NBA Central

Officials admitted to mistakenly calling a foul on Giannis Antetokounmpo that led to game-winning free throws from LaMelo Ball during the Charlotte Hornets' 115-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

During a pool report conducted by Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer after the game, referee Curtis Blair revealed that the call was incorrect.

"During live play we called illegal leg to leg to contact," Blair said. "During postgame review when we looked at the play there was no illegal contact on the play."

With seven seconds left and the Bucks leading by one point, Antetokounmpo was called for a foul on Ball that led to a pair of free throws (3:50 mark).

Milwaukee did not have any challenges remaining at the time.

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers expressed his disappointment with the call after the loss.

"LaMelo Ball fell," Rivers said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "He just fell down. Nobody was near him. He slipped on his own. We come up with the ball and the game is over. So back-to-back games now we have had a call made against us that is incorrect. We were lucky in Detroit the kid missed two free throws. Tonight LaMelo Ball made the free throws."

Rivers referenced Milwaukee's 127-120 overtime win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

With the score tied at 111 and one second remaining in the fourth quarter, Antetokounmpo was called for a foul on Pistons rookie Ron Holland during a lob attempt. Holland ended up missing both free throws, sending the contest to overtime (6:30 mark).

After the game, the NBA's last-two-minute report showed that the foul call was incorrect.

Antetokounmpo nearly led the Bucks to a victory over the Hornets on Saturday, recording his first triple-double of the season. He scored 22 points and pulled down 15 rebounds while dishing out 12 assists, shooting 11-22 from the field.

As for Ball, he overcame a poor shooting performance to help the Hornets snap a brief two-game losing streak. He finished with 26 points and six assists, hitting all 11 of his free throws despite connecting on just seven of his 20 shots from the floor.

It's been a slow start to the 2024-25 season for Milwaukee, falling to 4-9 with the loss to Charlotte. The Hornets improved to 5-7.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell is out for Sunday night's home game against the Charlotte Hornets for rest, according to the team's official injury report.

Mitchell is averaging 24.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists through 14 starts.

His absence will make it more difficult for the Cavaliers to stretch their season-opening record to 15-0 and mark one of the four best season starts in NBA history.

Mitchell is shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from behind the arc, while contributing 1.5 steals per game on deefense.

Most recently he recorded a season-high 37 points in order to help the Cavaliers open NBA Cup group play with a 144-126 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

Mitchell currently leads the Cavaliers with a 30.3 usage percentage. Both Caris LeVert and Ty Jerome will likely receive more minutes in order to make up for his absence.

LeVert, who has been leading the Cavs' bench with 12.4 points per game through 12 appearances, could get the nod to start on Monday against the Hornets.

Mitchell suffered a lingering left knee injury that visibly limited him during the second half of the 2023-24 season. He appeared in just 55 games during the campaign.

After coming on and off the active roster sporadically since the 2024 All-Star break, Mitchell returned for the postseason only to miss the final two contests of the Cavaliers' six-game series loss to the Boston Celtics with a strained left calf in the second round.

The Cavaliers could hope giving the star guard a chance to rest early in the season will prevent similar limitations this season.

The day off will also give Mitchell the chance to return rested to face the defending champion Boston Celtics on the road as NBA Cup play resumes on Tuesday. Mitchell heads into the contest having averaged 29.6 points through 16 career starts against the Celtics.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was the subject of a hard flagrant-2 foul by Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart during Wednesday night's game, but he kept a level head when discussing the incident.

"I've been in that position many times in my life," Antetokounmpo said after the game, per ESPN. "I have two older brothers that pushed me on the floor, were tough on me. It doesn't really faze me anymore. All I could think about was, 'Get up and make two free throws.' At the same time it's a dangerous play. It's not a basketball play."

Stewart was ejected for the remainder of the game after he pulled Antetokounmpo to the ground by his jersey during the third quarter. His frustration likely stemmed from the two-time NBA MVP's thorough dominance of the Pistons.

Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 59 points on 21-of-34 shooting while adding 14 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals to help lead Milwaukee to a 127-120 overtime victory over Detroit. The Bucks were without star point guard Damian Lillard and veteran forward Khris Middleton, and the 29-year-old completely put the team on his back to earn the win.

This marked the first time this season that Milwaukee (4-8) won back-to-back games. It can be expected that Antetokounmpo and company will be motivated to make it three in a row when they visit the Charlotte Hornets (4-7) on Saturday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are still rolling.

They downed the Philadelphia 76ers 114-106 on the road on Wednesday to remain undefeated and improve to 13-0 on the season.

Darius Garland, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, led the way with 25 points, six assists and five boards while Donovan Mitchell was one assist shy of a triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.

The 76ers were without all three of their stars, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, but still put up a solid effort. Rookie Jared McCain had the best game of his career so far with 34 points and 10 assists, proving he can be a valuable contributor moving forward.

After yet another win, fans hyped up the Cavs' great start to the season.

11 points in 90 seconds. 😮‍💨 #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/5B5GX5ttVA

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) November 14, 2024

NBA teams to start a season better than the 2024-25 Cavs:

2016 Warriors
2003 Mavericks
1994 Rockets
1958 Celtics

That's it. pic.twitter.com/jaHRxypqaT

— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 14, 2024

That makes 13 in a row! #Cavs #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/5i2IdXodjh

— Emmett Golden (@egoldie80) November 14, 2024

https://twitter.com/Jaydenn2356/status/1856890742725054957

Tonight vs the Sixers:

Donovan Mitchell:
23 PTS
13 REB (TIES CAREER HIGH)
9 AST

Darius Garland:
25 PTS
6 AST
5 REB
10-16 FG

The Cavs are the 6th team in NBA history to start a season 13-0!#LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/kBrW7z04P0

— CavsMuse (4/16) (@CavsMuse) November 14, 2024

Cavs been hoopin’ hoopin’

— Mac Milli (@Mac_Million) November 14, 2024

The Cleveland Cavaliers are now the 6th team in NBA history to start a regular season 13-0. @cavs #letemknow #cavsnation #undefeated pic.twitter.com/0zyvYFfBw2

— Big Matty Groves (@TheRealDayWu) November 14, 2024

Man these @cavs are unbelievable and fun to watch!! 13-0!!

— Harvey O (@HarveyOwen) November 14, 2024

These Cavs just find a way to win. #LetEmKnow

— Ash🦋 (@ashley_H_1112) November 14, 2024

Cavs stay undefeated! 82-0 still in play boys!

— Buckeye BIZ (@BuckeyeB1Z) November 14, 2024

While the Cavs' 13-0 start is outstanding, they'd have to win 11 more games to tie the record for the best start to a season, which belongs to the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors who won 24 in a row. However, Cleveland is just two wins away from tying the second-best start to a season, the 1993-94 Houston Rockets' 15-0 start.

The Cavaliers should be able to stay undefeated over their next two games as they'll face the Chicago Bulls and the Charlotte Hornets, but they'll get one of their biggest tests of the season next week when they play the Boston Celtics on the road.

Amid the Milwaukee Bucks' disappointing 3-8 start to the season, many are wondering if star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will be made available for a trade this year.

However, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on Wednesday's episode of The Hoop Collective that the Bucks have shown no signs of being open to moving the two-time NBA MVP anytime soon.

"I know that right now the Bucks have made it clear they're not doing anything with Giannis and Giannis hasn't said anything. So right now, I think it's all speculation and conjecture," Windhorst said around the 36:46 mark.

Antetokounmpo scored 23 points to lead the Bucks to a 99-85 win over the Toronto Raptors (2-10) on Tuesday night in an NBA Cup matchup between teams that entered with the two worst record in the league. Milwaukee was without star point guard Damian Lillard, who is in the concussion protocol.

Before the start of the 2024-25 season, Antetokounmpo acknowledged that his future with the Bucks could change at any time based on the team's performance.

"Do you have it in the back of your mind, like, '[What] if this year doesn't go well?' Yeah, if we don't win a championship, I might get traded. Yeah, this is the job we live. This is the world we're living in. It's everybody," Antetokounmpo told The Athletic's Sam Amick.

Still, it doesn't sound like there's an expectation that Milwaukee is ready to blow things up by trading the 29-year-old away. NBA insider Marc Stein recently reported that Antetokounmpo would have to be the one to force his way out for the Bucks to start listening to offers.

"It is understood quite clearly in 29 other front offices that Antetokounmpo is only ever going to be made available for trade if he pushes for it," Stein wrote.

For now, Antetokounmpo will be focused on helping Milwaukee dig out of its early-season hole. The team will go for its second straight win when it meets the Detroit Pistons (5-7) on Wednesday.

Detroit Pistons' forward Tim Hardaway Jr. left the team's matchup against the Miami Heat on Tuesday after suffering a scary injury.

In the third quarter of the NBA Cup meeting, Hardaway took a blow to the head from Miami's Bam Adebayo while on defense. After falling to the ground, he tried to defend a layup from Tyler Herro and once again took a hard hit to the head.

He exited the matchup in a wheelchair.

The wheelchair comes out for Tim Hardaway Jr., who took two hard hits to the head on the same possession. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/hcbqeoEbML

— HEAT on FanDuel Sports Network (@FanDuelSN_Heat) November 13, 2024

NBA insider Chris Haynes provided more on the injury after the game, reporting that Hardaway's CAT scan came back negative and he'll get stitches where he took an elbow to the face and where the back of his head hit the court.

A timeline for Hardaway's return to the court is still unclear.

Hardaway had 11 points in 19 minutes before leaving the game. The veteran has had a solid year so far, averaging 12.6 points, 2.1 assists and 1.7 rebounds while shooting a scorching-hot 47 percent from three-point range.

Hardaway joined the Pistons this offseason when the Dallas Mavericks traded him for shooting guard Quentin Grimes. He spent the last six seasons with the Mavs, serving an integral role as Dallas reached the NBA Finals a year ago as he averaged 14.4 points, 3.2 boards and 1.8 assists.

The Pistons have started the year 4-7 with Tuesday marking their first NBA Cup game of the season. While winning four out of 11 games to start the season isn't exactly great, it's a major step up from last season when Detroit didn't win its fourth game until January.

After a meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, Detroit will square off with the Toronto Raptors for another NBA Cup matchup.

The Milwaukee Bucks might make some minor moves ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February, but drastic changes might not be coming this season.

According to The Athletic's Sam Amick and Eric Nehm, it's unlikely the Bucks will part ways with head coach Doc Rivers this season amid a sluggish start to the season.

"For those asking about whether Rivers could be on the hot seat, let's not forget the Bucks paid him approximately $40 million on a three-and-a-half-year deal less than a year ago," Amick and Nehmn wrote. "What's more, (Jon) Horst is facing pressure because of how these past few seasons have gone, and league sources are skeptical he'd be given the leeway to make another coaching change this soon."

Amick and Nehm also said it's unlikely the Bucks trade any of their three stars—Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton.

"I could certainly see the Bucks doing some kind of deal, if not more than one, before the Feb. 6 deadline," Amick and Nehm wrote. "But in terms of the big stuff that comes with their team's calculus — Giannis, Dame, Doc and Khris — I don't see anything changing."

Milwaukee has started the season 2-8 and has lost eight of its last nine games after picking up a win on opening night. The Bucks' struggles aren't due to poor play from Antetokounmpo and Lillard, who have been solid so far this year.

Antetokounmpo is putting up 31.6 points, 12.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while Lillard is averaging 26 points, 6.6 assists and 4.6 boards per game.

Middleton is out indefinitely while he rehabs from offseason surgery, and he could give the Bucks a boost once he's finally back on the court.

Until then, Rivers will try to dig his team out of a hole and prove the Bucks made the right choice when they hired him halfway through last season.

In Milwaukee's defense, it has had a tough schedule to start the year, facing the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers twice and spending plenty of time on the road. The Bucks have a more manageable schedule coming up, which could give them the chance to pick up a few wins and build some much-needed momentum.

Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard entered concussion protocol and has been ruled out of Tuesday's matchup against the Toronto Raptors, the team announced Monday.

NBA insider Chris Haynes provided more info on Lillard:

Sources: Damian Lillard received hit to head near end of third quarter against Celtics on Sunday. Experienced headaches and dizziness today. Tests confirmed a concussion. There’s a possibility he could be cleared by Wednesday’s game against Pistons.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 12, 2024

Despite the Bucks' early-season struggles, Lillard has been great, putting up 26 points, 6.6 assists and 4.6 boards amid Milwaukee's 2-8 start.

While the Bucks would prefer to have Lillard on the court, his absence will come at a forgiving time as they'll take on the Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets this week—a very manageable slate even without Lillard.

The concussion marks Lillard's first injury of the season, but he dealt with some injuries late last season.

During the 2024 postseason, Lillard was ruled out of Milwaukee's Game 4 matchup against the Indiana Pacers in the first round due to a strained right Achilles tendon. After sitting out Games 4 and 5, he returned for Game 6 and scored a team-high 28 points, but the Bucks were eliminated from the playoffs after losing the series 4-2.

Lillard said he had been experiencing discomfort in his right Achilles dating back to Milwaukee's regular-season finale. He sat out the first few days of practice ahead of the postseason to recover in time for the Bucks' first-round series against the Pacers.

In his first year in Milwaukee, Lillard enjoyed his healthiest season in quite some time, appearing in 73 games and averaging 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.0 assists. It was his first time appearing in 70 or more games since the 2018-19 season when he was with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Bucks are certainly hoping Lillard can stay healthy this year as they try to bounce back from the disappointing end to last season. He'll be forced to miss a bit of time for now though, and AJ Green will likely be inserted as Milwaukee's starting point guard.

The Milwaukee Bucks already appear to be active on the trade market.

During Monday's episode of The Hoop Collective, ESPN's Brian Windhorst revealed he was on the phone with a team that received a trade call from Milwaukee during the conversation.

"I was on the phone with this team and I go, 'Hey, have the Bucks called you yet?' And they're like, 'No, they haven't called us.' I go, 'Well, I just talked to like four teams in the last day, the Bucks called.' He's like, 'Yeah, well they haven't called us.' And then he's like 'Wait a minute, Bucks on the other line,'" Windhorst recounted (51:00 mark).

While Milwaukee is reportedly contacting several teams in regards to a trade, that doesn't necessarily mean Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard will be moved.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Sunday that the Bucks are still trying to improve the depth around their star pairing.

Milwaukee owns a record of just 2-8 to open its first full season under head coach Doc Rivers following a loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, sitting at No. 14 in the Eastern Conference standings.

It's a disappointing start for the Bucks, especially since their star duo has mostly lived up to expectations.

Antetokounmpo is averaging a league-leading 31.6 points per game, pulling down 12.8 rebounds each night and shooting 60.7 percent from the field. Lillard is recording 26.0 points and 6.6 assists per game on 44.4/34.8/90.9 shooting splits.

Giannis vs. Celtics...

43 PTS
13 REB
5 AST
18/29 FG

Bucks drop to 2-8 😬 pic.twitter.com/GaRUcInBut

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 10, 2024

With the Feb. 6 trade deadline still a few months away, the Bucks could make several moves before it passes as they continue to search for depth upgrades.

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown wasn't happy with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo's handshake fakeout during Sunday's game, calling him "a child."

Antetokoumpo was asked about Brown's reaction after the game and was surprised that he took offense to the gesture, telling reporters that he tries to play the game with joy and he's going to keep being himself:

#Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo on being called a child postgame by Boston G Jaylen Brown👇

“Oh, that’s what he said? Dang.” pic.twitter.com/aGgE4VLqaR

— 97.3 The Game (@TheGameMKE) November 11, 2024

Antetokounmpo was called for an offensive foul in the second quarter after elbowing Brown. As the two of them walked down the court, the two-time NBA MVP faked a handshake and smiled. When he went back for a proper handshake, Brown denied him.

JB getting candid about what he thought of Giannis faking him out with a handshake 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Mm8cOOszAx

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 11, 2024

However, it was Brown who got the last laugh, as the Celtics earned a 113-107 win to improve to 9-2 while the Bucks fell to 2-8. Milwaukee wasted a special performance from Antetokounmpo, who went off for 43 points on 18-of-29 shooting, 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

"Giannis is a child. I'm just focused on helping my team get a win, and that's what we did tonight," Brown said when asked about the interaction after the game.

Brown had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in the win. The Celtics were led by Jayson Tatum, who had 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. However, Tatum also had an issue with Antetokounmpo after the game, lamenting a no-call when he rolled his ankle after shooting a jumper and landing on Antetokounmpo's foot. Tatum picked up a technical foul after arguing that a foul should've been called.

"It's certain calls I just feel like you can't miss, right? Your job is to protect the guys on the court, protect the shooter. That's something I could've been out for six weeks or whatever," Tatum told reporters.

Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will try to overcome their early-season struggles when they return to action against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.