Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers savoured the nature of Saturday's win over the Chicago Bulls, not his personal achievement of 1,000 NBA career victories.
Rivers became the 10th NBA coach to reach 1,000 wins in the league following Philadelphia's 114-105 triumph in Chicago.
Joel Embiid fuelled the 76ers to their sixth straight win with 30 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the absence of Tobias Harris, Danny Green and Ben Simmons.
It clinched a milestone for former Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers coach Rivers – a Chicago native.
"I had no idea that I was at 999," Rivers – an NBA champion with the Celtics – told reporters. "I don't count. That's not why I do it and this win being shorthanded, being in Chicago means a lot, and it also means I'm very lucky.
"When I go back and look at the coaching staff that I've had and all the players, wins like tonight, obviously, winning the title is great, but wins like tonight is why you coach.
"When you when you just piecemealing it together and the guys are pulling together. We did it in Detroit, we did it in the last Chicago game, we did it again tonight.
"These are these are the games that are when you sit back and think special wins, these are the ones that are really special."
Eastern Conference leaders the 76ers (8-2) have won eight of their opening 10 games for the first time since a 10-0 start in 2000-01.
The 76ers were inspired by another red-hot performance from three-point range as Philadelphia shot 50 per cent – Embiid was four-of-five shooting from three, while Furkan Korkmaz (25 points) matched a career high with seven made threes.
"The chemistry that we have is very different from the previous years," Last season's MVP runner-up Embiid said. "We're complete. We're on the same page.
"Everybody feels like they have something to prove."
Korkmaz added: "I gotta say this is coming from the coaching staff for sure because they trust me more. They give me more confidence. They are running more plays for me and not just for scoring, not just for shooting, I'm trying to make more plays also for my team-mates.
"I've been working on this, but I think this year, I have equal opportunity, especially in the second unit to show this, and definitely, I can say this is coming from the coaching staff."
Westbrook joins Denver Nuggets on two-year contract
Russell Westbrook has joined the Denver Nuggets on a two-year contract containing a player option for 2025-26.
Earlier this month, Westbrook was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Utah Jazz, who reached a contract buyout agreement with the point guard.
Westbrook had long been expected to move on to Denver, with Utah receiving a series of second-round draft picks from the Clippers to facilitate the move.
On Friday, Westbrook was in Denver to put pen to paper on his deal, with his agent Jeff Schwartz confirming the length and terms of his contract to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The team subsequently announced the arrival of the 35-year-old on social media, with the Nuggets becoming his sixth team in the last seven years.
Westbrook will earn an estimated $6.8million with the Nuggets, who lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in last season's Western Conference semifinals.
In 2023-24 for the Clippers, he averaged career lows of 11.1 points and 4.5 assists with 5 boards.
He came off the bench in 57 of the 68 games he played, shooting 27.3 per cent from 3-point range – the second-lowest mark among the 226 players with at least 150 attempts from beyond the arc.
However, Denver believe the 2016-17 NBA MVP can still provide depth and ease the load on reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, who was named the league's best player for a third time in 2023-24.
Kerr demands improvements from Team USA as Olympic opener looms
United States coach Steve Kerr wants to see higher levels of intensity from his team as their Olympics campaign approaches.
Kerr was unhappy with the lacklustre displays from his side in their warm-ups against Germany and South Sudan.
Germany led 71-68 at the end of the third quarter before LeBron James conjured up 11 points in the final four minutes to give the USA a 92-88 win, while South Sudan were 20 seconds away from pulling off one of the biggest shocks in basketball history, before eventually falling to a 101-100 loss.
The USA face a dangerous Serbia side featuring reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic on Sunday, and Kerr is adamant that improvements are required if they are to win a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
He said: "It's got to be 40 minutes of force and attention and focus, and we can't let teams outplay us effort and energy-wise like we did the other night against Germany, like we did against South Sudan.
“We have another level. I think we have another two levels that we can get to, but it's a collaboration, always.
"We can show them, 'Let's do this, let's do that. Let's learn personnel.'
"We got to know the shooters, know the non-shooters, all that stuff. So that's where we can help them. Where they can help themselves is just effort and energy play after play, after play. This is different."
Kerr is a four-time NBA champion as a coach, and was part of the triumphant Olympics team in Tokyo in 2021, but the Golden State Warriors boss knows the experience of the Games will only be enhanced if the USA were to come out on top again.
"This should be one of the great experiences of our lives. But the best way to make it an incredible experience is to win a gold medal," he said.
After facing Serbia, the USA will once again go up against South Sudan, this time in a competitive format, before ending the group stage with a match against Puerto Rico.
Sesko opts for Leipzig stay over Arsenal, Man Utd move due to progress opportunities
Benjamin Sesko remains certain that staying at RB Leipzig is the "right decision" to develop his career after turning down reported Premier League interest.
Slovenia international Sesko joined Leipzig from RB Salzburg in 2023, scoring 14 league goals last campaign, a tally bettered by only seven players in the German top flight.
That form was said to have attracted Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea to the 21-year-old, who instead signed a new five-year contract with the Bundesliga club last month.
Having committed his future to life at the Red Bull Arena, the striker believes Leipzig will provide a platform for his progression.
"I thought it through very well," Sesko said to Nogomania, a Slovenian media outlet. "I believe I made the right decision. I wanted to gain more experience, learn more, and not rush things.
"Leipzig are an excellent club that can provide what I need for the next step. Leipzig's vision is clear; everything is geared towards growth, progress, and high goals. I felt it was right to decide this way."
Sesko's new deal could see him stay with Leipzig until 2029, with Marco Rose boasting one of the world's most exciting prospects up top.
The Leipzig attacker scored from 14 of his 47 shots last season in the league, a conversion rate of 29.8% – the third-best ratio in the 2023-24 Bundesliga among players to have managed at least five goals.
That deadly finishing in front of goal will have Rose excited once more, and Sesko says his boss was key to the decision to stay.
"We talked," Sesko explained. "He told me he wanted me to stay but also said I should decide based on my feelings.
"He said if I felt I needed to move on, I should go, but if not, I should stay. He's an excellent coach who has led many great players.
"I'm glad I decided this way. I did it before the Euro to keep a clear head and focus entirely on the championship."
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