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Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard James Harden gave some insight into why things didn't work out between him and the Brooklyn Nets.

Speaking to Yaron Weitzman of Fox Sports, Harden suggested that he struggled to adapt to a lack of structure within the team: "I don't mean to, like, just down talk to anybody or whatever. It was just, there was no structure and even superstars, they need structure. That's what allows us to be the best players and leaders for our respective organizations."

Harden was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Nets early in the 2020-21 season, with Brooklyn hoping he would be able to form a superteam with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Instead, injuries and inconsistency led to a second-round playoff exit for the Nets that year, and Harden was then traded to the Sixers just prior to the deadline last season for a package headlined by guard Ben Simmons.

Following the trade, the Nets continued to struggle and were swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics, while Harden and the Sixers lost to the Miami Heat in the second round.

The Nets were on the brink of collapse during the offseason when Durant requested a trade and Irving had the right to opt out of the final year of his contract, but both decided to return for the 2022-23 campaign, and it has worked out well for Brooklyn to the tune of a 17-12 record.

Harden referenced Durant's trade request in the interview with Weitzman, perhaps suggesting that issues within the organization prompted KD to want to leave as well:

"I just feel like, internally, things weren't what I expected when I was trying to get traded there. I think everybody knows that. And I knew people were going to talk and say, 'You quit' and all that stuff, but then the following summer, the other superstar there [Durant] wanted to leave. So it's like: Am I still the quitter?"

A perceived lack of structure may have fallen on the shoulders of head coach Steve Nash, who was given the job in 2020 despite having no previous coaching experience.

The hope was that the two-time NBA MVP would be able to communicate well with star players like Durant, Irving and eventually Harden, but the experiment didn't work out, and Nash was fired in November and replaced by Jacque Vaughn.

While the Nets seem to be finding their stride, there are still major question marks surrounding the Sixers.

Despite being viewed as a top contender in the Eastern Conference entering the season, the 76ers are just 15-12, placing them fifth in the East.

Games missed by key players like Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid have undoubtedly played a role in Philly not playing to its potential, but it is also fair to wonder if Doc Rivers is the right answer at head coach.

Although Rivers is an NBA champion head coach who has rarely been accused of lacking structure, Harden may be running into some similar issues to those he experienced with the Nets under Nash.

James Harden is in a good place right now, but the former NBA MVP was emotionally and physically drained from the previous two seasons.

Speaking to Yaron Weitzman of Fox Sports, Harden called the past two years "a low point" in his career.

"I've never really had to deal with something like that," he added. "My body, mentally, physically … It was a lot going on. I mean, basketball is everything to me."

One of Harden's friends told Yeitzman the 10-time All-Star was "broken" after the Philadelphia 76ers' playoff loss to the Miami Heat.

Harden was acquired by the Sixers in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets prior to the trade deadline. There was hope that pairing him with Joel Embiid would give Philadelphia a spark to advance past the second round of the postseason for the first time since reaching the NBA Finals during the 2000-01 season.

Instead, the loss to Miami became the latest in a long line of playoff disappointments for Harden. He only scored 11 points and took nine shots in a 99-90 loss in Game 6 that clinched the series for the Heat.

The previous two seasons were certainly a whirlwind for Harden. He began the 2020-21 campaign asking for a trade from the Houston Rockets, but it took them until three weeks into the regular season to deal him to the Nets in a four-team deal.

Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were expected to be one of the most dynamic trios in the NBA. They were only able to play in 16 games together because of injuries and health and safety protocols.

A hamstring injury kept Harden out for three games in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks. He attempted to play through the issue, but he only averaged 14.3 points on 30.6 percent shooting in the final three games of the series for the Nets.

Things took a turn for the Nets last season, with Harden and Irving not seeing eye to eye on things. The 33-year-old ultimately wound up in Philadelphia, reuniting with Daryl Morey after their time together with the Rockets.

The 76ers re-signed Harden on a two-year, $68.6 million contract during the offseason.

Harden is still rounding into form after missing 14 games with a tendon strain in his right foot. He is averaging 22.1 points, 10.8 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game in 13 starts. The star point guard has posted double-doubles in each of his past three games.

The NBA announced Thursday that it fined the Brooklyn Nets $25,000 for resting eight players in a 136-133 win over the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 10.

The league said the fine was for "for failing to comply with league policies governing injury reporting."

Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton, Seth Curry, Royce O'Neale, Joe Harris and T.J. Warren were all held out of the lineup in what was the second game of a back-to-back.

Despite being without each of their top eight scorers in terms of points per game, the Nets beat the Pacers thanks to a 33-point performance by Cam Thomas off the bench, as well as 24 points for Patty Mills, 21 points for Edmond Sumner and 20 points for Day'Ron Sharpe.

Per ESPN's Nick Friedell, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said prior to the Pacers game that there was a legitimate and legal reason for every absence:

"I think everything that's been reported today has been documented. And so we know that Seth [Curry] and Joe [Harris] had offseason ankle [surgeries], there's no argument to that. Nic [Claxton] didn't play last game because he had hamstring tightness, there's no argument to that. Kevin's leading the league in minutes, there's no argument to that. Royce [O'Neale] had a personal reason, he's missing the next game, there's no argument to that."

The NBA apparently wasn't satisfied.

The Nets are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference at 17-12 and have been on a roll lately, winning four games in a row and eight of their past nine.

The eight players who sat out against the Pacers have been the driving force behind that success, especially Durant and Irving.

Durant is in the NBA MVP conversation with averages of 30.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, while Irving is trending toward another All-Star selection with averages of 25.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per contest.

There was a great deal of uncertainty regarding the Nets during the offseason. Durant requested a trade, and Irving could have become a free agent had he opted out of his deal.

Both stars decided to stay for at least one more season, however, and so far it is paying dividends for them and the team.

The Nets have also showcased their impressive roster depth, no more so than in the win against Indiana.

Brooklyn figures to have a far more representative lineup for its next game on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.

Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum took the top spot in the first ESPN NBA MVP straw poll for the 2022-23 season Friday.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Tatum earned 47 of the 100 first-place votes cast by league insiders. He was also on 98 of the 100 ballots.

Tatum's 47 first-place votes and 759 total points led the way, followed by Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo with 36 first-place votes and 687 total points, and then Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić with 10 first-place votes and 392 total points.

The 24-year-old Tatum is in the midst of his sixth NBA season, and the three-time All-Star has reached new heights in terms of his production.

Tatum is averaging career highs with 30.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.4 three-pointers made and 1.0 block per game, plus he is averaging 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals and shooting 47.0 percent overall and 36.2 percent from beyond the arc.

With Tatum leading the way, the Celtics are an NBA-best 22-7 and look like strong contenders to reach the NBA Finals for a second successive season.

Tatum was the driving force behind last season's playoff run for Boston, which ended with an NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors.

After previously never finishing higher than 12th in the NBA MVP voting, Tatum logged a career-best finish of sixth last season.

While Tatum is the early favorite, he has some major competition to contend with in the form of Antetokounmpo and Dončić.

Giannis is already a two-time NBA MVP, and he could be on his way to a third with averages of 30.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.0 block per game, while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor.

Dončić has yet to win an MVP, but he has been in the mix in recent years and is enjoying arguably his best season yet.

The Slovenian star is leading the NBA with a career-high 33.0 points per game, plus he is averaging 8.7 assists, 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 three-pointers made and 1.7 steals as the unquestioned go-to guy for the Mavs.

As noted by Bontemps, the only other players to receive first-place votes in the straw poll were Warriors guard Stephen Curry and reigning two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets, who are fourth and fifth, respectively.

Rounding out the top 10 are Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro is on a historic heater.

After making nine three-pointers on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Herro scored a career-high 41 points on 10-of-15 shooting from three-point range in Thursday's 111-108 win over the Houston Rockets.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Herro is the only player in NBA history to make at least nine three-pointers in two games on consecutive days. He is the third player ever to make at least nine threes in back-to-back games, joining Stephen Curry and James Harden.

Herro's 19 three-pointers are the most by a Heat player in a two-game span.

Tyler Herro has been on a heater.

In addition to a career-high 41 points tonight, Herro has made 19 three-point FG over his last two games, the most in a 2-game span in Heat franchise history. pic.twitter.com/LoJph6wzsL

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 16, 2022

The Heat have needed all of Herro's scoring in the past two games. He made the go-ahead shot with five seconds remaining to give them a 110-108 win over the Thunder. They had to hold on for a three-point win over a Rockets team that is tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the worst record in the Western Conference (9-19).

Scoring has been a huge problem for Miami so far this season. Head coach Erik Spoelstra's team ranks 27th in offensive rating (109.8) and 29th in points per game (108.0).

Injuries have played a role in the Heat's issues. Herro missed eight games in November with an ankle issue. Jimmy Butler has sat out 11 games already.

Since Herro returned to the lineup on Nov. 23, he's averaging 22.5 points on 43.9 percent three-point shooting, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists. The Heat have gone 8-4 in those 12 games and are back to .500 for the first time since Nov. 14.

Herro will look to keep his recent hot streak going on Saturday when the Heat take on the San Antonio Spurs to wrap up their four-game road trip.

After some dominant performances last week, New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson and Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis headline the fifth batch of ratings updates for NBA 2K23.

Williamson made the biggest leap this week, getting a four-point boost to 92 overall. The 22-year-old has scored over 30 points in four out of his last seven games. On the season, he's averaging 25.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 61.0 percent from the field.

Despite the Lakers' struggles, Davis has looked like one of the best players in the NBA. He's had at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in five out his last six appearances, the only outlier being when he exited early against the Cleveland Cavaliers because of an illness. For his efforts, Davis was bumped up one point to 94 overall.

Other notable players to get a ratings increase this week are Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (89, +1), Washington Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis (87, +2) and Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson (85, +1).

The Boston Celtics will reportedly get a much-needed boost at center this week.

Robert Williams III is expected to make his season debut Friday against the Orlando Magic, per The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania. The Celtics upgraded his status to questionable.

Williams underwent left knee surgery before training camp this year to correct a lingering issue he had been dealing with since the 2021-22 campaign.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak and Bertrand on Wednesday that Williams was considered day-to-day:

"He's definitely made huge strides, especially in the last week-and-a-half or so, and so we're constantly kind of measuring how he responds to the five-on-five setting, and then a day off, and then a workout session, and then a day off and then five-on-five.

"So just kind of getting him back into the simulation of what that season is like and then we're constantly seeing how he's responding to it. He's doing a great job. He's making great strides. We'll continue to measure that, and he's day-to-day, but he's doing well."

Williams, Boston's 2018 first-round pick, had a career year during the 2021-22 campaign. After emerging as the team's starting center, he averaged 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.2 blocks in 61 games while shooting 73.6 percent from the floor. He was also selected to the NBA's All-Defensive Second Team.

With Williams out to start the season, the Celtics have primarily relied on a combination of Al Horford, Luke Kornet and Blake Griffin at the 5.

Horford, who has missed Boston's last five games for various reasons, has served as the starter. In 20 games, the 36-year-old has averaged 10.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 block while shooting 53.7 percent from the floor and 46.6 percent from deep. He is questionable for Friday's matchup because of personal reasons.

Kornet and Griffin have been solid off the bench. In 24 games, Kornet has averaged 4.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 block while shooting 70.1 percent from the floor. Griffin, who has only appeared in 13 games, has averaged 6.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor.

The Celtics enter Friday's game atop the Eastern Conference with a 22-7 record. Led by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, Boston looks primed to reach the NBA Finals again this season.

The addition of Williams should only help solidify Mazzulla's squad as a true title contender.

The Milwaukee Bucks fan who was ejected from Tuesday night's game against the Golden State Warriors has given his side of the story, and he said he never threatened the life of Warriors forward Draymond Green.

Per TMZ Sports, Mike Shane spoke on the KJ Live podcast and said he began trash-talking Green in the third quarter because of the offseason altercation with Warriors guard Jordan Poole, who is a Milwaukee native. Green had punched Poole during practice prior to the start of the season, and Shane says he was simply telling Green that the city didn't forget.

"I was speaking up for the city of Milwaukee," Shane said. "Basically telling him, like, we're giving you a pass. We haven't forgotten about what you did—a big bully—and we're giving you a pass. We forgive you."

From Shane's perspective, Green "blew it out of proportion" when he directed officials to kick him out of the arena.

Draymond Green points the fan out to the officials and they were ejected from Bucks-Warriors 👀pic.twitter.com/yOWJVgxQC9

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 14, 2022

Green said after the game that he felt Shane said "some threatening stuff to my life." However, Shane maintains his innocence and said the Bucks offered him a refund and future tickets after the incident.

"There was two police officers who were actually right there," Shane said. "There was a police officer and the league security who came back there and vouched for me. They were right there and said I didn't use any profanity. I didn't say anything malicious."

Former Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies guard Tyrell Terry announced his retirement Thursday and discussed his mental health in his Instagram post.

Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News passed along the message Terry called "a very difficult one to share."

Tyrell Terry, Mavs’ No. 31 overall draft pick in 2020, just announced his retirement from basketball, citing “the darkest times of my life” and “the anxiety this sport has caused me.” pic.twitter.com/1Spw5iGQ9y

— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) December 15, 2022

While Terry pointed out how basketball led to "lifelong friends" and included "amazing accomplishments" and "unforgettable memories," he also said he "experienced the darkest times of my life. To the point where instead of building me up, it began to destroy me. Where I began to despise and question the value of myself, much more than those surrounding me could ever see or know."

The Stanford product also offered a look at the anxiety he has experienced:

"Intrusive thoughts, waking up nauseous, and finding myself struggling to take normal breaths because of the rock that would sit on my chest that seemed to weigh more than I could carry. This is just a brief description of the anxiety this sport has caused me, and while I'm grateful for every door it has opened for me, I can't continue this fight any longer for something I have fallen out of love with."

Terry played collegiately at Stanford for just one season in 2019-20 and was a Pac-12 All-Freshman selection while averaging 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game and shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from deep.

Dallas saw enough to select him with the 31st overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft.

However, he appeared in just 11 games as a rookie and missed time for personal reasons. He told reporters during the following media day, "I was dealing with some mental health stuff that runs in my family. I wasn't really aware it was creeping up on me; it hit me kind of serious."

The Mavericks released him ahead of the 2021-22 campaign but still thanked him and called him "family for life" in a tweet:

Family for life.

Thank you, @tyterry05. pic.twitter.com/DjE26RR3Bu

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) October 16, 2021

Terry joined the Grizzlies and appeared in two games in 2021-22.

He had not played a game this season prior to his retirement announcement.

It turns out it takes plenty of motivation and competitive spirit to be one of the best players in NBA history.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated asked Dwyane Wade about LeBron James during a wide-ranging interview, and the Miami Heat legend opened up about how the King became even better during his four seasons in South Beach.

"The thing about LeBron is, he's a sponge," Wade said. "And so he will not allow anybody to be better than him at anything.

"If Ray Allen was going to shoot afterwards, he's going to go shoot with Ray Allen, with Ray Allen's form. He wants to be better than everybody at everything. And so I can never get work in a post without him coming to get work in a post. You know what I mean? And so when you see a guy like that who has the body to be able to do that, and he has the energy to be able to consistently do that, you know you're watching something special."

James was in Miami from 2010 through 2014, which was right in the middle of his prime as a player who was then in his late 20s.

He averaged 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game during that stretch and helped lead the Heat to the NBA Finals all four seasons. While they lost two of those series, he still became a two-time champion and clearly improved his game from being a "sponge" in such a championship environment.

All he did from there was lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2015-16 title and the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2019-20 championship.