before starting 5-game Western Conference trip. And OKC is playing well.

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) November 17, 2022

It's still early in the season, but the Bulls should be concerned. Chicago scored over 100 points in each of its last three losses, but the team is allowing opponents to average 121.7 points in that span. The team will need to address its defensive woes if it hopes to compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls will try to bounce back when they host the Orlando Magic (4-11) on Friday.

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.

The Charlotte Hornets announced that point guard LaMelo Ball suffered a left ankle sprain during the team's 125-113 home loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

The injury occurred after Ball accidentally stepped on the foot of a fan seated courtside while attempting a steal.

LaMelo Ball just rolled his left ankle stepping on the foot of a fan sitting courtside. pic.twitter.com/QdeXDrZNdw

— Hornets On FanDuel Sports Network (@FDSN_Hornets) November 17, 2022

The Pacers had the ball up 117-108 with 1:35 remaining in the game. Ball reached to to steal a pass and got a hand on the ball, which ricocheted out of bounds and away from the Hornets star's reach.

Ball skidded to the sideline on the attempt, and his left foot landed on the patron's left sneaker. He removed himself from the game and limped to the bench. Theo Maledon replaced him in the lineup.

The third-year pro previously suffered a Grade 2 left ankle sprain during an Oct. 10 preseason game against the Washington Wizards. He was sidelined until last Saturday when he made his season debut against the Miami Heat.

Ball had 15 points, six assists and six rebounds in 28 minutes and followed that up with 17 points, nine assists and four boards in 34 minutes against the Orlando Magic on Monday.

Prior to his injury, Ball dropped a season-high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting alongside six assists in 37 minutes versus the Pacers.

The regular season has been nothing short of disastrous for the Hornets, who now sport a 4-12 record.

Terry Rozier (right ankle sprain) and Gordon Hayward (left shoulder contusion) have both missed extended time, with the latter player still out. Dennis Smith Jr. (left ankle sprain) is still out after starting for Ball for much of the year.

Without Ball, the offense has been stagnant and had ranked 28th in offensive efficiency entering Wednesday, per Basketball-Reference.

If Ball has to miss time and Smith remains out, then the starting backcourt could feature Rozier and Maledon for the time being, with James Bouknight a prime candidate to see more playing time.

The Hornets have the host Cleveland Cavaliers up next on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr understands the team's current core is near the end of its run.

"We know this isn't going forever," Kerr told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "This could be the last year; maybe next year is the last year. We're in the final stages. We know that. We want to make the most of it."

The Warriors won their fourth title in eight years last season, with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green together for the entire stretch. Andre Iguodala spent two seasons with the Miami Heat before returning last season, but he was also a part of the team's six NBA Finals appearances since 2015.

"This is my ninth year," Kerr said. "If you look at the core—Steph, Klay, Draymond, Andre—those guys have been together for basically a decade. That doesn't happen in sports."

Despite the past success as a group, the Warriors have been transitioning to a new core thanks to contract extensions for Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins. Young players like Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga are also expected to carve out more consistent rotation roles.

Thompson, meanwhile, has not played to his massive contract while averaging just 14.7 points per game with a 33.0 three-point shooting percentage. The guard has a $40.6 million salary for this season and $43.2 million in 2023-24, but he seems unlikely to get an extension beyond that.

Green remains a positive all-around contributor, averaging 7.9 points, 6.6 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game. He has a $27.6 million player option for next season, giving him a choice whether to test free agency in 2023 or wait until 2024.

Iguodala is on a one-year deal and has yet to play this season while recovering from a hip injury.

Curry remains under contract through 2025-26, but his longtime teammates could be searching for new homes by the end of next season. It represents an end of the era for the best dynasty in the NBA over the past decade.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley recently spoke about the death threat he received after he caused an injury to Russell Westbrook in the 2013 NBA playoffs.

"I had a ball boy threaten to kill me," Beverley said on his podcast (h/t Orel Dizon of Lakers Daily).

Beverley collided with Westbrook during the first-round playoff matchup between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder in 2013. Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus on the play and was ruled out the rest of the playoffs. Though the Thunder won the series, they eventually lost in the second round one year after reaching the NBA Finals.

The incident led to significant blowback in Oklahoma City, as Beverley explained:

I get to OKC the next game — police officers in front. They put a police car in front of my house in Houston. I get to the hotel. I'm on the floor by myself, police guy at the door. I'm looking. I go out in the morning for tea or coffee, like a Starbucks, police guys with me. They passing out papers with a young guy's face on it, like this big. He threatened to kill. The s— was real.

The feud between Beverley and Westbrook continued over the years, although they are now teammates with the Lakers. At media day, Beverley said the fellow guard is his "best friend" on the team after the trade.

You typically can't trade your best player and get better at the same time, but that's the theory Lamar Odom is proposing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

On his podcast, The LADE Show, Odom asserted the Lakers could get collectively stronger by dealing LeBron James because the trade return would be so large:

Lamar Odom says if the Lakers traded LEBRON, it would put them right back into contention 👀🤔 pic.twitter.com/IkP73Ctuom

— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) November 16, 2022

This offseason provided a compelling counterargument, however.

When Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant requested a trade over the summer, many expected a feeding frenzy to commence. Rival franchises would surely bend over backward to land one of the best players in the NBA.

Then reality set in. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in August that "teams did not make the kind of roster-gutting offers that was necessary to trade a player of his stature."

The calculus would be the exact same with James because his age, 37, gives you an even shorter window for contention. James has also shown over the last few years he can't single-handedly carry a team into the postseason, either.

If you were putting together a trade around LeBron, then you'd have to build the deal around valuable draft picks because you simply could not afford to trade two or three of your best players.

You'd wind up in the exact same predicament the Lakers are facing.

As much as Odom might hope for otherwise, it's difficult to see another general manager providing Los Angeles with the kind of lifeline he discussed.

Utah Jazz shooting guard Malik Beasley and his wife, Montana Yao, announced the birth of their second child, daughter Mia Love Beasley, on Friday.

"11/11 and my wish came true," the Jazz star wrote on Instagram.

Their first child, son Makai Joseph Beasley, was born in March 2019.

Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post reported the couple, who were married in August 2020, reconciled earlier this year and had divorce proceedings dismissed in August.

Beasley, 25, was traded to the Jazz in July as part of the blockbuster deal sending center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 2016 first-round pick out of Florida State has averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 threes and 1.1 assists across his first 16 appearances for Utah.

He's scored 48 points in three contests (16 PPG) since the birth of his daughter. In all, he's averaged 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 threes and 1.2 assists in 352 NBA games.

After his trade to Utah, the Atlanta native explained he was focused on making better decisions, saying his "main goal is to be way better off the court." He spent 78 days in jail following the 2020-21 season after pleading guilty to a threats of violence felony charge in February 2021.

"I was just tired of making the same mistakes that I've made before and I don't want to go through that anymore," Beasley told reporters in July. "I believe in second chances. I believe everything happens for a reason, so I feel like I can just do better in the world."

Next up for Beasley and the Jazz is a home clash with the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.