Doc Rivers was frustrated by the Philadelphia 76ers' second unit after his side gave up a big lead against the New York Knicks.
The Sixers went down 108-97 in New York on Sunday, despite taking a 21-point lead in the first quarter.
Philadelphia's advantage was cut to just two by halftime, and although they restored a three-point cushion heading into the final quarter, they could not hold out.
Having seen his team surrender a 21-point lead for the second game in a week, coach Rivers bemoaned the play of those he had to call on from the bench.
"I thought our second unit came in and struggled," Rivers told reporters.
"This is the second time that has happened. The same thing happened in Orlando.
"Both times, we were scoring too easy. The second group comes in and thinks this is an offensive game and they didn't see the reason the first group got the lead was because of defense."
Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and James Harden started and each posted double-doubles for the 76ers, yet Tyrese Maxey was the only substitute to get into double figures for points (12).
In contrast, the Knicks bench accounted for 37 points, with Evan Fournier putting up 17 of them.
Rivers did, however, insist it was "not just a bench loss".
"We've been good at that. Just because one half doesn't work, you don't vacate the unit," he said.
"That's what guys do who lose a lot. So they didn't play well, though honestly, I didn't think that's why we lost the game.
"I hate that the numbers look like it was the bench: it was everybody. This was a team loss and I made that clear.
"We'll sit and look and we'll see minus-24 and plus-34s, our stars were in some of that too when Fournier was making those shots, and so I just thought it was a team loss. I thought it was more mental and emotional than just playing basketball.
"I thought we were just not strong. Mentally, I thought they were the mentally tougher team and they deserve to win."
Embiid, who led the game with 31 points, 14 rebounds and three assists, added: "It's never easy.
"A 20-point lead in the NBA, that's nothing. Any team can come back and that's what they did tonight."
Kyrie Irving bade Brooklyn Nets fans farewell after accompanying him in the fulfilment of a childhood "dream" of playing for the franchise before sealing a trade.
Irving requested a trade from the Nets on Friday, and just two days later he got his wish.
The Dallas Mavericks sent Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round draft pick and two second-rounders in exchange for Irving and Markieff Morris.
Comfortably the most significant trade of the NBA season, Irving's move comes less than two weeks after he was named a starter in what will be his eighth All-Star Game appearance.
Irving joined from the Boston Celtics in 2019 and was a controversial figure during his time in Brooklyn, sitting out much of the 2021-22 season because he refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
He had been enjoying a strong bounce-back campaign before requesting a trade, averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game.
And despite not being a universally popular figure, Irving paid tribute to Nets fans – who booed him when his face appeared on a big screen ahead of Saturday's win over the Washington Wizards – ahead of linking up with Luka Doncic at the Mavs.
Irving, who once described himself as being a "struggling Nets fan" while growing up, wrote on social media: "Thank you NetsWorld fans and supporters for the love on and off the court.
"I will forever be grateful I got to live out my dream I had as a kid with y'all. It will always be love from me and my family."
He added: "Pouring Libations for all of the ancestors and the universe. Thank you for the guidance and assistance along the journey. I honor you and I love you. Blessings."
Irving missed the game against the Wizards due to calf soreness, which ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski says has since subsided.
Pending a medical, the Mavericks are preparing for Irving to make his debut for the franchise on Wednesday when they travel to take on the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 28-26 Mavs are sixth in the Western Conference, while the Nets (32-20) are fourth in the East.
Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown is concerned that his side's strong start has them playing complacently after getting crushed 136-104 by the undermanned New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
The Pelicans, who were without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, were 1-10 in their previous 11 games heading into Sunday, but they made light work of a Kings side who were also missing De'Aaron Fox.
It was Sacramento's fourth loss from their past six games, and while they still sit third in the West, the tightly bunched nature of the conference has them in a precarious position.
At 29-23 the Kings are one game ahead of the fourth-placed Los Angeles Clippers (30-26), but are also only three games ahead of the 10th-seeded Utah Jazz (27-27).
A losing streak now could see the Kings plummet in the standings, and with the potential to break 16-season playoff drought, coach Brown wants to see his team figure things out quickly.
"We’ve had a pretty good year so far and we've experienced a lot of highs," he said. "Now we've hit a little adversity.
"I don't know if we're all-in like we talked about at the beginning of the year, and how we've been, because things are flowing and we're winning and in third-place or whatever.
"I'm going to watch and see how we all handle this. It's tough to go through, but it's a great thing for this team to experience.
"Because if we expect to make the playoffs – and we do expect to advance in the playoffs – we'll have to deal with adversity... and, right now, I don't think we're doing a great job with it."
For the Pelicans, who are now on a two-game winning streak following a dismal 10-game losing streak, second-year wing Trey Murphy III was the key as he scored a season-high 30 points on nine-of-11 shooting, hitting six-of-eight from deep.
The 22-year-old came into the contest having made just 11-of-31 three-point attempts in his past five games, but he said he knew things would balance out if he kept firing.
"Just got to keep shooting, no matter if you're hitting or not," he said. "Eventually, your percentage is going to get to where it's supposed to be. So, I'm just glad my teammates found me and I was able knock down shots."
He added: "B.I. [Ingram] was out, so somebody had to be B.I. – I decided to tap into my B.I. skill-set."
The Dallas Mavericks are preparing for Kyrie Irving to make his debut for the franchise on Wednesday when they travel to take on the Los Angeles Clippers.
Irving requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, and just two days later the controversial superstar got his wish as the Mavericks sent away Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round draft pick and two second-rounders in exchange for Irving and Markieff Morris.
It is easily the biggest trade of the NBA season so far, and it comes less than two weeks after Irving was named a starter in what will be his eighth All-Star Game appearance.
After sitting out most of the 2021-22 season in protest to New York City's vaccination mandate, Irving had been in the midst of a strong bounce back campaign, averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 48.6 per cent from the field, 37.4 per cent from deep and 88.3 per cent from the free throw line.
He had played in 40 of the Nets' first 51 games this season, before also missing their 52nd with what was labelled "calf soreness" the day after he demanded the trade from Brooklyn, when it was also reported he was willing to sit out until a trade was made.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, that calf soreness has subsided and, pending a physical on Monday, he is expected to suit up in Mavericks colours for the first time on Wednesday.
The Athletic's Shams Charania states the Clippers were one of three other teams serious about trading for Irving – along with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns – and the Clippers will face him the game after they return from their road trip, which wraps up Monday against the now Irving-less Nets.
There are no more scheduled meetings between the Nets and Mavericks for the rest of the campaign, with Dallas having already swept the season series 2-0.
The NBA banned a number of acquaintances of Memphis Grizzlies All-Star Ja Morant from attending the team's home games following a postgame incident that occurred last week.
According to a report from The Athletic, members of Morant’s group reportedly confronted representatives of the Indiana Pacers' travelling party following the Grizzlies' 112-100 win over Indiana in Memphis on January 29.
The report states that a red laser coming from an SUV that was believed to be carrying Morant was pointed towards Pacers players and coaches as they made their way to the team bus, and witnesses told NBA investigators they feared the laser was attached to a gun.
A league spokesman said a resulting investigation found no evidence of any weapons present, but confirmed to The Athletic that multiple people have been prohibited from attending Grizzlies’ home games following the probe.
"NBA security and league investigators conducted an investigation interviewing numerous eyewitnesses and reviewing video surveillance following allegations made by the Indiana Pacers organisation regarding a postgame incident on January 29," the league said in a statement.
"While we substantiated that a postgame situation arose that was confrontational, based on interviews and other evidence gathered, we could not corroborate that any individual threatened others with a weapon.
"Certain individuals involved in the postgame situation and a related matter during the game that night have been subsequently banned from attending games in the arena. If additional information becomes available related to the postgame situation, the league office will conduct a further review."
Morant, who was named to his second straight All-Star Game earlier this week, tweeted Sunday that his brother was barred from FedEx Forum for a year as a result of the investigation. The standout point guard received no league discipline.
"Did a investigation [and] seen they were cappin,” Morant tweeted. "Still let a article come out to paint this negative image on me and my fam, and banned my brother from home games for a year. Unbelievable."
Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters prior to Sunday's game against Toronto that the team cooperated fully with the NBA's investigation, though he did not comment on any specific details of the situation.
"That was addressed internally. We're aware of the investigation of the NBA," he said. "They did a full investigation, we were fully compliant with it and I think they came out with a statement saying nothing was corroborated or found.
"That’s what I know and that’s all I’m going to comment on."
The New York Knicks stormed home with a 32-18 final period to defeat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 108-97 on Sunday,
The Knicks were on the second night of a back-to-back, coming off a disappointing overtime loss at home against the Los Angeles Clippers, but they steadied the ship to avoid a fourth loss from their past five.
Point guard Jalen Brunson finished with 21 points on six-of-16 shooting with seven assists and five rebounds, while All-Star team-mate Julius Randle posted 24 points (eight-of-19), nine rebounds and seven assists.
They were solid, but inefficient, shooting a combined 40 per cent from the field while both finished with a plus/minus figure in the negatives.
What won the game for the Knicks was their production off the bench. Evan Fournier scored a season-high 17 points (six-of-11), Deuce McBride added 14 points (three-of-eight), and the pair combined to shoot eight-of-14 from long range, while both posting a plus/minus of plus 28 or better.
Backup center Isaiah Hartenstein was similarly impactful, snatching an equal season-high 14 rebounds in his fourth consecutive appearance with at least 10 boards.
MVP candidate Joel Embiid was respectable for the 76ers, finishing six-of-16 from the field, but he still produced 31 points and 14 rebounds after shooting 18-of-19 from the free throw line.
With the win, the Knicks improved their record to 29-26, and they now sit just a half-game back from the six seed in the Eastern Conference.
Balanced Raptors overcome Morant-less Grizzlies
With Ja Morant out injured, the Memphis Grizzlies were unable to protect their lead down the stretch, going down 106-103 at home against the Toronto Raptors.
The Grizzlies led by 15 points late in the third quarter, before the Raptors closed the show on a 40-22 run.
Seven of the eight Raptors to play finished with between 10 and 19 points, with Pascal Siakam's 19 points on seven-of-17 shooting leading the scoring, while Scottie Barnes was a menace defensively as he had two steals and two blocks to go with his 16 points and seven rebounds.
Desmond Bane (26 points and four steals) and Jaren Jackson Jr (18 points and four blocks) were the bright spots for the Grizzlies, who at 32-21 are now four-and-a-half games behind the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets.
Cavs starters light up the Pacers
The Cleveland Cavaliers' starting-five shot a blistering 58.7 per cent from the field as they blew out the Indiana Pacers 122-103 on the road.
Donovan Mitchell had 19 points on six-of-18 shooting, but he was the only Cleveland starter to hit less than half his shots as Darius Garland (eight-of-13), Evan Mobley (seven-of-12), Jarrett Allen (nine-of-11) and Isaac Okoro (seven-of-nine) combined to shoot 68.8 per cent.
Newly extended Pacers center Myles Turner had strong production in the losing effort, finishing with 27 points (nine-of-18), 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Stephen Curry looks set for a potentially lengthy spell on the sidelines after it was confirmed the Golden State Warriors star had suffered multiple tears in his left leg.
The two-time NBA MVP was forced off in the third quarter of Saturday's 119-113 win against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr acknowledged he was concerned over the outcome of a subsequent MRI for the point guard after the game.
Now, the team's fears have been realised with the confirmation Curry has suffered a significant leg injury and his ruled out for the foreseeable future.
"An MRI last night confirmed that Stephen Curry suffered partial tears to his superior tibiofibular ligaments and interosseous membrane as well as a contusion to his lower leg," read a statement.
"He will not play in tomorrow’s game and additional clarity on a potential timeline will be established in the coming days."
Curry had posted 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds before his exit on Saturday, just two days after hurting his left knee against the Denver Nuggets.
The four-time NBA champion missed 11 games through a shoulder injury earlier this season, and his absence will be a blow to the Warriors once again.
With an average of 29.4 points per game this season, Curry is ninth in the NBA and leads the way for his team, ahead of Klay Thompson (20.8) and Jordan Poole (20.5)
The Warriors sit seventh in the Western Conference with a 27-26 winning record to date, and next face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
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