Kevin Durant is out of the Brooklyn Nets' contest against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday and could reportedly miss the team's next four NBA games as he follows the league's health and safety protocols.
Reports in ESPN stated Durant was exposed to someone who has tested positive for coronavirus and is facing a seven-day quarantine period.
That would see Durant also sit out against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday and Friday, as well as Sunday's showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After opening the season with back-to-back wins, the Nets have lost four of their past five to sit 10th in the early throes of the Eastern Conference standings.
Durant missed the entirety of the disrupted 2019-20 campaign due to a ruptured Achilles and is averaging 28.2 points, seven rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Nets this term.
Seven players hit double figures as the Philadelphia 76ers surged to 6-1 while Malcolm Brogdon landed an overtime winner as the Indiana Pacers take up chase in the East.
Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia remain ahead of the pack after a second-quarter flurry helped to sink the Charlotte Hornets, 118-101, with Tobias Harris leading the scoring on 22 points.
Joel Embiid (14 points and 11 rebounds) and Ben Simmons (12 points and 10 rebounds) played key supporting roles with double-doubles as the 76ers continue to fly high.
Indiana improved to 5-2 in a 118-116 thriller against the New Orleans Pelicans after Brogdon capped his double-double with the clutch OT winner, while Victor Oladipo top scored for the Pacers with 25 points.
In-form Pelicans duo Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson combined for 55 points in the loss, as Ingram scored 31 and Williamson recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Orlando also stayed in the hunt for top spot as Aaron Gordon (24 points, 11 rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (23 points) inspired the Magic to move to 5-3 with a 103-83 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Malcolm Brogdon hits the game-winning floater in OT as the @Pacers pick up their 5th W of the season!
Brogdon: 21 PTS, 7 REB, 11 AST
Victor Oladipo: 25 PTS, 6 AST
Brandon Ingram: 31 PTS, 8 AST
Zion Williamson: 24 PTS, 10 REB pic.twitter.com/XfWbcMXemJ
— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2021
Doncic, Giannis go off as Mavs and Bucks win
Luka Doncic dominated with 33 points and a triple-double as the Dallas Mavericks ended the Houston Rockets’ winning streak with a 113-100 win.
Doncic added 16 rebounds and 11 assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr shot for 30 points to boost the Mavs. Houston's Christian Wood, Eric Gordon and a returning James Harden all put up more than 20 points.
The NBA is back! A shortened schedule, a new play-in tournament and increased roster sizes have created plenty of interest in a new season.
A December start seems to have caught a few of the potential title hopefuls a little cold, though it is still early days. The key is not about starting fast, but finishing strong.
Still, some have hit the ground running. Each week, Stats Perform will take a look at the players who are impressing, as well as those seemingly stuck in a bit of a slump.
For this opening edition, however, all statistical comparisons are made to performances on average across the entire 2019-20 season.
RUNNING HOT...
Stephen Curry (32.3ppg versus 20.8ppg)
Scoring 62 points in a game sure helps to boost the average. Curry actually started out a little slowly – hardly a surprise considering injury meant he played just five games in the previous campaign – as he made only 13 of his combined 48 field goal attempts in defeats to the Nets and Bucks. However, Curry was certainly cooking against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, hitting eight three-pointers as he posted a new career-high points total. So far in this season, he is making 4.3 three-pointers per outing.
Christian Wood (23.8ppg versus 13.1ppg)
These are uncertain times in Houston, where James Harden seemingly no longer wants to be. While his future remains the headline story for the franchise, Christian Wood has quickly shown why he was such an astute signing. Having gone undrafted out of college, the 25-year-old flashed potential with the Detroit Pistons in 2019-20, tempting the Rockets to sign him to a three-year, $41million deal. Their reward? Wood has averaged 23.8 points while playing 36.5 minutes for a team that boasts a 2-2 record through four games.
Kyle Anderson (16.7ppg versus 5.8ppg)
Opportunity knocks for Anderson in Memphis due to the absence of Jaren Jackson Jr with a knee issue. The forward's minutes on court have risen as a result – and so, too, has his production. Having never averaged in double digits for points for his previous six seasons in the NBA, Anderson is now up at 16.7 per game for the Grizzlies. Ja Morant was, less surprisingly, on the rise in terms of his scoring output as well, up at 26.3 points per game before suffering an ankle injury.
Luguentz Dort (14.6ppg versus 6.8ppg)
Someone has to score points for Oklahoma, right? GM Sam Presti is clearly in it for the long haul in terms of a rebuild, considering the number of moves made in the offseason and draft picks now owned by the team. Still, Dort remains on the roster and has stepped up to accept greater responsibility. The Canadian has raised his successful three-point attempts from an average of 0.8 to 2.4 a game, shooting an impressive 44.4 per cent from deep. Team-mate Isaiah Roby is another to catch the eye for the Thunder, averaging 13 points and 6.5 total rebounds.
GOING COLD...
Devonte' Graham (9.0ppg versus 18.2ppg)
The moment Charlotte selected fellow point guard LaMelo Ball with the third pick in the draft, Graham was under pressure. He retained his starting job in the Hornets' backcourt but the pressure is mounting now, considering the form of both players. While Ball seems to be a quick learner after some preseason concerns, his teammate has struggled. Graham is at just nine points per game - half his average from the previous season. His three-point shooting has dipped to 2.0 made per outing from 3.5. He forced himself off the bench and into the rotation for the Hornets last year, yet could soon find himself moving in the opposite direction.
Jimmy Butler (8.3ppg versus 19.9ppg)
There are reasons behind the five-time NBA All-Star's sluggish start. Butler has featured in just three games so far - and one of those he only played in the first half, with an ankle issue keeping him off the court for the remainder of the clash with the Pelicans. He averaged 19.9 per game for a Heat team that made it all the way to the Finals last term. The early going has seen an 11.6-point decrease in his scoring output, though expect that to rise as the weeks progress.
Kelly Oubre Jr. (9.7ppg versus 18.7ppg)
Oubre was on the merry-go-round headlined by Chris Paul going from Oklahoma to Phoenix. His form last season with the Suns was not enough for the Thunder to keep him around, though, as they dealt him to Golden State. It has not been plain sailing with the Warriors; while not required to contribute quite so much on offense for his new team, the concern is his three-point shooting. Having made 1.9 on average per game last season, Oubre's been successful with two of his 30 attempts so far. The early report card for him reads as such: Must do better.
Kyrie Irving is in it for the long haul with the Brooklyn Nets and will not be getting frustrated despite them slipping to a 3-4 record with a 123-122 loss to the Washington Wizards.
The Nets dropped their fourth game in their past five, with Irving missing a three-pointer with 5.9 seconds remaining and Kevin Durant unable to make the most of a second chance after Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot grabbed the rebound.
There were numerous on-court discussions between Brooklyn team-mates throughout the game, with the new-look line-up trying to work through the kinks during their early season struggles.
Irving had a game-high 30 points and 10 assists but his five turnovers in addition to Durant's six accounted for more than half of the team's entire total (20).
Head coach Steve Nash highlighted "simple defensive lapses, offensive rebounding, and turnovers" as the primary issues, though his starting point guard is confident they will eventually be ironed out.
"It's just basketball. I've been doing it for a long time at a high level and the greatest gift is teaching the game to others, to be able to match their level or raise their level to yours to be a great functioning team," said Irving.
"It's just taking time. It's not going to be put together overnight, nor am I expecting it to, nor am I going to get frustrated over six games or however many games we've played.
"The object of this regular season is to continue to get better and to prepare for the 16 wins in the playoffs, so we're just gonna enjoy this.
"We just have to manage realistic expectations of what we want out of this group right now … [when] we put together a few great months of consistent work and consistent progress, consistent craft, consistent communication, then we'll be okay.
"We're committed to it. I know the guys in the locker room and everyone in the organisation is committed to that. We want to change this whole thing and that's not an overnight process.
"I didn't just come here for two years or three years or anything like that. I'm excited for the journey ahead and to continue to get better. It is as simple as basketball, but the team effort takes a while to get together."
Asked about what was labelled a "disconnect" between the bench and the players on the floor when Nash was slow to call a timeout during the third quarter, Irving responded: "I don't know what you're talking about. Disconnect? It's basketball. It's pretty simple, just go out there and try to out-score the other team."
Durant missed the entirety of last season with an Achilles injury and acknowledged he needs to "tone it down" to help the team flourish.
"I think we're just trying to be aggressive to make plays and sometimes we look overzealous to make a pass," he said of the turnovers committed by himself and Irving.
"I can live with two or three but six of them is too much for me and I've got to just tone it down if our team wants to be successful."
Stephen Curry called on a Michael Jordan meme to explain his attitude towards the criticism he received prior to scoring a career-high 62 points as the Golden State Warriors beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
Two-time NBA MVP Curry averaged 26.4 points and 6.6 assists through the first five games of the season, but with the Warriors 2-3 and his shooting percentages down, his ability to lead the team back to the playoffs without a supporting cast of fellow superstars was brought into question.
Of the Golden State team that reached the 2019 NBA Finals, Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins have left, Klay Thompson is expected to miss the entire season with a knee injury and Draymond Green only made his first appearances of 2020-21 in the double-header against the Trail Blazers.
Curry issued an emphatic response, scoring 62 points on 18-of-31 shooting (58.1 per cent) in a 137-122 victory for Golden State, making eight three-pointers in a single game for the 49th time in his career.
The 31-year-old posted career-highs in free throws made (18) and attempted (19) as he became the first Warrior since Thompson in 2016 to drop at least 60 points in a single game.
Speaking after the game, he referenced the mindset Jordan described possessing during the 1997-98 season with the Chicago Bulls on 'The Last Dance'.
Curry said: "Cue the Jordan meme, right? 'I take all that personally.' I sensed the opportunity to kind of assert my will on the game early and try to create some energy and get off on the right foot.
"As crazy as it sounds after the game, all we really wanted to do was win the first quarter and take it from there. Obviously, that's what we did, and we continued the momentum.
"We have a winning spirit, we've just got to figure out how to do it consistently, and against the good teams in the league, it's gonna test us."
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was surprised to hear that Curry had been coming under fire early in the season, claiming it is tougher for him to dominate games than the likes of LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis.
"I'm honestly not playing dumb. Does he really take criticism? I hope they're saying something good about him tonight," said Kerr.
"If you think about most of the guys who are considered the best in the league, they're physical freaks of nature: LeBron, Giannis, Anthony Davis. Steph is 6-3, 180 pounds, so he has to carry a game with skill, he can't carry a game with physicality and athleticism.
"That would be the only thing I could think of that would make people criticise him. It's much harder to carry a team single-handedly by making 35-footers all day – the same thing with Damian [Lillard] and CJ [McCollum], those guys are incredible shot-makers.
"But if you're not 6-8 and 250, you can't really dominate a game in other ways. That's probably my best guess as to the criticism."
Green added: "I think that was right up there with the best of them, just because of all the talk that's been going around.
"Steph has the tendency at times to f*** around with the basketball. There was no f****** around. He came out and everything was a shot or attack."
Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry just wanted to "stay in the moment" as he approached his career-high of 62 points against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Curry exploded for 62 points to lead the Warriors past the Trail Blazers 137-122 in the NBA on Sunday.
The two-time NBA MVP was 18-of-31 from the field and eight-of-16 from three-point range to set a personal best.
"You try to just continue to stay humble and stay in the moment. That's the best way to approach it," Curry told NBC Sports after the game.
"It doesn't help when your team-mates are yelling at you every dead ball how many points you've got, but other than that it's just don't do anything differently, just keep being aggressive, being decisive and good things happen."
Curry was also 18-of-19 from the free-throw line as he became the first Warriors player to score 62-plus points since Rick Barry in March 1974.
Damian Lillard (32) and CJ McCollum (28) combined for 60 points for the Trail Blazers.
Curry said he enjoyed coming up against the likes of Lillard, who is a five-time NBA All-Star.
"It's always the best guys in the league, especially the point guard position, bring the best out of you," he said.
"If you're around this league long enough you kind of get to see every kind of scenario and situation and we have a lot to fight for and a huge challenge in front of us.
"They're the established team now so for a guy like him, it always brings the best out of you and I love the competition and that's kind of what it is."
The Warriors are 3-3 to begin the NBA season and Golden State face the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
Stephen Curry exploded to lift the Golden State Warriors to victory in the NBA on Sunday, while the Los Angeles Lakers won again.
Curry produced a career-high 62 points as the Warriors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 137-122.
The two-time NBA MVP was in spectacular form, shooting 18-of-31 from the field and eight-of-16 from three-point range.
Damian Lillard (32) and CJ McCollum (28) combined for 60 points for the Trail Blazers.
The Lakers made it three straight wins by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 108-94.
LeBron James' 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists led the Lakers, who had six players in double-digits for points.
Durant dominance not enough for Nets, George shines
Kevin Durant had 28 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but the Brooklyn Nets fell to the Washington Wizards 123-122.
Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Paul George posted 39 points to guide the Los Angeles Clippers past the Phoenix Suns 112-107.
Jayson Tatum's double-double of 24 points and 12 assists helped the Boston Celtics edge the Detroit Pistons 122-120.
Bad Brooks
Dillon Brooks had a difficult outing for the Grizzlies. The guard went three-of-15 from the field for just nine points in 29 minutes.
Amazing Curry
Curry hit a brilliant eighth three-pointer to reach 62 points in the Warriors' win.
Sunday's results
Boston Celtics 122-120 Detroit Pistons
Los Angeles Lakers 108-94 Memphis Grizzlies
Washington Wizards 123-122 Brooklyn Nets
Denver Nuggets 124-109 Minnesota Timberwolves
Utah Jazz 130-109 San Antonio Spurs
Chicago Bulls 118-108 Dallas Mavericks
Los Angeles Clippers 112-107 Phoenix Suns
Golden State Warriors 137-122 Portland Trail Blazers
Pistons at Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks (3-3) take on the Detroit Pistons (1-5) on Monday. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 23.5 points, 11.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game this season.
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