Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams has been banned for one game for "recklessly making contact" with a referee in Monday's 120-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Williams made physical contact with referee Cheryl Flores, after he jumped up in anger after being called for an offensive blocking foul while defending Zach LaVine in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics forward was immediately given a technical foul and ejected from the game.
Williams had to be restrained by teammate Derrick White, before being escorted off the court as he yelled back towards the court as he headed towards the locker room.
NBA executive vice president, head of basketball operations Joe Dumars announced the suspension for "recklessly making contact with and directing inappropriate language toward a game official" on Wednesday.
Williams will serve the one-game suspension in Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Darius Garland is in contention to return for the Cavs in that game, having been out since suffering a left eye injury in their season opener against the Toronto Raptors.
The Cavs' All-Star participated in team shootaround on Wednesday while wearing goggles for protection but missed the 103-92 win over the Orlando Magic later that day.
Devin Booker loves and admires Klay Thompson, but that does not excuse him from being competitive after their verbal spar led to the Golden State Warriors guard's ejection from Tuesday's game.
Booker scored 34 points as the Phoenix Suns won 134-105 over the Warriors, with Thompson ejected for the first time in his career during a heated third quarter between two of the top Western Conference contenders at Footprint Center.
Thompson was thrown out of the game after consecutive technical fouls, instigated by a heated exchange with Booker that went on for several minutes.
The pair bumped chests and exchanged words, leading to double technicals for both players, but Thompson boiled over during an ensuing timeout and was thrown out after yelling at the officials, despite being restrained by Stephen Curry and assistant coach Chris DeMarco.
"I love Klay Thompson," Booker told ESPN during his on-court interview after the game. "I have from the beginning, from the draft coming out, I said I wanted to be Klay Thompson.
"But that doesn’t excuse us from competing against each other and talking a little mess with each other. I had fun with it. I'm a big fan of his and his competitive nature and that's that."
When asked at the press conference what Thompson said to Booker, he said: "They have four rings. Repeated over and over. And they do."
Thompson managed only two points on one-of-eight shooting, with that frustration boiling over, while Booker kept his composure to an extent. The Warriors guard was still shouting at the Suns bench as he was walked out following his ejection.
"He was having a tough night," Booker said. "I think everything plays into his frustration. I've been there before.
"You know what they have, they've got the four rings, they're going to use that in all the trash talk, rightfully so, respectfully. But that doesn't have anything to do with competing.
"I've always admired his game, how he plays on both sides of the ball and obviously the rings speak for themselves. Like I said, I'm going to bring it every time."
Thompson's ejection comes amid a sluggish start to the season for the five-time All-Star shooting guard, averaging 14.0 points on 40.5 per cent shooting from the field, while he has made eight-of-28 three-point attempts at 34.8 per cent.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr understood Thompson's frustration but tried to offer some perspective to his frustrated four-time NBA champion.
"One thing I will remind Klay on, he's had plenty of slow starts in his career," Kerr said. "I remember several years ago where he really struggled for the three-point line in his first four or five games.
"Klay cares so much about the game, his own impact on our team. He wants it so badly and he's trying to force everything right now. He's trying too hard. I'll remind him of that."
Devin Booker continued his prolific start to the season as the Phoenix Suns flexed their offensive muscle with a 134-105 win over Western Conference rivals Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
Booker, who turns 26 on Sunday, became the first player in franchise history to have three 30-point games in the first four of a season, finishing with 34 on 10-of-19 shooting from the field with seven assists and three steals.
Deandre Ayton added 16 points with 14 rebounds, including 11 in the first half, while Chris Paul had 16 points with seven rebounds and nine assists.
The Suns, who improved to 3-1, shot at 41 per cent from the field, making 12-of-29 three-pointers, with Paul draining four-of-five from beyond the arc. Phoenix outscored the Warriors 62-39 in the second half.
The reigning champions, who moved to 2-2, continued their worrying defensive start to the season, having conceded 109 or more points in all four of their games this season, averaging 124 points against per game.
Stephen Curry managed 21 points to end his 30-point run to start the season, shooting seven-of-17 from the field and four triples.
Jordan Poole was productive off the bench with 17 points, including 14 in the first half. Klay Thompson was ordinary again with two points, shooting none-of-five from three-point range.
Pels triumph over Doncic's Mavs despite key outs
The New Orleans Pelicans overcame the absence of Zion Williamson (hip) and Brandon Ingram (concussion) along with a Luka Doncic masterclass to win 113-111 over the Dallas Mavericks.
Doncic scored 37 points on 16-of-30 shooting, with 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Mavs, but the undermanned Pels triumphed, led by Trey Murphy with a team-high 22 points with 100 per cent shooting.
C.J. McCollum struggled to find his range, shooting six-of-20 for 14 points but eight Pels players reached double-figure scoring as they improved to 3-1 to start the season.
Doncic became the first Mav to ever open a season with three straight 30-point games. The Slovenian is also only the second player in NBA history with 100-plus points, 25-plus rebounds and 20-plus assists through the first three games of a season.
SGA's OKC down short-handed Clippers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander produced a dominant all-round display with 33 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder cruised past the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 108-94.
The Clippers were without former NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard due to knee soreness along with seven-time All-Star Paul George with illness, with the defeat seeing them slip to 1-3.
Gilgeous-Alexander went at 50 per cent from the field, making two-of-two from beyond the arc, with five rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and three steals in a masterful display, while Tre Mann scored 16 of his 25 points in the first half.
Anthony Davis has rallied around maligned Los Angeles Lakers teammate Russell Westbrook, who has been listed as doubtful for Wednesday's game against the Denver Nuggets due to left hamstring soreness.
Westbrook exited the Lakers' final preseason game against the Sacramento Kings 11 days ago after only five minutes due to a hamstring issue.
The 33-year-old nine-time All-Star has played all three of the Lakers' games this season since, but has been the subject of significant criticism, the latest for taking on and missing a midrange shot late in Sunday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham declined to elaborate on his likely line-up for the Nuggets game, as they look to snap an 0-3 start to the season.
Westbrook's status was disclosed by the Lakers after Ham spoke to reporters, while the former MVP was not made available either.
The Lakers point guard is averaging 10.3 points shooting at 28.9 per cent from the field with 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game across three games this season.
Davis, who has started this season impressively despite the Lakers' winless start, leapt to the defence of Westbrook who has copped the brunt of the criticism directed at the team.
"I mean, it's crazy," Davis said. "People are forgetting who Russ is… I can't imagine how tough it is for him. It's something you guys have to ask him.
"But just as a team, as an organisation, we're just trying to be there for him and just keep supporting him and make sure that he doesn't get caught up in it, because that's when things can go bad for him. We want to make sure that he's continuously in a great space.
"He was all smiles today, which is a good thing. We want to make sure that no matter what, he knows we're on his side and we have his back. And whatever he needs from us, we're right here, on and off the court."
The Lakers' winless start to the season comes after missing the playoffs in 2021-22 with a 33-49 record.
"Obviously, there's some sense of urgency," Davis added. "You don't want to dig yourself too big of a hole. But we've got to stay even-keeled.
"We can't get rattled or flustered and things like that. Just like if we win 12 in a row, we don't want to get too high.
"We think all this adversity is going to be good for us. We're glad it's happening in October and not March or April."
Kawhi Leonard is experiencing stiffness in his surgically repaired right knee and has subsequently been ruled out of the Los Angeles Clippers' next two games.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP missed all of last season after tearing his ACL during the 2021 playoffs and has played 21 minutes off the bench in two of the Clippers' three opening games this season.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue revealed ahead of Tuesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder that Leonard had not suffered a setback but would sit out of their next two games, including Thursday's second game at OKC.
"After shootaround, [he] experienced some stiffness in his knee," Lue told reporters. "We want to be cautious, make sure we're doing the right thing by him, even though he wanted to play.
"We just thought it wasn't smart. He can be mad at us if he wants to but just not smart right now."
The Clippers are opting for a cautious approach with Leonard, who will fly back to Los Angeles on Wednesday to undergo treatment, with the team to monitor him before making a call on his availability for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
"That [soreness] is part of the process when you have ACL surgery," Lue said. "It's known to happen to get a little stiffness so we just got to be smart about it."
The 31-year-old has averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 2.0 assists in his two games this season, shooting at 44.4 per cent from the field.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets both have big ambitions but have experienced contrasting fortunes to start the new NBA season.
Milwaukee tasted victory in the opening two games of the season as the Bucks plot their path to regaining the title they won in 2021.
Brooklyn dreamed of reaching such heights when they acquired Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2019 before then landing James Harden in a trade in 2020.
But Harden has since departed, Ben Simmons coming the other way in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers last season, and the Nets' current big three have been unable to prevent a 1-2 start.
Durant and Irving both racked up 37 points in their defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, however, and they will look to continue that kind of form to threaten an upset against one of the preseason favourites.
Should the Nets come through what promises to be a compelling encounter in Milwaukee, it may signal better days ahead for a franchise who have as yet not reaped the benefits of their collection of superstar talent.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Milwaukee Bucks – Brook Lopez
Lopez, the former first-round pick of the Nets, is already having a critical defensive impact for the Bucks this season.
He leads the NBA with 3.5 blocked shots per game and has a defensive rating of 94.6 that is bettered only by Antetokounmpo across the Bucks' first two games.
Milwaukee will likely require Lopez to continue his strong start if the Bucks are to contain Durant and Irving.
Brooklyn Nets – Ben Simmons
Simmons has quickly become something of a punchline for the Nets in three games this season.
He fouled out in 23 minutes in the loss to the Grizzlies, marking the second time he has done so this term.
Contributing little on the offensive end, Simmons is averaging 5.7 points per game while an average plus-minus of minus-15 is the worst on the team.
Going forward, Simmons will need to provide much better support to Durant and Irving on both ends of the floor for the Nets to be contenders, and there is no better game in which to start offering that assistance.
KEY BATTLES – Giannis and KD's early blockbuster
There are more granular elements of a game that often prove decisive, but sometimes it just comes down to a battle of two superstars.
That appears likely to be the case here as Antetokounmpo and Durant go head-to-head with both already excelling on the offensive end.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 32.5 points per game compared to Durant's 32.0. The key difference that has led to their two teams' contrasting records is the superior support Antetokounmpo has received, but if both are on song then this promises to be a bewitching contest.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Bucks have won five of their last six against the Nets, though Brooklyn did claim a road win last season, prevailing 126-123 behind a 38-point effort from Irving.
Zion Williamson has been ruled out of the New Orleans Pelicans' meeting with the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday after suffering a posterior hip contusion, joining team-mate Brandon Ingram on the sideline.
Williamson was originally listed as questionable after sustaining the injury as a result of a heavy fall in Sunday's 122-121 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz.
Coach Willie Green said Williamson's injury did not seem serious on Monday, but the team have now revealed he will miss Tuesday's game.
Williamson is averaging 22.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season after missing the entirety of the last campaign with a foot injury.
The Pelicans, who won their first two games of the season after being tipped to mount a challenge in the Western Conference, will now be missing several key men for Tuesday's encounter.
Forward Ingram is subject to the NBA's return-to-participation protocol after suffering a concussion against Utah, while Herb Jones has also been ruled out after hyperextending his right knee.
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