Celtics’ Jaylen Brown’s Playoff Struggles May Have Been Expensive With Contract Decisions Looming

The Knicks will start their season by welcoming Kristaps Porzingis in his new green uniform, just two weeks before Victor Wembanyama makes his MSG debut. The Celtics, perennial championship contenders and coming off an eventful summer, play the Knicks at MSG on Oct. 25 for their respective openers, as unveiled Thursday with the league-wide schedule release. Porzingis, the former Knick prodigy whose career has been stalled by injuries, was acquired by the Celtics in the offseason for Marcus Smart.

James Harden has been fined $100,000 for publicly demanding to be traded through comments that included ripping the Philadelphia 76ers’ Daryl Morey as “a liar,” the NBA announced Tuesday. The 10-time All-Star asked for a trade in June, the same month he picked up his $35.6 million option for the 2023-24 season.

Chicago Bulls fans got a first glimpse at the road map of the 2023-24 NBA season Tuesday as the league announced the schedule for the first In-Season Tournament. The tournament will give fans and players a taste of single-elimination competition by raising the stakes of several early regular-season games. The Bulls will play four games in the group stage — two at home and two on the road — to vie for a place in the knockout round. Both pride and money will be on the line for players, who could earn up to $500,000 each for winning the tournament. The group stage commences Nov.

While recently going public with their new NBA broadcast teams, ESPN’s Bristol Faculty didn’t add laser beam focus on why they unceremoniously dumped Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson who teamed with Mike Breen for nearly two decades as the network’s No. 1 hoops trio. During that time, the three voices authored a memorable partnership.

Lonzo Ball delivered an emphatic message Tuesday as reports continue to fill doubt surrounding the Chicago Bulls guard’s ability to return from a left knee injury: “I’m coming back.” Ball posted a video on social media in response to a report by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who claimed on Tuesday’s edition of “First Take” that Ball is still struggling to stand up five months after his third operation to address the knee injury. “I’m incredibly, incredibly sad for Lonzo,” Smith said.

“Real Housewives of Miami” star Larsa Pippen and boyfriend Marcus Jordan are setting the record straight about their marriage plans. The 49-year-old reality personality and 32-year-old former college basketball player officially went public with their romance in January. Ever since, they’ve been the center of scrutiny due of their age gap — and the fact that Pippen’s ex-husband, Scottie Pippen, and Jordan’s father, Michael Jordan, were teammates during the height of the Chicago Bulls’ NBA reign. Adding to the fervor, the younger Jordan revealed to paparazzi last week that he and Larsa have a wedding date “in the works.” On the Aug.