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Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said the team will look into allegations made by point guard Spencer Dinwiddie against longtime NBA referee Tony Brothers during Friday night's game against the Toronto Raptors.

Dinwiddie alleged an unnamed teammate said Brothers called him a "b---h ass motherf--ker" while discussing a technical foul in the second quarter, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

"That's tough. I have to talk to Spencer," Kidd said. "When you look at Tony and what he's done in this league, he's well-liked and also one of the best that we have. We're going to see what happened here and talk to Spencer and find out exactly what happened. That's a sensitive topic. We'll see what happens."

Dinwiddie was called for a take foul with less than a minute left in the first half and protested the call to Brothers, saying he may have used a curse word but not in a derogatory manner toward the veteran ref, per MacMahon.

"Everybody's a competitor out there," Dinwiddie said. "I understand it's the heat of the moment. I've definitely said swear words, but like, if I was playing against somebody on the other team and they said that to my teammate, I would be like listen, 'Hey, I'm right here.' But because obviously [referees are in] positions of authority and whatnot, you can't necessarily ask for that address, so I'm just taking my fair stance and saying, 'Hey, look, if you feel that way, fine by me, just say it to my face, like any other grown man.' That's all I want. I'm not even mad at the language. Everybody has said things before when they are upset or feeling sensitive or hurt. That's fine. Just say it to my face."

The 29-year-old Los Angeles native also apologized to Brothers for the exchange and requested the fine money issued for technical fouls be rescinded in this case.

"I apologize to Tony Brothers for what seemed to keep him irate, which was a clap," Dinwiddie said. "He thought it was disrespectful. If you watch the games, and I know that's what refs are supposed to do, you see I clap to get the attention of my teammates, things of that nature, but it was nothing personal, so as a man, I would like to say I'm sorry first and foremost. And secondarily I would like to say, not only would I like my [fine] money back, but I would like to not be called a b---h ass motherf--ker to my teammates."

Dinwiddie finished the game, tallying 21 points, seven assists, two steals and a rebound in a team-high 38 minutes as part of the Mavs' 111-110 win over the Raptors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe_aN6t9K90

Brothers was not made available for comment after the game despite a pool-reporter request, per MacMahon.

He's working his 29th season as an NBA official after starting his career in 1994. His accolades include refereeing 174 playoff games, including 15 in the NBA Finals.

Brothers is not scheduled to work any of Saturday's eight games.

Dinwiddie and the Mavs are back in action Monday night when they host the Brooklyn Nets at the American Airlines Center.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said former teammate Kyrie Irving "caused some harm to a lot of people" with his promotion of an antisemitic film.

"He caused some harm, and I think it's unfortunate," James told reporters Friday. "But I don't stand on the position to harm people when it comes to your voice or your platform or anything. So it doesn't matter what color your skin is, how tall you are, what position you're in. If you are promoting or soliciting or saying harmful things to any community that harms people, then I don't respect it."

He added: "I don't condone any hate to any kind. To any race. To Jewish communities, to Black communities, to Asian communities. You guys know where I stand."

James and Irving, who currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets, spent three seasons as teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 through 2017.

The Nets announced Thursday they'd given Irving an indefinite suspension of at least five games for his "failure to disavow antisemitism."

Their decision came after the seven-time NBA All-Star wouldn't directly answer questions about whether he held any antisemitic beliefs in reference to a tweet he posted linking to the film:

Kyrie Irving is asked if he has any anti-Semitic beliefs: pic.twitter.com/hHI8FFqMbs

— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) November 3, 2022

Anti-Defamation League CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted the film contains "deeply antisemitic themes." Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone reported the film claims "Jewish slave ships that brought our West African negro or Bantu ancestors to slave ports owned by [Jews]."

While it has been acknowledged that some Jewish people were involved in slavery, the allegation that Jews were the driving force of slavery has been widely debunked.

After being suspended, Irving posted a statement on Instagram, saying he had "no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate."

"To all Jewish families and communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize," Irving wrote. "I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled antisemitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the documentary."

Nets general manager Sean Marks said the apology "a step in the right direction," but noted the point guard will be asked to speak with Jewish community leaders before he's allowed to rejoin the team.

"[Irving's] going to have to sit down with them, he's going to have to sit down with the organization after this," Marks told reporters. "We will evaluate and see if this is the right opportunity to bring him back."

The 30-year-old guard served the first game of his suspension Friday night as the Nets scored a 128-86 road win over the Washington Wizards.

He'll be first eligible to return for a Nov. 13 game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers' defense was criticized after struggling mightily to generate stops in a 130-116 home loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday night.

L.A.'s play at that end of the floor has been a bright spot despite the team's sluggish start, ranking seventh in the NBA with a 45.3 percent opponent's field goal percentage. That wasn't the case against Utah, which shot 50.5 percent from the field and knocked down 17 threes to drop the Lakers' record to 2-6.

"We never want it to happen, but there's some games throughout the course of an 82-game season where you don't have it defensively, and tonight we didn't have it," five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection LeBron James told reporters.

Here's a look at some social-media reaction to the defensive performance:

Defense was trash tonight. Ham should light em up. Seeing this team again on Monday. Gotta tighten up. Jazz playing beautiful team ball. Kudos to them.

— QuestFor18 (@HisandHerLakers) November 5, 2022

Lakers playing defense https://t.co/xheoCoaVEd

— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) November 5, 2022

LeBron finally looks kinda old. This lakers team is more embarassing than their record. AD took one shot in the fourth quarter and played awful defense. What are they doing lol. They needed russ to bail them out tonight and got run out the gym

— kang (@jaycaspiankang) November 5, 2022

The Lakers had the 3rd best defense coming into tonight.

The Jazz just dropped 130 points on them, shooting 51/43/90%.

They are 7-3. pic.twitter.com/Gn0IejyepM

— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 5, 2022

Lakers’ game plan on defense. pic.twitter.com/fIjkX180fi

— Durham Hurricanes (@DHurricanes2002) November 5, 2022

Not a lot to say, the defense was pitiful. Nobody put bodies on people. Utah was able to get open looks off simple ball movement and they set a ton is screens that the Lakers just died on

— CL Owens 🏀 🇺🇸 (@CSmoove_Sports) November 5, 2022

Lakers defense let them down tonight. Get back on track next game.

— TheLakersOptimist (@LakersOptimist) November 5, 2022

Russ has looked great the last few games! The defense let the Lakers down tonight which had been their strong front. Jordan Clarkson balled out!
I think they’ll find a groove here and start winning some of these games. If they keep their defense going & run faster breaks

— Kelvin Washington (@Kdubblive) November 5, 2022

The defense all around let the Lakers down in this one

Just abysmal.

Tough one coming up against Cleveland. #LakeShow

— 𝒦𝒶𝓃𝑒 💜💛🇳🇿 (@LALPrime) November 5, 2022

The struggles defending a well-rounded Jazz offense overshadowed some other positive signs for Los Angeles.

James nearly had a triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, while Anthony Davis recorded 22 points and eight boards. Russell Westbrook also continued his resurgence off the bench with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting along with six dimes.

They just couldn't slow down Utah, which scored 40 points in the first quarter and never looked back.

Lauri Markkanen paced the Jazz with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Jordan Clarkson (20 points), Kelly Olynyk (18), Collin Sexton (17) and Mike Conley (15) also reached double figures in scoring for Utah, which improved to 7-3.

"Defense is something you can get right damn near every night," Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said. "We need to be accountable on that end of the floor. ... We gotta get stops to survive and excel."

L.A. will look to combine its typically reliable defense with an improving offense when it returns to action Sunday to host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls 123-119 on Friday at TD Garden to improve to 5-3 on the season, and despite DeMar DeRozan finishing with 46 points, three rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block, it was Jayson Tatum who caught the attention of fans.

Tatum recorded 36 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block in 40 minutes. The remainder of Boston's starting lineup—Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Al Horford and Jaylen Brown—combined for just 46 points.

Malcolm Brogdon had a solid game off the bench, finishing with 25 points, two rebounds, four assists and one block, but Tatum's performance was unforgettable Twitter praised him for an MVP-caliber night:

MVP Tatum tonight folks

— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) November 5, 2022

Resounding MVP chants for Jayson Tatum after grabbing an OREB and drawing a foul to potentially stave off a bulls comeback

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) November 5, 2022

Tatum is making those MVP plays again tonight.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) November 5, 2022

Jayson Tatum is the 2nd player in Celtics history to average 30 points through his first 8 games of a season, joining Larry Bird in 1984-85. pic.twitter.com/counoLUgvS

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 5, 2022

https://twitter.com/chrisbrockman/status/1588710265004363776

Tatum is special

— CelticsBlog (@celticsblog) November 5, 2022

I feel like Jayson Tatum is on an MVP mission this year. Season 6 seems like the right time to get his first.

— Domonique (@Foxworth24) November 5, 2022

Day-by-day, game-by-game, I will be tweeting #Celtics Jayson Tatum’s 2022-23 MVP winning season into existence. pic.twitter.com/zj2HC29yoy

— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) November 5, 2022

Not sure what National #NBA shows you're watching bro, but #Tatum is in the MVP conversation along with #Giannis and #Luka https://t.co/bdNgYBvaeZ

— NBA Old School Jam (@NBAoldschoolJam) November 5, 2022

loud mvp chants for tatum 🥰

— brianna pirre (@bsp_13) November 5, 2022

Tatum sets a new career high with 20 FTAs and counting. Entered tonight averaging a career high 7 per game.

— Jay King (@ByJayKing) November 5, 2022

Tatum is in the midst of a hot start to the 2022-23 campaign. He entered Friday's contest averaging 30.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 blocks through Boston's first seven games while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor and 37.9 percent from deep.

The three-time All-Star will likely face some stiff competition for the MVP award. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić and Ja Morant have all been mentioned as contenders early on.

Tatum will look to continue his MVP-worthy campaign Saturday when Boston faces the Jalen Brunson-led New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Nike announced Friday that it has suspended its partnership with Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving after he promoted an antisemitic film on his social media accounts last week.

Nike said in a statement, per CNBC's Sara Eisen:

"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism. To that end, we've made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8. We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone."

Irving has been in partnership with Nike since 2014, collaborating with the company on a number of signature basketball shoes. However, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported in May that Nike was unlikely to extend Irving a signature shoe deal beyond 2023 because of "uncertainties surrounding his NBA future."

Irving promoted Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America on social media last week. The film includes ideas "in line with more extreme factions of the Black Hebrew Israelites, which have a long history of misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and especially antisemitism," according to a Rolling Stone article published by Jon Blistein.

The Nets announced Thursday that they had suspended Irving for at least five games after he "refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs" while speaking with the media earlier in the day.

Statement from the Brooklyn Nets pic.twitter.com/699px8XYpx

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 4, 2022

Thursday's media session was one of a number of opportunities Irving received this week to denounce antisemitism. He told reporters that he "respects all walks of life" but did not explicitly apologize or state at the time that he had no antisemitic beliefs.

Kyrie Irving is asked if he has any anti-Semitic beliefs: pic.twitter.com/hHI8FFqMbs

— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) November 3, 2022

After his suspension from the Nets was announced, Irving issued an apology to the Jewish community via Instagram:

"While doing research on YHWH, I posted a Documentary that contained some false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibly for my actions. I am grateful to have a big platform to share knowledge and I want to move forward by having an open dialogue to learn more and grow from this.

"To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize. I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary. I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti- semticism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all. I am no different than any other human being. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I Am."

Before Irving's apology, both NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Nets governor Joe Tsai had openly expressed their disappointment in the veteran:

The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/iD3GkJvekR

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) November 3, 2022

This is bigger than basketball

— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) October 29, 2022

If Irving is suspended for the minimum five games, he will be eligible to return to the Nets' lineup on Nov. 13 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Friday that shooting guard Klay Thompson may not play games on back-to-back days this season.

"Klay may not play in a back-to-back all year," Kerr said, per ESPN's Kendra Andrews. "He didn't last year because of two straight season-ending injuries."

The struggling 3-6 Warriors will be without Thompson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins on Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans because of various listed ailments. All four of them played Thursday in a 130-129 loss to the Orlando Magic.

If Thompson does not play back-to-backs this year, then he will miss at least 13 more games. The 2022-23 schedule has the Warriors playing 13 back-to-back sets, with the next one occurring Nov. 13 and 14.

Thompson suffered a torn ACL during the 2019 NBA Finals that kept him out for the entire 2019-20 season. He then suffered a torn Achilles during a Nov. 16, 2020 preseason workout that forced him off the court for all of 2020-21.

The former Washington State star didn't return to the team until Jan. 9 of last season. He played on a minutes restriction before the team lifted it in March.

As Kerr noted, Thompson never played on back-to-back days, missing the front or back end of them nine times after he returned.

Thompson ended up playing 54 games (32 regular season, 22 playoffs) for the NBA champion Warriors last season. He averaged 20.4 points per game in the regular season and 19.0 PPG in the postseason.

This season, the five-time All-Star is averaging 15.0 points per game on 36.4 percent shooting. It's a far slower start than usual for the four-time NBA champion, but he may have snapped that slump Thursday after a 27-point outing where he hit seven three-pointers.

His next chance to return to the lineup will be Monday at home against the Sacramento Kings.

Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan told reporters Friday that point guard Lonzo Ball, who has been out since January with a knee injury, has improved since his latest surgery.

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago relayed the details.

Billy Donovan said everything is “very, very optimistic” right now regarding Lonzo Ball. Has started running in water. No timeline for return.

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) November 4, 2022

"He feels a lot freer than he did prior to the surgery...Obviously, he’s a ways away from running and cutting and doing all those things," Donovan added. "But there is optimism that this hopefully has helped him."

Ball had surgery in late September, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. He provided a further update at the time:

Both sides are expected to monitor the response over the next two weeks, and a return to play based upon Ball's rehab process.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 29, 2022

Donovan didn't have many details one month later when asked about Ball.

Billy Donovan doesn’t have much of a Lonzo Ball (knee) update other than to say Ball feels he’s “progressing.”

As far as he knows, Donovan doesn’t believe Ball will have to go back to Los Angeles for any medical checkup.

— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) October 26, 2022

Ball was diagnosed with a bone bruise and small meniscus tear in his left knee in January. He underwent surgery that month but experienced a setback in March that eventually ended his season.

In August, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic reported that Ball's progress had been "slow" and that his return for the beginning of the season "remains in question."

Unfortunately, Ball was confirmed out for the beginning of the campaign when the Bulls announced Sept. 21 that he would undergo an arthroscopic debridement of his left knee and be reevaluated within four-to-six weeks.

Ball, who joined the Bulls on a four-year, $80 million contract during the 2021 offseason, averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 35 games last year. Chicago went 22-13 with him in the lineup and 24-23 otherwise.

Chicago has turned to Ayo Dosunmu to start in place of Ball this year. The ex-Illinois star has averaged 12.5 points on 50.0 percent shooting for the 5-4 Bulls.

Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden's right foot tendon strain is not as severe as originally feared, head coach Doc Rivers told reporters Friday.

Sixers coach Doc Rivers says James Harden’s injury actually was less severe than the team initially feared. “We just have to keep getting through the stuff we’ve gone through” to start the season.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) November 4, 2022

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that Harden was set to miss a month with the injury, which appeared to have been suffered during the team's 121-111 loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

It's not clear whether Rivers believes Harden will return sooner than the reported timetable.

Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia gave more insight on the matter.

James Harden has a right foot tendon strain and is expected to miss a month, source confirms @wojespn.

After heading back to the locker room for a while, Harden returned in the fourth quarter last night vs. the Wizards and played the final 7:15. He was limping postgame.

— Noah Levick (@NoahLevick) November 3, 2022

Harden had been enjoying an excellent season despite the 76ers' slow 4-5 start. Through nine games, he has averaged 22.0 points, 10.0 assists and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Without Harden, the onus falls on Joel Embiid to pick up more of the nightly burden, while Tyrese Maxey should primarily handle the backcourt responsibilities. Rivers also told reporters that forward Tobias Harris' usage should increase as well.

Look for Shake Milton and De'Anthony Melton to get more playing time off the bench too. Rivers projected Melton to start in Harden's place.

Ben Simmons "has been a source of frustration" for Kevin Durant and others on the Brooklyn Nets this season, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday on NBA Today.

"Ben Simmons has been a source of frustration for Kevin Durant, for others on the Nets so far, because he's been unable to stay on the floor with a knee injury, but prior to that, he has shown that he's a long way away from being back to an impactful player," Wojnarowski said.

He added, "There's no indication right now that Ben Simmons is close to being back to anywhere near the player he once was."

Simmons has not played since Oct. 29 against the Indiana Pacers while nursing a knee injury, but even when he was on the court, he didn't look like the player he once was, averaging just 6.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists in six games while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor.

The Nets have been one of the worst teams in the NBA this season, and they've struggled mightily defensively, boasting a 118.3 defensive rating, which ranks last in the league. In addition, they sit 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 2-6 record.

Amid the team's disastrous start, Brooklyn also fired head coach Steve Nash, replacing him with interim Jacque Vaughn, but it has made little difference.

It's not necessarily surprising that Durant may be irritated with Simmons, whose availability is undoubtedly a contributing factor in the team's struggles.

The 26-year-old, who was acquired in the deal that sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, also did not play at all last season due to injuries, and the Nets went on to be swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.

With the Nets desperately trying to turn things around, Simmons has come up in trade talks, per SNY's Ian Begley. However, it's unclear which teams might be interested in the veteran point guard, and it's possible the Nets wouldn't get anything substantial in return based on his recent play and injury history.

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant is not considering renewing his offseason trade request despite the recent suspension of teammate Kyrie Irving.

That news is per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski during a Friday appearance on This Just In with Max Kellerman (h/t Talkin' NBA).

"The concern in Brooklyn is: How long does Kevin Durant hang in there. ... You can imagine a scenario where Kevin Durant perhaps revisits his [trade] request from the summer at some point, although I don't believe that's a consideration right now for him."

Durant made the trade request last summer and explained why he did so to reporters, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.

Kevin Durant on why he made the trade request: "It was a lot of uncertainty around our team last year. I committed to this organization for 4 years last summer with the idea that we were gonna be playing with that group (KD Kyrie & James Harden)."

— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) September 26, 2022

Durant is in the midst of a four-year, $194.2 million deal that runs through the 2025-26 season.

There's more uncertainty now after the Nets suspended Irving for "no less than five games" without pay in the wake of his promotion of a film containing antisemitic tropes as well as a refusal to "unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film."

Statement from the Brooklyn Nets pic.twitter.com/699px8XYpx

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 4, 2022

The 2-6 Nets currently sit 13th in the 15-team Eastern Conference despite a great start from Durant, who has averaged 32.5 points on 52.8 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

Their defensive rating ranks dead last in the NBA, per Basketball-Reference. Durant and Irving (26.9 PPG) are also the only players on the team averaging at least 12 points per game. The Nets and head coach Steve Nash have also parted ways. Jacque Vaughn has since taken over as the interim coach.

For now, the Nets will look to move forward when they visit the Washington Wizards on Friday for a 7 p.m. ET game.