Giannis ejected… then tries to sit courtside; Harden taunted amid trade concern — NBA Wrap

James Harden was listening to it from one in every of his previous fanbases on Thursday (all instances AEDT) — with chants that had been in reference to one in every of his different former squads.

On free-throw makes an attempt early within the first quarter towards the Nets at Barclays Center, Harden, now a Clippers guard, heard chants of “Daryl Morey,” which was the president of basketball operations he seemingly butted heads with throughout his tenure in Philadelphia.

Harden, who made it recognized on the outset of the offseason that he wished to be traded away from the 76ers, lately claimed that he felt like he was “on a leash” with the crew.

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“Philly is just changing my role, knowing I could give more, knowing I could do more, but if you want to be honest, like being on a leash,” Harden stated throughout his introductory Clippers press convention after lastly getting dealt out of Philly.

Harden then clarified precisely what he meant by the “leash.”

“I meant that I think the game and I’m a creator on the court… (I need) somebody that trusts me, that believes in me, that understands me, that I’m not a system player. I am a system,” he stated.

This got here after a fraught summer season wherein Harden even known as Morey a “liar.”

“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden stated in a video posted by The Athletic’s Shams Charania in August.

“Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”

Harden ultimately acquired his want and acquired a commerce out of Philadelphia and is now with Los Angeles.

In simply his second sport of the season, Harden regarded a bit rusty, making a second-quarter move from past the 3-point arc within the nook that arced excessive and out of doors of the courtroom, touchdown on press row and in some way within the lap of YES Network play-by-play man Ian Eagle.

Eagle, the veteran, made the catch and name with aplomb, regardless of getting some tea spilled onto his lap.

“That’s coming my way — I got it. Unbelievable. I could see it from the beginning,” Eagle stated. “That might have been my greatest call in NBA history. I knew it from the second it left his hand.”

Harden completed with 12 rebounds, eight rebounds and 5 assists within the Clippers’ second straight loss, this time 100-93, within the New York space after a Tuesday night time defeat by the hands of the Knicks.

-This story was initially revealed by Andrew Battifarano in The New York Post and reproduced with permission

WEMBY, SPURS SMASHED IN NY

Victor Wembanyama acquired a hostile introduction to the brilliant lights of New York.

The French prodigy and San Antonio Spurs struggled in a lopsided 126-105 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

New York busted out of the gates with 33 factors within the first time period to say dominance on their youthful opponent.

The Knicks led by as a lot as 30 at one stage throughout the third time period to all however seal the lead to an anti climax for Wembanyama’s highly-anticipated first sport on the ‘Mecca of Basketball’.

New York followers at one stage went thus far to brutally chant ‘overrated’ to the No. 1 choose when he shot a pair of free throws.

Wembanyama completed with 14 factors, 9 rebounds and a block, whereas Jeremy Sochan’s 16 factors led the Spurs, who suffered their third-straight loss to fall to 3-5.

Julius Randle (23 factors, 16 boards), Jalen Brusnon (25 factors, six assists) and RJ Barrett (24 factors, six assists) all led the best way for the Knicks.

The win noticed New York enhance to 4-4.

GIANNIS EJECTED FOR TAUNTING … BUT BUCKS RALLY BY PISTONS

Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo being ejected for apparently taunting, the Milwaukee Bucks rallied previous the Detroit Pistons 120-118 at dwelling behind 34 factors from Damian Lillard.

Lillard scored 18 of his 34 factors within the fourth quarter and shot 12-of-13 from the road to steer a Bucks crew that was additionally with out Khris Middleton to its third consecutive victory.

Antetokounmpo’s night time got here to an abrupt finish within the third quarter after he allegedly taunted Isaiaah Stewart after a dunking on the Pistons huge, with the Bucks celebrity receiving a second technical foul — and thus an computerized ejection.

The Bucks celebrity tried to take a seat courtside briefly earlier than heading to the locker room.

“It’s an emotional game. He made a phenomenal play,” Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin stated after the sport, per the Associated Press. “It was exciting, emotional and I thought he moved on fairly quickly. So, I was surprised with the second technical, but that’s up to the league to decide.”

Detroit got here surging again into the competition after together with Stewart nailing consecutive threes late within the third adopted by a Marcus Sasser triple to offer the guests the lead 88-87 with 2:13 left within the interval.

The Pistons pushed forward by as a lot as eight down the stretch of the third earlier than Cameron Payne’s three-pointer decreased Milwaukee’s deficit to 95-90 heading into the final change.

Detroit acquired out to a nine-point benefit early within the fourth earlier than Lillard took over, constantly attending to the free throw line within the final time period to tempo the Bucks.

Lillard made consecutive buckets contained in the final two minutes and Brook Lopez buried a triple to offer Milwaukee a 1179-115 lead with 40 seconds remaining that’d show to be the match-winning shot.

Cade Cunningham (33 factors, eight rebounds, eight assists) and Sasser (26 factors, six boards) had been Detroit’s greatest, whereas Bobby Portis scored 18 off the Milwaukee bench.

BROOKS, LEBRON RENEW RIVALRY

LeBron James and Dillon Brooks aren’t backing down from each other.

The two had an old-school showdown throughout the first quarter of Thursday’s sport between the Lakers and Rockets — a 128-94 Houston win — that harkened again to Nineteen Nineties basketball.

James and Brooks have a historical past courting again to final season’s first-round playoff sequence when Brooks was taking part in for the Grizzlies.

During Thursday’s battle, James used his energy to bully his approach to the basket within the first quarter towards some very tight protection by Brooks.

On the next possession, James tried to do it once more however had the ball stripped from him by Brooks, who emphatically celebrated the play.

In a video that was captured throughout pregame warmups, Brooks gave the impression to be staring down the Lakers facet of the courtroom, maybe at James, making an attempt to intimidate the opposition.

At one other level throughout the sport, a video confirmed Brooks and James standing toe-to-toe with each other and jawing backwards and forwards.

Brooks’ feud with James may be traced again to final season when the then-Grizzlies ahead known as the NBA celebrity “old” and struck him within the groin throughout Game 3 of the first-round sequence.

“I poke bears,” Brooks stated to reporters in April. “I don’t respect no one until they come and give me 40.”

And going into Thursday’s sport, Brooks informed reporters he was “ready to lock (James) up.”

“He’s shooting the ball well. He’s been playing well. So I’m just there to make him tired, make him get into that fourth quarter early,” Brooks stated.

James tried to maintain his head above water when it comes to feeding the rivalry forward of Wednesday night time.

The NBA celebrity stated going into the sport that Brooks deserved the contract that he acquired — 4 years and $80 million — from the Rockets after the Grizzlies didn’t re-sign him.

“Every player that is rewarded with a contract is rewarded for a reason, and they’re worthy of the contract they get,” James informed reporters throughout Wednesday’s shootaround. “I think in his case, he was worthy of the contract that he got.

“He’s put in the work since he came out of Oregon, and that’s what Houston found value in him and he’s here.”

James completed the night time with 18 factors whereas Brooks ended his night time with 5 factors and 4 rebounds in 25 minutes.

-This story was initially revealed by Christian Arnold in The New York Post and reproduced with permission.

ELSEWHERE …

Nikola Jokic scored 35 factors because the Denver Nuggets defeated the Golden State Warriors 108-105 in a blockbuster showdown between the 2 NBA heavyweights.

A pulsating conflict that includes the final two NBA champions lived as much as the billing, with the Western Conference rivals going toe-to-toe in a sport that noticed the lead change palms 9 instances.

After trailing for nearly your entire sport at Denver’s Ball Arena, the Warriors edged in entrance heading into the fourth quarter after outscoring Denver 31-23 within the third.

But Denver recovered from a five-point deficit early within the fourth to grab victory, clinching the win after Klay Thompson’s tried game-tying buzzer-beater drifted large.

The victory cemented Denver’s place on the high of the Western Conference, with the reigning NBA champions enhancing to 8-1.

“We don’t have the pressure of being a champion, we’re just trying to enjoy the moment,” Jokic informed ESPN.

“I’m just trying to play the game the right way. And as long as we’re winning I think I’m doing a good job,” added Jokic, who additionally had 13 rebounds and 5 assists.

Reggie Jackson backed Jokic with 20 factors whereas Michael Porter Jr. had 17. Steph Curry’s 23 factors led the scoring for the Warriors, the 2022 champions who fell to 6-3 after the loss.

Elsewhere, Joel Embiid posted 27 factors with 10 rebounds and 4 assists because the Philadelphia 76ers secured a sixth straight win of the season with a 106-103 defeat of the Boston Celtics.

Embiid acquired offensive assist from Tyrese Maxey, who completed with 25 factors from 11-of-27 taking pictures, together with three from past the arc.

The victory leaves Philadelphia in first place within the Eastern Conference on 6-1, with the Milwaukee Bucks second at 5-2.

Kristaps Porzingis led Boston’s scoring with 29 factors whereas Derrick White completed with 19 factors and Jayson Tatum 16.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse paid tribute to the contributions of Maxey and Embiid.

“We’ve got an emerging young star in Tyrese, we’ve got an unbelievable player in Joel, and we’ve got a lot of talented athletes around them who give us some depth,” Nurse stated.

ALL RESULTS

CELTICS 103 76ERS 106

JAZZ 118 PACERS 134

WIZARDS 132 HORNETS 116

SPURS 105 KNICKS 126

CLIPPERS 93 NETS 100

CAVALIERS 120 THUNDER 128

PELICANS 101 TIMBERWOLVES 122

PISTONS 118 BUCKS 120

LAKERS 94 ROCKETS 128

SUNS 116 BULLS 115 (OT)

RAPTORS 127 MAVERICKS 116

HEAT 108 GRIZZLIES 102

WARRIORS 105 NUGGETS 108

BLAZERS 118 KINGS 121 (OT)