Marcus Smart credited his own "maturity" for not escalating an altercation with Joel Embiid in which he claimed the Philadelphia 76ers center tried to break his arm.

Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Smart has had a long-standing rivalry with Embiid.

The Boston Celtics guard has been ejected eight times in his NBA career, with one of those coming against the 76ers in 2019 after he shoved Embiid to the ground when his back was turned.

Smart stayed on the court on Tuesday, although he was whistled for a technical foul – the third against the 76ers of his career – following another tussle with Embiid in a 126-117 Celtics win.

The players' arms became tangled as they battled for a rebound, before Smart angrily grabbed the ankle of Embiid, who dropped to the floor.

Embiid, who has only once been ejected from an NBA game and never against the Celtics, avoided punishment.

"I went for a rebound. Basketball play," Smart said. "I went for the steal. Basketball play. The referee blows his whistle, calls a foul.

"I stop playing, my arm's still stuck in there, and [Embiid] tries to break it. And then I'm the only one who gets a tech. Everybody saw it."

He added: "I don't have to keep talking about it. If I did that, I'm probably ejected, suspended three games, four games, fined.

"But the fact that I was the only one that got something out of that is beyond me. Especially as defending DPOY, and that's how he gets treated. It's tough.

"It's maturity. I could have cracked his head open, but I didn't. And that's the maturity we have.

"So, we move on from it. It is what it is, and we control what we can control."

The Boston Celtics left a tumultuous offseason behind them on opening night to deliver a first win for interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, as Jayson Tatum said: "We're all in this together."

Mazzulla was making his coaching bow against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday having replaced Ime Udoka for this NBA season.

Udoka, who led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first year as coach in 2021-22, was suspended by the team for the entire campaign for "violations of team policies" following an "improper" consensual relationship with a female staff member.

Assistant Mazzulla has temporarily stepped up to the top job, but there was no sign of the saga impacting the Celtics' play in their 126-117 victory over the highly fancied 76ers.

Tatum had 35 points and 12 rebounds in 39 minutes, as team-mate Jaylen Brown – reportedly part of trade talks for Kevin Durant earlier this year – also scored 35 points in 39 minutes.

Tatum and Brown became the first pair of team-mates to each score at least 35 points in a season opener since Los Angeles Lakers duo Wilt Chamberlain (35) and Jerry West (39) in 1969-70 – likewise against the 76ers.

Keeping both performing at a high level will be key to Mazzulla's hopes this year.

"He wouldn't have took any of the credit for tonight," Tatum said of Mazzulla. "But the thing that I like about Joe and admire about him is that he's very honest that he doesn't know everything.

"He wants us to help him out as much as he's helping us out. It's like we're in a relationship, and we're all on the same page and trying to accomplish the same thing. We're all in this together."

Mazzulla added: "I'm grateful for the relationship we have. These guys have been through a lot together, and they're great players, so it's just a matter of working together.

"So, I appreciate their trust and buy-in, but they come up with a lot of good stuff as well, and we kind of just figure it out."

The Golden State Warriors have begun their title defense in fine fashion, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 123-109 at home on the opening night of the NBA season.

With the Warriors receiving their championship rings in a ceremony before the game, they were determined to make it a night to remember, with reigning Finals MVP Stephen Curry leading the way.

Curry finished with 33 points on 10-of-22 shooting, hitting four-of-13 from long range and all nine of his free throws to lead both teams in scoring. He also chipped in seven assists, six rebounds and four steals.

Jordan Poole had 10 of his 12 points in the first half to lead the Warriors to a 59-52 halftime lead, before Klay Thompson took over to begin the third quarter, scoring his side's first seven points on three consecutive shots to ignite a 32-19 frame, blowing the game open in the process.

The Warriors' lead peaked at 91-64 late in the third quarter, before the visiting Lakers scored 38 in the fourth to trim the final score to a respectable figure.

In his 20th season, LeBron James looked as strong as ever, finishing with 31 points (12-of-25 shooting) with 14 rebounds and eight assists, while Anthony Davis had 27 points (10-of-22 shooting) with six rebounds, four steals and two blocks, although Davis posted the worst plus/minus of the game at minus 21.

Tatum, Brown combine for 70 in Celtics win

In what was officially the first game of the season, the Boston Celtics and interim head coach Joe Mazzulla collected an impressive 126-117 home win against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Celtics had to compete with a spectacular James Harden performance, who led the 76ers with 35 points on nine-of-14 shooting, including five-of-nine from long range and 12-of-12 from the free throw line, while adding eight rebounds and seven assists.

Harden had a plus/minus of plus one in his 37 minutes, meaning the 76ers were outscored by 10 in the 11 minutes he was on the bench.

For Boston, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were almost unstoppable all night, scoring 35 points each at a combined 61 per cent from the field (27-of-44), while Tatum also grabbed 12 rebounds and Brown had two steals.

New signing Malcolm Brogdon showed no signs of needing an adjustment period, making an immediate impact off the Celtics' bench with 16 points (seven-of-11 shooting) and four assists in 24 minutes.

Anthony Davis declared the Los Angeles Lakers can banish sorry memories of the previous two seasons by roaring back to past glories in the new campaign.

The Lakers, NBA champions in 2020, lost in the first round of the 2021 playoffs before trailing in 11th in the Western Conference last term with a 33-49 record, missing out on the postseason.

Considering their star-studded squad, those were underwhelming performances, but this year Davis says the story can change. He is talking about championships again.

"We're motivated to get back to where we belong," Davis said.

"The last two seasons were not what we envisioned. It was not Lakers basketball and we know that, not what our organisation's standard is."

Coach Frank Vogel was sacked in April and Darvin Ham has come in, charged with getting the best out of a roster that, along with Davis, features the likes of LeBron James and Russell Westbrook.

The star trio are listed as probable for Tuesday's season-opening game against last season's champions, the Golden State Warriors, at Chase Center.

Westbrook has been waylaid by a hamstring injury, and it remains to be seen how Ham uses him, if fit. He appears set for a reserve role, initially.

If the Lakers needed any reminder about their 2021-22 failings, it will come when the Warriors collect their championship rings, with the Los Angeles players knowing they simply were not a factor last time out.

After losing five of six warm-up games, the Lakers will know they cannot let that form drip into the new campaign.

Davis said: "Our standard is to compete for championships, and in the last two seasons we have not. So, it's motivation and hunger from every guy on the floor, everybody in the locker room, all the coaches, the front office, to make sure that we get back to that level of basketball that we know we can play at."

The Atlanta Hawks announced they have signed wing De’Andre Hunter to a four-year, $95million contract prior to Monday’s deadline for teams and players to reach rookie-scale extensions.

ESPN reported terms of the new deal, which will begin next season and run through the 2026-27 campaign.

The fourth overall pick of the 2019 draft after the Hawks traded up to select him, Hunter has averaged 13.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game through his first three NBA seasons and shot a career-best 37.9 per cent from 3-point range in 2021-22.

The 24-year-old is also valued for his defensive ability and versatility as the player often assigned to guard opponents top scoring threats.

Hunter is coming off a 2021-22 season where he averaged 13.4 points in 53 games and starred in Atlanta’s first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. He averaged 21.2 points for the series and recorded a career-high 35 points and 11 rebounds in the Hawks’ Game 5 loss.

The University of Virginia product becomes the latest core player that Atlanta have locked up on a long-term deal. All-Star guard Trae Young and forward John Collins agreed to five-year extensions last offseason, while center Clint Capela is under contract through 2024-25 after signing a two-year extension in September 2021.

Atlanta, who finished 43-37 last season and earned the Eastern Conference’s eight seed through the play-in tournament, also acquired standout guard Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs in July. The 2021-22 All-Star is signed for two more seasons.

Stephen Curry is the best player in the NBA, former forward Kendall Gill has told Stats Perform.

Curry and the Golden State Warriors overcame the Boston Celtics in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals to land the point guard's fourth title.

It was made extra sweet for Curry by winning his first Finals MVP after averaging 31.2 points.

That prompted 2021 Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to call Curry "the best player in the world" as the main man on the NBA's premier team.

Gill agrees in part with Antetokounmpo's assessment, telling Stats Perform of Curry: "He's changed the game because he's not the huge athlete that most people think you need to be in this league.

"He's small for basketball, but I think that he's shown all these kids out here that you don't have to be a massive, huge, strong athlete to play this game of basketball at this level.

"He's changed the game as far as shooting, now you see everybody trying to shoot three-point shots.

"Back when I played, we would never do the things that the guys did today, where you actually have a lay-up, you're right in front of the basket, but then you reject it and throw it out for three, even though you're wide open under the basket.

"That's how Steph Curry has changed the game because of his elite three-point shooting.

"And in the era of super athletes and big guys, Steph is probably, in my opinion, the best player in the league right now.

"And it's not because he won a championship, I disagree with Giannis on that, but because of all of the things that he brings to the table, because of the way that he wins.

"He has a winning pedigree, his jump shot, the way that he handles the basketball, the way he gets his team-mates involved, the way that he moves without the basketball.

"You don't see anybody else able to dominate a basketball game like Steph Curry can at his size. And that's why I think that he's the best."

Gill rates the Warriors as one of the favourites to win the championship again in the coming season, with Golden State beginning the defence of their title by hosting LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

"My early picks are the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets in the championship," Gill said.

"The reason why is because James Wiseman has come back and the way that he's looked in the preseason, he's going to help them out a great deal. He didn't play at all last year, was their number one pick, and at seven feet tall, he's gotten more mature.

"You throw Klay Thompson in there, you throw Steph Curry in there, Draymond Green when he's not punching [Jordan] Poole in the face, they are going to be very tough to beat out in the Western Conference.

"The Golden State Warriors just have something special. You know that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, as long as those two are on the floor for them, and they had the rest of the guys in place, they always would probably be the favourite." 

The new NBA season is about to get underway, with narrative everywhere across the league.

The defending champions in Golden State are many people's favourites to go again, but the Warriors have not exactly prepared perfectly after two of their stars recently came to blows during the preseason.

The Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving saga seems to have ended with hope that the pair can fire the Brooklyn Nets to glory, especially if the team's third star in the form of Ben Simmons can finally join them on the court.

Will back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic lead the Denver Nuggets to glory? Or can Luka Doncic do the same for the Dallas Mavericks? Might Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks get back to the top again?

Stats Perform's experts give their predictions on who could thrive in the regular season, who might take the MVP crown and who will go all the way and lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June 2023.

Liam Phillips

East first seed: Milwaukee Bucks

West first seed: Denver Nuggets

MVP: Joel Embiid

Champions: Denver Nuggets

Simply put, the Nuggets will have a terrific regular season record as long as Jokic is healthy, and he is one of the most durable superstars of his era.

Jokic has played at least 73 games in six of his seven years, and the other season he played 72 out of 72 in the shortened 2020-21 season.

The Nuggets went 48-34 this past season with their second and third-best scorers being Aaron Gordon (15.0 points per game) and Will Barton (14.7).

With ascending talents Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. returning from long-term injuries to assume those roles and give the Nuggets three elite scoring options, they could ride the best offense in the league all the way through the Finals.

Ben Spratt

East first seed: Milwaukee Bucks

West first seed: Denver Nuggets

MVP: Luka Doncic

Champions: Milwaukee Bucks

There are no shortage of potential contenders in the West, with each of the Nuggets, the Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers looking strong candidates depending on injuries or – in the case of Golden State – off-court (or, rather, practice court) issues.

In the East, however, a fit Bucks team would appear to be clear of the rest, particularly given the Boston Celtics' tumultuous offseason.

The Bucks were a disappointing 13-13 in the regular season and playoffs last year when missing Khris Middleton, who did not play the final 10 games of the postseason as the Bucks narrowly lost to the Celtics.

With his return and the omnipresent threat of Antetokounmpo, it might be difficult to bet against the 2021 champions.

Nicholas McGee

East first seed: Philadelphia 76ers

West first seed: Golden State Warriors

MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Champions: Golden State Warriors

Preseason fights, Klay Thompson being restricted to limited action in the exhibition schedule, key bench players leaving in free agency. Will any of it matter? No.

The Warriors have navigated discord before during title defences and will do so again in 2022-23. Even with the likes of Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. departing, the Warriors have excellent depth with several emerging talents complementing a core that reaffirmed their championship pedigree by beating the Celtics in six games last season.

Golden State will bank on Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody taking the next step in their second seasons, while Jordan Poole has the chance to ascend to stardom once the fallout from him being punched by Draymond Green dies down.

Everything revolves around Stephen Curry, though, and there is no sign of him slowing down or his game-tilting range reducing at 34 years old.

This is a team with an insatiable appetite for proving themselves all over again, and they have all the resources to do so once more. If James Wiseman stays healthy and blossoms into an impactful starting center, it will be difficult to envisage anyone stopping them.

David Segar

East first seed: Milwaukee Bucks

West first seed: Memphis Grizzlies

MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Champions: Milwaukee Bucks

As Ben said, it is difficult to see a stronger contender in the East than Milwaukee, presuming their stars can stay fit.

With Ja Morant getting better all the time and the Phoenix Suns looking like they might fall away slightly, it would not be a huge surprise to see an ever-improving Grizzlies team top the West and perhaps even make it to the NBA Finals this time.

However, it feels like Giannis is ready for another big campaign and, in a team that includes the likes of Middleton, Jrue Holiday and new arrival Joe Ingles, he should have plenty of capable support.

Only Embiid (30.6) and LeBron James (30.3) averaged more points per game than Antetokounmpo's 29.9 last year, a career high for the Greek.

Anything can happen in the NBA, but of all the big teams who could threaten, Milwaukee feel like the one with the fewest issues heading into the season, and they will want to make up for their early playoff elimination at the hands of the Celtics last time out.

The Golden State Warriors have continued the mission to keep their championship core in place, with forward Andrew Wiggins agreeing a four-year, $109million contract extension.

Wiggins was entering the final year of his previous deal and will now be owed a total of $143million over the next five seasons.

The news, reported initially by ESPN, comes just hours after Golden State and Jordan Poole were revealed to have agreed to a four-year, $140million extension.

Wiggins was a crucial contributor to the Warriors title run in June, with the 27-year-old averaging 18.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

The number one overall pick in 2014, Wiggins had several productive seasons on losing teams with the Minnesota Timberwolves but had his best moments as a pro in the 2022 playoffs as a two-way force for the Warriors.

Wiggins has averaged 19.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 598 career games.

With Wiggins, Poole and star Stephen Curry signed at least through the 2025-26 season, attention now turns to veterans Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, who are under contract this season and have player options in 2023-24.

The Warriors were well over the NBA's luxury tax threshold last season, paying over $300million for their roster, an NBA record.

This year's bill will be even more expensive for team owner Joe Lacob.

Despite Lacob's track record of paying exorbitant taxes to maximise the Warriors' chances at more championships, some have wondered if there will be enough money to go around in two years to keep Green and Thompson in the Bay Area.

Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is undergoing treatment for a brain tumour, the NBA has announced.

An eight-time NBA All-Star, Mutombo is regarded as one of the best defensive players in history and sits second in the league's all-time charts for blocks, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon.

Mutombo also won the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award on four occasions. He retired from playing in 2009 and has turned his focus to humanitarian work.

On Saturday, a statement issued by the league on behalf of Mutombo and his family confirmed the 56-year-old's condition, adding that the former Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets center was in "great spirits".

"NBA global ambassador and Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumour," the statement read.

"He is receiving the best care possible from a collaborative team of specialists in Atlanta and is in great spirits as he begins treatment.

"Dikembe and his family ask for privacy during this time so they can focus on his care. They are grateful for your prayers and good wishes."

Mutombo also played for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets in his celebrated career.

Jordan Poole is finalising a four-year, $140million extension with the Golden State Warriors.

ESPN reported the 23-year-old's agents had told of the imminent deal on Saturday, with an official announcement expected to follow.

The deadline for rookie extensions for members of the 2019 NBA Draft class is Monday, with Poole's future a priority for defending champions Golden State.

The Warriors guard played in all 22 playoff games last season en route to the title, although he only started in the first five of those, losing his place in the lineup after Stephen Curry returned to full fitness.

Poole averaged 17.0 points in 27.5 minutes in the postseason, having contributed 18.5 points per game in the regular season, making him the team's third scorer behind Curry (25.5) and Klay Thompson (20.4). His free-throw percentage of 92.5 led the league.

The 2021-22 season was Poole's third in the NBA but his first as a key man in a title-contending team, as only Andrew Wiggins (2,330) played more minutes for Golden State in the regular season (2,283).

Poole was the 28th pick when drafted by the Warriors three years ago, but he led players in his class in combined regular season and postseason minutes (2,889) by a wide margin last season (Tyler Herro second, 2,532).

As the Warriors look to defend their title while transitioning to a younger generation, with James Wiseman set for a big year, Poole will again have a prominent role this season.

His and the team's preparations for the new campaign were marred by a practice court incident involving Draymond Green, however.

Reports told of a confrontation between the pair, before footage emerged on social media showing Green punching Poole.

Green was fined by the Warriors but not suspended, with coach Steve Kerr describing the episode as his "biggest crisis" in eight hugely successful years with the team.

It feels like a golden era for great players spread across the NBA.

So much talent, so many game winners, and an almost endless amount of possibilities as the stars prepare to get the new season under way.

Despite this, the MVP award has been sealed off by Nikola Jokic for the past two seasons, so the rest will have to step up and take it from the Serbian this time around.

We all have our favourites, and anything can happen in the NBA, but ahead of the new campaign, three members of the Stats Perform team have made their picks for who they think can challenge Jokic in 2022-23.

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers - Liam Phillips

After finishing second in MVP voting two years in a row, Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid is in prime position to get over the hump this time around.

Embiid, 28, has been denied the past two awards due to historic seasons frotem Denver Nuggets talisman Jokic, where he established himself as arguably the greatest playmaking center in the history of the league.

Winning the MVP in back-to-back years is not as uncommon as one would think, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, LeBron James (twice), Steve Nash and Tim Duncan all achieving the feat this century.

However, Larry Bird is the only man to three in a row, from 1984 to 1986, since Wilt Chamberlain's three-peat between 1966-68.

Take into account that Jokic now has his two top team-mates returning to the line-up after Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr were sidelined for the entire season, and his numbers will almost have to take a dip to accommodate them.

With Jokic facing a big ask to land the gong again this upcoming season for those reasons, Embiid should be the favourite, as he just needs to emulate his performance from the past two seasons and voters will be clamouring to reward the seven-foot-two superstar.

His biggest opposition will likely come from the Mavericks' Luka Doncic, who finished sixth in 2021 and fifth in 2022, and is still only 23 years old.

A slightly better Mavericks team this season, combined with a small step forward in Doncic's shooting percentages, will have him right near the top of the voting by default.

But the difference is the 76ers could finish as the top team in the Eastern Conference, and the Mavericks have almost no chance of claiming the Western Conference one seed – and voters are suckers for a great record.

Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks - Ben Spratt

If voters rewarded Jokic for carrying the Nuggets, would they not do the same for Doncic? Already clearly the main man in Dallas, Jalen Brunson's departure will only give the Slovenian further opportunity to impress.

Doncic (28.4 points per game) was the Mavericks' leading scorer last season. With Brunson (16.3) following Kristaps Porzingis (19.2 before a trade to the Washington Wizards) through the exit door, they have lost numbers two and three on that list.

Rather than source a like-for-like replacement for Brunson, the Mavs will presumably just ask Doncic to do more. His usage rate was already the highest in the NBA.

Doncic is one of the few players in the league with the ability to beat teams on his own – Jokic obviously being one of the others.

In the absence of his injured team-mates, Jokic improved on an MVP season in terms of points and rebounds, even allowing for a small dip in assists without Murray to give the ball to, and was not punished by voters for a decrease in win percentage.

If Doncic takes the same path, he is looking at averaging a 30-point double-double for the season. That will be very difficult to ignore.

Not that Doncic is readily ignored. He heads into the season as the MVP favourite yet again, having seen previous campaigns derailed by early-season struggles.

After playing in the Olympics last year, Doncic acknowledged he "relaxed a little bit", "maybe too much", and needed "to do better", drawing criticism from Reggie Miller for "plodding up and down the court".

Now, though, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd says Doncic is "taking his body serious", returning in top physical condition for – surely – a genuine MVP charge.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks - David Segar

The man who was denied the chance to win three on the bounce by Jokic in 2020-21 has a big job on his talented hands to lead the Bucks this year.

The 2021 champions are among the favourites to mount a strong challenge for the title, but have had a fruitless preseason, losing all five warm-up games in the past few weeks.

However, in Antetokounmpo, they have a man who is capable of dragging any team to success, and despite no longer being considered the league's leading player as he was in 2018-19 and 2019-20, the Greek's output has not really subsided.

In the first season he was awarded MVP, Antetokounmpo averaged 27.7 points per game in the regular season, with 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists, before recording 29.5 points per game, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists the following year.

Despite ultimately winning a championship, he was behind Jokic in the voting in 2020-21, though averaged 28.1 points per game, 11.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists.

Last season was the best of his career for average points from the 27-year-old, with his 29.9 per game only bettered by Embiid (30.6) and James (30.3), while he also averaged 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists.

It would be easy to argue that Antetokounmpo is a better player now than he was when he won his previous two MVPs, and like on those occasions, maybe he does not need to go all the way with the Bucks to reclaim his crown.

Though Greece were eliminated from EuroBasket by Germany at the quarter-final stage, Antetokounmpo still made the team of the tournament, and looks to be in good form heading into the season, even if his team-mates might need a little longer to get going.

It is a long campaign, though, which will give Antetokounmpo ample time to show that he has what it takes to become just the ninth player in history to win three MVP awards.

Russell Westbrook was forced out of the Los Angeles Lakers final preseason early due to a hamstring injury which head coach Darvin Ham says will be re-evaluated on Saturday.

Westbrook exited with 2:34 remaining in the first quarter of the 133-86 loss to the Sacramento Kings with a left hamstring concern.

The 2017 NBA MVP had started from the bench in the game as part of a potential new role, but he did not last beyond the opening period, playing five minutes with no points and one assist.

"He told me he thought he'd be fine," Ham told reporters after the game. "But we'll be re-evaluating him in the morning."

Ham had insisted pre-game Westbrook's role off the bench was "not a demotion", rather a "realignment" following the Lakers' poor 2021-22 season where they missed the playoffs.

The Lakers will open their 2022-23 NBA season against reigning champions, the Golden State Warriors, on Tuesday.

Anthony Davis was absent for Friday's preseason finale for precautionary reasons due to lower back tightness.

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook has rubbished suggestions he is in dispute with his team-mates following viral footage that appeared to show him intentionally distancing himself from them.

Video captured in a preseason loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves showed the 33-year-old splitting from the rest of his team during a huddle, while he eschewed a later one.

After a difficult first season in LA as the Lakers missed the playoffs and Westbrook's performances were the subject of scrutiny, questions were raised as to whether there was discord in the ranks even before the start of the new campaign.

But Westbrook responded: "Pre-game, I've been doing that since I've been in the league for years, man.

"I think they just cut the video, and obviously the internet is going to take it and run with whatever they need to run with.

"But I've been doing the same ritual since I've been in the league. As far as the other video, I was actually talking to the coaches and they cut that video in half as well.

"Honestly I'm just trying to compete and do my job. Everything, videos get nitpicked. You can cut any video and make anything you want out of it. It's not up to me to be able to judge that.

"I know I'm a genuine team player. I've never had a problem being with my team-mates, so I'm going to continue doing what I've been doing."

Draymond Green dismissed the necessity to rebuild trust within the Golden State Warriors following his altercation last week with team-mate Jordan Poole.

Green returned to practice on Thursday and will play in the Warriors' preseason game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday after stepping away following last Wednesday's incident where he punched Poole.

Team-mate Kevon Looney has spoken about Green needing to regain the group's trust, while head coach Steve Kerr has danced around the subject publicly, but the Warriors power forward was dismissive on Thursday.

"Everyone says, build trust as a team," Green said. "I don't really quite understand what's trust? Is it trust that you're going to make the right play?

"I always make the right play to be the best of my ability, so what is that? We do have to make sure we're together, make sure we're doing the necessary things that it takes to win a championship and have everyone's back.

"I think there's so many different things when I hear the word trust, that I'm not always certain that that is the most fitting word for what people are trying to say.

"I think it always sounds good. Everyone kind of has this idea of what that means. But yet what does that truly mean?"

Green insisted that he and Poole would be professional enough to maintain a working relationship at the Warriors this season.

"Jordan is a professional, and I'm a professional," Green said. "We have a job to do. We both have experienced a lot of winning over the course of our lives and we know what that takes, and so we want to do just that. What it takes to win. And I think that's the most important thing."

Four-time NBA champion Green was in a combative mood, adding that he did not care about how people perceived him.

And Green, 32, spoke about his desire to win another NBA title this season with the defending champions.

"I'm going to prove a lot of people wrong this year," Green said. "I've been proving people wrong my whole life, so there's some added motivation.

"Not quite proving people wrong because the same people that are talking now are the same people who have been talking forever, and they've been wrong the entire time.

"They just give new hot takes about how, 'You can't do it this time', but never acknowledge the million times that they said I couldn't do it and were wrong. I'm not quite motivated by those people.

"But there are definitely some motivations that have been sparked by some people and I'm going to use that, and I'm going to do exactly what I do when I’m motivated. In a major way."

Green was a key part of Golden State's title-winning 2021-22 side, averaging 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 7.0 assists per game and having a big impact defensively.

The Warriors are due to open their 2022-23 NBA campaign on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Chase Center.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has no concerns over the Milwaukee Bucks' poor preseason results but does want to see an improvement to the team's "habits".

The Bucks are 0-5 in exhibition games following a 107-97 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, a clash in which Antetokounmpo had 24 points on the back of 6-for-21 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds.

While such results may seem at odds with the Bucks' standing as one of the favourites for the NBA title this coming campaign, Antetokounmpo acknowledged there is plenty of time to find rhythm during the regular season.

However, the Greek superstar wants to see an improvement with some basics on the floor.

"It doesn't worry me," Antetokounmpo said. "What worries me is our habits and building good habits.

"Right now, we're not vocal enough. We're not urgent enough. We're not hungry enough. But at the end of the day, it's the preseason. We have the whole regular season to find ourselves."

Having featured for Greece at Eurobasket during the close season, Antetokounmpo has had his minutes carefully managed by the Bucks, with the Nets game just his second tune-up action.

While conceding to feeling "a little bit out of rhythm", Antetokounmpo is ready to once again set the tone for the Bucks.

"It's not going to be easy. I think sometimes your mind forgets and thinks it's going to be easy. But I feel like, me personally, you've got to come out and set the tone, play hard," he added.

"Build good habits, play to improve, play for the team. And as a team, we have to be hungry, we've got to play together, we have to defend better."

Grayson Allen (illness), Pat Connaughton (calf) and Wesley Matthews (ankle) were all absent against the Nets - the latter having sat out all of the Bucks' warm-up matches.

Khris Middleton will definitely miss their season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers having only recently returned to practice following wrist surgery.

But Antetokounmpo has confidence in the depth of the roster.

"Guys are down, who knows when they're going to get back, so this is who we have right now," he said. 

"We still have a great team, but we're seven or eight days from the next game and when it really counts. We've got to buckle down and start trying to build good habits."