Roundup
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors
Celtics crush Bulls, Maxey honored: Atlantic Division roundup
The Celtics hammer Chicago 134-99, Tyrese Maxey earns NBA honors and the defending champion Knicks slip to 0-3.
By the PickALeague Newsroom · Published · Source: PickALeagueSummary written with AI assistance — how we workLire en français →
It was an eventful 24 hours in the Atlantic Division: Boston made a loud statement on the floor, Philadelphia picked up league-wide recognition despite its first loss, and the defending champion Knicks kept sliding.
Celtics roll as Brown’s camp rejects trade-demand story
On the court, the Boston Celtics took care of business in style, blowing out the Chicago Bulls 134-99 to move to 2-1 in the early Atlantic standings. Off the court, Hoops Rumors relays that a representative for Jaylen Brown, now a wing with the Philadelphia 76ers, is firmly denying that Brown ever demanded a trade from Boston or handed the Celtics a list of conditions, calling that report completely false, according to ESPN.
Maxey earns weekly honor, LeBron forced to the five in Philly
The Philadelphia 76ers (3-1) remain front and center. As Hoops Rumors notes, the NBA named guard Tyrese Maxey the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after he led the Sixers to a 3-0 start before they finally dropped their first game.
Hoops Rumors also reports that LeBron James started at center on Sunday in that first loss, a role he wasn’t seeking when he chose Philadelphia. The outlet points to Joel Embiid’s absence and a run of early-season injuries that pushed the Sixers to use James in the middle, and mentions frontcourt names like Adem Bona and Tacko Fall among the topics of interest around the team.
Defending champ Knicks stumble, quiet day for Nets and Raptors
For the New York Knicks, the championship glow has faded quickly. CBS Sports notes they’re just the third defending champion this century to open 0-3. According to Hoops Rumors, Jalen Brunson is publicly taking the blame for the sluggish start after a home loss to Orlando, even though he paced the Knicks with 28 points on a tough shooting night, and the situations of Andre Drummond and young pieces like Dalton Knecht and Kevin McCullar Jr. are part of the conversation around the team.
There were no fresh headlines directly involving the Brooklyn Nets (0-3) or Toronto Raptors (2-1), leaving them out of the news cycle for the day even as their early records underline the growing separation within the division.