Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday was the reason the Celtics team worked last year, and why they won the NBA Finals, according to reporter Bobby Manning.
According to Manning, Kristaps Porzingis gets most of the credit for their success, but he believes the Celtics only worked because of Holiday.
Only Holiday knew how to win a championship, winning the NBA Finals back in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks. He became a veteran leader on a younger team, and kept them focused on the goal.
While he didn’t put up the same offensive numbers as Porzingis, Jaylen Brown, or Jayson Tatum, he was the team’s leader on defense.
He was on the second team All-Defense, and had votes for Defensive Player of the Year. Before Holiday, the Celtics were purely offensive focused, and with him, they are balanced.
Holiday still has three years left on his contract, so here’s hoping he provides that veteran leadership for the next three seasons.
Bronny James should take the court for his first NBA preseason game, but it doesn’t appear he’ll share the floor with his dad.
The Lakers will face the Timberwolves in their preseason opener in Palm Springs, giving new Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick a chance to see Bronny in action. However, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported LeBron isn’t expected to play Friday.
Redick, who hosted a podcast with LeBron before the Lakers hired him, hasn’t revealed specific details about Bronny’s role in his rotation, but he is already impressed with the former USC guard.
WATCH:Bronny James’ preseason debut live on Sling
“Bronny, I feel very fortunate that I get to coach him, because he’s young and he’s hungry and he’s got a lot of inherent skill sets that we can really mold into a really good NBA player,” Redick said last month. “On top of that, he’s a fantastic kid. He’s extremely coachable. He’s got the right spirit and energy every single day.”
How many minutes will Bronny play against Minnesota? We’re about to find out.
Here is everything you need to know about Lakers vs. Timberwolves, including TV and streaming options for Bronny’s preseason debut.
How to watch Bronny James preseason game: TV channel, live stream TV channel: NBA TV Live stream: Sling Lakers vs. Timberwolves will air on NBA TV. Viewers can also stream the game on Sling.
Sling gives subscribers the ability to watch NBA preseason, regular season and postseason games. You can join Sling for as low as $15 for your first month, a $25 savings.
Lakers vs. Timberwolves start time Date: Friday, Oct. 4 Time: 10:30 p.m. ET | 9:30 p.m. CT | 7:30 p.m. PT Lakers vs. Timberwolves will tip off at 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 4. The game will be played at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif.
The Lakers open their preseason slate against the Timberwolves, headlined by the preseason debut for Bronny James.
However, LeBron James will not get the same preseason treatment as his 19-year-old son.
The No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, James is entering his 22nd season in the NBA. He’s still widely considered to be one of the best players in the league and is coming off of a season in which he averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game.
James is expected to be at full strength for Los Angeles’ regular-season opener, but he won’t play in Friday’s preseason opener. Here’s more on his status.
MORE: Win totals and best bets to make for 2024-25 NBA season
Is LeBron James playing tonight? LeBron James is not expected to play in the Lakers’ preseason game on Friday night, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick said earlier in the week that James would play at some point this weekend, so he could make his 2024 preseason debut on Sunday against the Suns. Los Angeles has a break between its second and third preseason game — the Lakers will be back to face the Bucks on Thursday, Oct. 10.
The Lakers have 21 players on their preseason roster, and they have to make decisions to cut the roster down to 18. This gives other players more of an opportunity to prove they belong on the team.
The Lakers haven’t had much turnover since last season, but they added two rookies to the roster in Bronny James and Dalton Knecht. Both suited up in Summer League and could see extended time in preseason.
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What time is Lakers vs. Timberwolves tonight? Date: Friday, Oct. 4 Time: 10:30 p.m. ET | 7:30 p.m. PT Los Angeles gets its preseason underway against Minnesota in Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., which is primarily the home of the Coachella Valley Firebirds for the Arena Hockey League.
MORE: Rui Hachimura primed for breakout season under JJ Redick
What channel is Lakers vs. Timberwolves tonight? Date: Friday, Oct. 4 TV channel: NBA TV Live streaming: Sling TV The Lakers’ first preseason game will be nationally broadcast on NBA TV. For those without cable, the game can be streamed on Sling TV.
Sling is the home for avid sports fans offering a range of sports channels so you can always cheer for your favorite teams with channels like ESPN, TBS, TNT, NFL Network, FS1 and more.
MORE: Bronny James was almost teammates with Stephen Curry
Lakers NBA preseason schedule 2024 The Lakers have six preseason games before they open the 2024-25 regular season against the Timberwolves on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
Few rookies exceed expectations after being picked first in any American sports league. There are even fewer who run away with Rookie of the Year awards unanimously — or almost unanimously.
Fortunately for basketball fans in 2024, there were two players of such status, one from each major league. Victor Wembanyama became the seventh NBA player to win the honor by capturing every single vote and Caitlin Clark tallied all but one — which went to Angel Reese — when voted the WNBA’s premier rookie.
The two stars are familiar with one another, too. The Spurs center shouted out the Fever guard publicly in a Q&A on the team’s social media platforms Friday.
Here’s everything to know about Wembanyama paying Clark the ultimate compliment, explaining why he was “in awe” of her in college.
UPDATED NBA PLAYER RANKINGS: Where LeBron, Curry and more stars land ahead of 2024-25 season
What did Victor Wembanyama say about Caitlin Clark? Members of the Spurs roster were asked to name a WNBA player who inspires them and what makes them stand out in a video posted to the team’s social media accounts. Wembanyama quickly answered “Caitlin Clark” and then elaborated on his choice.
“When she was in college, the only college player that I was really in awe of the game,” he said. “Men and women’s college basketball, she’s probably the most impressive I’ve seen.”
and @wemby with the shoutout for @CaitlinClark22 👏 pic.twitter.com/xzaX6tRd8Q
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 4, 2024 Clark, of course, had a dominant career at Iowa.
In 139 games over four seasons, Clark averaged 28.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.4 rebounds. She finished with the most career points, most career 3-pointers and most career assists in Division 1 basketball, men’s or women’s. There’s plenty more where that came from, too.
MORE: The next steps for Fever to build contender around Caitlin Clark
Victor Wembanyama vs. Caitlin Clark rookie stats Clark and Wembanyama both had historic, record-breaking seasons in their respective leagues.
With San Antonio, the French national achieved many milestones his rookie year, like becoming the second first-year player ever to record a 5×5 game (at least five points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) and notching a 40-point, 20-rebound game in March.
In Indiana, Clark propelled the Fever to attendance numbers never seen before in the WNBA and record-breaking viewership stats. Not to mention she earned Rookie of the Month four times, recorded the first two triple-doubles by a rookie in league history and broke the single-season assist record to name a few of her other accolades.
MORE: What’s next for Caitlin Clark after historic rookie season in Indiana
It’s worth mentioning when comparing the two that the NBA plays nearly twice as many regular-season games as the WNBA. However, the Fever did make their way into the postseason and the Spurs did not, which is another thing to consider.
The San Antonio Spurs could be better in 2024-25 than many people expect.
Second-year center Victor Wembanyama is one of the most unique players to ever enter the NBA, and he’s improving at a rapid pace.
The last player the league witnessed have such a dominant impact from such a young age was LeBron James. What most people forget about James’s early years in the league was how he single-handedly transformed the Cleveland Cavaliers into a winner.
The Cavaliers had already turned things around under LeBron by his second year, finishing the 2004-05 season above .500 at 42-40. The following year, James’s third, Cleveland went 50-32 and advanced into the second round of the playoffs.
Generational players tend to turn franchises around much quicker than people anticipate, and Wembanyama is certainly a generational talent.
Wemby’s ceiling is still unknowable (and scary), but it also should be said that even in his current state, Wembanyama is among the most impactful players in the league, especially on the defensive end.
Former Spurs vice president for strategic research Kirk Goldsberry declared Wembanyama the best defensive basketball player on Earth during The Bill Simmons Podcast on Friday.
“He’s the best defensive player in the world right now, and he’s still growing,” Goldsberry said. “It’s not close. … As we enter year two (of Wembanyama’s career), I think we’re going to see that he’s clearly the most impactful defensive player.”
“(The Spurs) were a top-five defense with him on the court at the end of the season … when he came off the court, they descended right back to that lottery-level defense that we expected from them. … He’s already there.”
The seven-foot-four Wembanyama is still just 20 years old.
The Spurs improved their roster around Wembanyama this past offseason, acquiring a much-needed floor general in Chris Paul and drafting a proven winner and versatile defender in UConn’s Stephon Castle.
The Miami Heat had somewhat of a curious offseason regarding their franchise player Jimmy Butler.
Heat president Pat Riley spoke scathingly of Butler during a postseason presser, specifically criticizing Butler’s availability. Recent reports from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (relayed by Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells) indicate that Butler is interested in signing another contract with Miami. But are the Heat fully in on Butler?
Whatever the situation may be, things have been murky enough in Miami for a Butler trade to be possible.
Riley is looking at the 35-year-old Butler and realizing now might be the last opportunity to get a great return in a trade involving Butler, thereby launching Miami into a new era built around 27-year-old stud All-Star Bam Adebayo.
As Riley scans the league for potential Butler suitors, the Houston Rockets could emerge as a team that provides an enticing package.
What if Riley asked the Rockets for rookie Reed Sheppard, along with Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr., in exchange for Butler?
Miami would be getting a tough-nosed defender in Brooks who perfectly fits their culture, not to mention two young talents to join with 23-year-old Jaime Jaquez and 21-year-old Nikola Jović, setting up a period of extended relevance for the Heat.
Smith’s value in the NBA is still not solidified, but he’s shown promise and comes with team options over the next two seasons if Miami’s ultimately disappointed.
Sheppard has looked exceptional so far in summer league and practice sessions to the point that some are wondering whether he should have been the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
Sheppard’s skill set as an elite shooter also fits in Miami’s system like a glove.
The only downfall to this trade might be that Houston wouldn’t want to part with Sheppard, in which case Miami might ask for Amen Thompson instead. Would Houston still not budge?
A Rockets core of Butler, Alperen Şengün, Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, and one of either Sheppard or Thompson might be difficult for Houston to turn down.
Butler to the Rockets could work for everyone involved.
The Saints have been strong offensively so far this season, averaging 45.5 points per game heading into their matchup against the Eagles on Sunday during the Week 3 NFL schedule. New Orleans shredded the Cowboys defense last week, as running back Alvin Kamara scored four touchdowns in a 44-19 win. He is facing a Philadelphia defense that gave up 97 rushing yards to Falcons running back Bijan Robinson last week, so should you back the Saints as 2.5-point home favorites with your Week 3 NFL bets and NFL parlay picks? Eagles vs. Saints has one of six Week 3 NFL spreads smaller than a field goal, so plenty of close games are expected.
The Week 3 NFL slate concludes with two Monday Night Football games, as Buffalo hosts Jacksonville and Cincinnati faces Washington. The Bills are 5-point favorites in the Week 3 NFL odds, while the Bengals are 7.5-point favorites. Before you make any Week 3 NFL picks or NFL parlays, be sure to see what SportsLine senior analyst Larry Hartstein has to say.
A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed working for Pro Football Focus. Hartstein tied for 52nd place (out of 1,598 entries) in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest, going 53-34-3 ATS. His weekly Vegas contest selections form the basis of his NFL best bets column, which is 81-51-3 (61.3%, +24.65 units) since its inception in 2022. He is 2-3-1 with his best bets this season, and anyone who has followed him is way up.
For Week 3, Hartstein has locked in three confident best bets. If you successfully parlay his picks, you’re looking at a payout of over 6-1. You can only see Hartstein’s Week 3 NFL picks at SportsLine.
Top Week 3 NFL picks We can tell you Hartstein loves the Buccaneers (-6, 41) to cover against the Broncos. Denver has opened the season with losses to Seattle and Pittsburgh, as rookie quarterback Bo Nix has struggled to find his footing. He has a 35% completion rate and is averaging just 1.3 yards per attempt when pressured this season, and Tampa Bay has the second-highest blitz rate in the league through the first two weeks.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has completed 73.5% of his passes for 474 yards and five touchdowns, leading his team to wins over Washington and Detroit. Wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans continue to be elite weapons, while rookie running back Bucky Irving is averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Tampa Bay should dictate the pace of this game, and its defensive pressure is one key reason why Hartstein is taking the Bucs to cover. See which other NFL parlay picks to make here.
How to make Week 3 NFL parlays Hartstein also jumped on two other NFL matchups, including backing one “desperate” team coming off a loss to grind out a strong Week 3 victory. You can only see Hartstein’s Week 3 NFL best bets and parlay at SportsLine.
Bryce Young was “completely surprised” and “blindsided” Monday by his benching following Carolina’s Week 2 home loss to the Chargers, according to a source, and veteran Andy Dalton takes over as the Panthers signal-caller Sunday and beyond.
But short of Dalton going on a tear, there’s a belief within the organization that Young will be called upon again this season in what would be one of the earliest second acts of a No. 1 overall pick’s career.
“You want to see what you have in this kid,” one team source said. “It’d be foolish not to.”
Panthers coach Dave Canales said Wednesday, and multiple sources confirmed, the team has no designs on trading Young now. Multiple personnel executives around the league surveyed by CBS Sports estimated Carolina would get no better than a Day 3 pick for Young if they soon traded him. A fourth-round pick was the highest offered by a source.
Beyond that, there’s still belief in the 23-year-old former Heisman winner. Three sources familiar with Carolina’s 2023 draft process reconfirmed this week to CBS Sports that Young was the “unanimous” selection within the building.
Team owner David Tepper wanted Young, but so did then-coach Frank Reich and then-general manager Scott Fitterer. One source said that Tepper’s lean toward Young was known, but that alone didn’t sway others from getting on board with the Alabama great.
Early in the 2023 pre-draft process, shortly after the NFL Scouting Combine, the Panthers began making their move up the draft board. A source said the team had conversations with the Arizona Cardinals about moving to No. 3, but those plans got scuttled when Carolina realized it could get to No. 2 with what was virtually a three-team trade involving Chicago (at No. 1) and Houston (at No. 2).
Plans between the Bears and Texans broke down in early March when the teams, according to one source, couldn’t agree on compensation and/or, according to a different source, the Texans stopped communicating with Chicago.
Trading to 2 or 1 would have meant sending receiver DJ Moore to Chicago regardless, so Carolina sweetened the offer a bit more to go up to No. 1 and control the draft.
Fitterer and Reich did not discuss which quarterback they liked the most until late in the draft process. When they did, “it was pretty obvious,” Fitterer said at the post-draft presser. “It was really a five-second conversation and then we said, ‘What do we do next?'”
Reich was emphatic at that same presser that Young was his top choice.
“At the end of the day there’s a lot of factors that go into it,” Reich said, “but we’re coaches. We’re scouts. We watch the tape. And when you watch the tape, Bryce Young is the best player.”
The Panthers consulted with Bill Polian during the pre-draft process, according to a source. Polian put together Super Bowl rosters as general manager of both the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts, and he served as the first GM in Carolina Panthers history in between those two stops. Polian, who was the Bills GM when Reich was the backup quarterback for those four Super Bowl runs, famously drafted Peyton Manning in 1998 over Ryan Leaf.
According to a source, Polian said in pre-draft meetings with the Panthers that Young could be the NFL’s version of Stephen Curry, the undersized guard who came out of Charlotte-area Davidson College and who revolutionized the NBA while winning four NBA titles.
“You want to win Super Bowls. And there’s no sure thing but there’s a probability. And we thought this guy had the best probability of winning us Super Bowls,” Tepper said in a press conference immediately following Young’s selection, placing an emphasis on the plural Super Bowls. “The way he throws the ball, the way he’s a point guard, how you can use the different players on the field, how you might not have to have as many elite receivers because he’s the point guard.”
In Young’s rookie season, the Panthers gave the quarterback a group of receivers who were below league average in separation, dealt with a bevy of injuries to the interior of the offensive line and flipped play-callers multiple times before the merciful end to the season.
The Panthers hired Canales in part to fix Young and get the franchise back on track. Clearly, there was a disconnect.
Some outside the building have believed the move to bench Young this week was motivated or forced by Tepper. Multiple sources said that wasn’t the case, though those sources say Tepper agreed with the decision and didn’t discount his influence in the matter.
“No owner isn’t involved in the benching of a quarterback, especially one drafted at No. 1,” said one source.
Young’s 44.1 passer rating through two weeks is both the lowest in the league this year and the lowest in the league for any qualifying passer since the 2020 season. One of the biggest reasons for Young’s benching was his third-down inefficiency, and Carolina had the worst third-down conversion rate of any NFL team in more than 30 years.
“It was getting to the point where if you didn’t do something, you lose everyone,” said another source.
Anecdotally, several sources pointed to what they believed was a lack of confidence within Young on the field. If last year’s Panthers were the worst team in football for a multitude of reasons, this year’s group improved at both offensive line and receiver, yet Young appeared to regress through the first two weeks of the season. Carolina’s offensive line allowed the fourth-most pressures in the league last season compared to having the seventh-best rate so far this year.
“I have confidence in myself. I’ve always had confidence in myself,” Young told reporters Thursday. “At the end of the day, I’m a competitor. Whenever there’s a football and there’s a field out there, I have the utmost confidence in myself. It’s been great with these guys, too, having teammates that I can lean on as well. That’s not something that’s gonna waiver.”
There’s a strong hope within the building that Young’s benching can serve as a reset for the young player. All-time greats like John Elway and Terry Bradshaw were benched early in their careers, only later to go on and win multiple Super Bowls. Carolina isn’t discarding Young at this time.
But as one source noted: “The relationship is forever altered.”
On the evening the Panthers selected Young, Fitterer and Reich were all smiles. Tepper stood to the side and, about eight minutes into the media availability, began fielding questions from reporters. Not only was the Panthers owner pleased with the pick, but he was pleased with just how the team went about securing Young.
“This is truly a process. I can’t emphasize it enough,” Tepper stressed. “We’re true to this process this time. Not all the time in past years. But this is: process in the coach, process in getting this quarterback and not leaving a stone unturned. So this is truly, in everything we’re doing and everything we did with the coaches when Frank was hired, a process of, ‘Do we have the best person?’ And [Frank], true to the process. Scott, true to the process. We’re not messing around, let’s say it that way.”
Eleven games after that, Reich was fired. Six games later, Fitterer was fired. And eight months and two games later, Young was benched.
The revenge game is on, as the Green Bay Packers will start Malik Willis at quarterback vs. the Tennessee Titans in Week 3 while Jordan Love continues to rest his sprained MCL. Willis was traded by the Titans to Green Bay on roster cutdown day last month. Now, he gets a chance to start against his former team.
Love worked out Sunday morning at Nissan Stadium, but when Green Bay released its inactives list, Love was included.
Willis scored his second-ever victory as a starter last week against the Indianapolis Colts in the Packers’ home opener, 16-10. He completed 12 of 14 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown, and also rushed six times for 41 yards. Josh Jacobs spearheaded Green Bay’s offensive attack with 151 rushing yards on 32 attempts.
You can expect the Packers to again rely on the ground game vs. Tennessee, but the Titans enter Week 3 with the No. 1 defense in the NFL (206.5 yards of total offense allowed per game). The Titans boast a formidable defensive front led by Jeffery Simmons.
“At the end of the day, since I’ve been here in Tennessee, and I’ve been preaching this message since I’ve been here since that’s kind of what got brought to my attention. No one runs the ball on the Tennessee Titans defense,” Simmons said this week, per AtoZSports Nashville. “I think our mindset is, and one of our defensive goals this week is to stop the run. So, no matter who has the ball in their hand, we have to swarm to the ball and make sure everybody gets to the ball. And, quite frankly, we need to get the ball off ’em.”
As for Love, he will get another week to rest his knee. The new $220 million man was a limited participant in every practice session this week, so it’s possible he returns next week when the Packers host the rival Minnesota Vikings.
