Paul George’s first night in green was memorable for all the right reasons, except for the final score. The nine-time All-Star delivered a record-setting performance during Tuesday's NBA opener, despite the Boston Celtics falling 121-113 to the Detroit Pistons.

George scored 38 points in 31 minutes during his Celtics debut, the most ever by a player in his first game with the franchise.

While the loss dampened George’s performance, it did give Boston an encouraging glimpse of what he can provide after injury-plagued stints with his previous teams.

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George said the last time he felt this healthy was toward the end of his tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers, and admitted an injury lingered during his run with the 76ers.

"My stint in LA. I was pretty healthy to finish my last year there, and then, honestly, going to Philly, I just had a bad hyperextension that really set me back, and I couldn’t quite shake that one — it was an ongoing thing of my leg, my knee not feeling strong, and it was rough, right?" the 36-year-old said.

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"Because I was trying to rest, but I was also trying to be available for the team, and just couldn’t quite find the time to let it all come together."

Injury setbacks and load management arguably became a theme of George's stints with the Clippers and Sixers. He's managed to play at least 57 games during the regular season just once since taking the court for 77 contests in the 2018-19 campaign. That year also marked his last season with Oklahoma City.

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The Celtics visit New York City on Friday night to face the defending champion Knicks. Both teams are seeking their first win of the 2026-27 season after losing their openers.

There are reports of some serious drama in the"Monday Night Football" booth between play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and commentator Troy Aikman, and now broadcaster and NBA legend Charles Barkley is weighing in.

This comes after Buck signed a big extension with ESPN, while Aikman is still in talks with the network, which will broadcast its first Super Bowl next February with the duo in the booth.

Many folks have given their take on the matter, and now we can add the Round Mound of Rebound to the list.

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Barkley joined "Unfiltered" on Philadelphia sports station 97.5 The Fanatic on Wednesday, and he didn't hide where he was placing the blame.

"I'm very disappointed in Troy Aikman, honestly," he said, per Awful Announcing. "It's not Joe Buck's job to get him a deal. Like, he can’t tell them to give him a deal. Now, if he wants to talk to Joe privately, that's fine. But why are you mad? They gave Joe a deal. It looks like they don't want to give you a deal, which they don’t have to give you a deal.

"But you don't have to drag Joe Buck into it. Like, it ain't his job."

This is one damn good point.

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Buck and Aikman have become thought of as a duo, but they're not joined at the hip.

You can understand why Aikman would be frustrated, but you also can't fault Buck for signing on the dotted line when they slid a contract worth over $100 million under his nose.

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Barkley noted that the two have been partners for a quarter century, and like many a band or comedy team, maybe they want to take new directions.

"They've been together 25 years," Barkley said. "I'm pretty sure they love working together, but maybe they want to go in a different direction.

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"But I don't understand why you would be mad at Joe Buck. He ain’t negotiating the contract," he continued. "When he went there first, you didn't negotiate with him. Remember? He left the network first."

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Well, the Super Bowl is often good for a little drama, but it's looking like this season some of that could wind up coming from the booth.

If NBA referees called every travel they saw, games would never end, but blowing the whistle every now and again to remind players that they can't take an infinite number of steps would be appreciated by all involved. Unfortunately, the exact opposite precedent was set during the season opener between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat on Wednesday.

LaMelo Ball put on an impressive performance in his official debut for Minnesota, scoring 21 points and dishing out six assists in his team's 131-106 victory on the road, but three of his 21 points should not have counted.

Just over three minutes into the first quarter, Ball dribbled around a well-set screen that got his defender off balance. Instead of driving towards the basket, he opted to pick his spot beyond the three-point line, but forgot to put the ball on the floor on his way there.

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Ball appeared to take every bit of four full steps without taking a dribble. The carry was so egregious that each of the announcers on the broadcast couldn't help but call out how bad the no-call was.

The 25-year-old guard immediately talking trash to some courtside fans after he made the three made the whole scene that much worse. Then again, Ball and essentially every other player in the league have gotten away with traveling with the basketball throughout their NBA careers.

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Oftentimes, the missed travel calls take place with players driving to the basket and getting away with an extra half-step while carrying the basketball. For Ball not to get whistled while standing well beyond the three-point line is a bit of a surprise, even by NBA standards.

As for the contest itself, the Timberwolves looked as good and entertaining as expected with their new two-headed monster of Anthony Edwards and Ball in the 25-point win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Heat.

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Edwards finished the night with 45 points, including nine made three-pointers, to go along with 10 rebounds.

While the duo of Ball and Edwards combining for 66 points stands out, maybe the most promising stat line to look at if you're a Minnesota fan is that the two only turned the ball over five times total in the win.

The NBA season arrived Tuesday night with the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons opening the 2026-27 campaign in a matinee matchup. The new-look Philadelphia 76ers, featuring four-time MVP LeBron James, followed by spoiling the New York Knicks' banner night as the franchise celebrated its long-awaited title from last season.

The San Antonio Spurs, whom the Knicks defeated in the Finals, then fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the 2025 champions, to close out the league's three-game opening-night slate.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., took notice as the NBA season got underway and weighed in Wednesday while the league’s other teams played their opening games.

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"As the NBA season begins this week, remember: 26 out of 30 NBA owners are billionaires — getting richer every day. Meanwhile, the average ticket price to see the Knicks play the Sixers last night cost $1,894. No. You should not have to be rich to take your kids to a ball game," Sanders wrote on X.

Sanders did not make mention of player salaries in his criticism.

Sanders has regularly spoken about affordability, and this is not the first time he has addressed ticket prices for major U.S. professional sports leagues. On Aug. 20, Sanders pointed to the tax dollars often used to help fund the construction of new sports venues.

"31 out of 32 NFL owners are billionaires. 26 out of 30 NBA owners are billionaires. 26 out of 30 MLB owners are billionaires. Your tax dollars helped build their stadiums," the senator from Vermont wrote on X at the time. "But today, the average person can't afford the price of a ticket to a sporting event. That must change."

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Steve Ballmer is the wealthiest person who currently owns an NBA franchise, according to Forbes' latest estimates, with an estimated net worth of $166 billion. He is also suspended from attending Los Angeles Clippers games, the team he owns, and participating in all league activities for one year. The suspension followed an NBA investigation that determined Ballmer was "knowingly" involved in "seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities."

The year-long probe looked into whether the Clippers circumvented salary-cap rules to sign Leonard. The Clippers were fined $30 million and ordered to forfeit multiple first-round draft picks.

Clippers' opening-night ticket prices on Ticketmaster for Wednesday ranged from $51 for standard-admission terrace-level seats to $163 for lower-level center-court club seats on the secondary market. The prices did not include taxes or additional fees.

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Tickets for Wednesday's Portland Trail Blazers-Phoenix Suns game were listed for as little as $50 on Vivid Seats, a secondary-ticket marketplace. That price also excluded taxes and fees.

Season-ticket prices vary widely from team to team, with the Golden State Warriors becoming the first NBA team to introduce a personal seat license program.

The fee, which several NFL teams use to help offset stadium construction costs, requires fans to pay an upfront fee per seat for the right to purchase season tickets in a specific location.

The location of the seats determines the license fee. Half of the seating options at the $1 billion Chase Center initially were sold with license fees of $15,000 or less, while the other half cost more, according to ESPN.

The LeBron James era in Los Angeles is officially in the rearview mirror, and Luka Doncic wasted no time introducing himself as the new face of the city.

Ahead of Wednesday night's season opener against the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers' superstar made an instant impression on everyday fans before even stepping onto the court.

Doncic bought out an entire parking lot outside Crypto.com Arena to give fans free parking and teamed up with Metro Bike Share to hand out free rides across Los Angeles all day long.

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If you have ever tried driving into downtown Los Angeles on a game night, you know parking alone can feel like a shakedown.

Dropping 50 bucks just to leave your car on cracked asphalt for three hours is enough to ruin an evening before it even starts.

Anyone hoping Luka's generosity would carry over to the concession stands inside would be sorely disappointed. Free beer is definitely not on the menu, and you are still going to pay 20 dollars for a draft and 10 bucks for a soda once you clear security.

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Taking a family of four to a ballgame is still a heavy hit on the bank account. Still, the gesture sends a clear message that this is Luka's team now.

For years, Lakers basketball was the LeBron show, complete with all the celebrity drama, roster turnover, and constant circus that came with it. With James gone, the keys to the most famous franchise in basketball belong entirely to Doncic.

Coming off a frustrating hamstring injury that cut his 2025-26 season short, he enters this fresh campaign with an enormous chip on his shoulder and the weight of 17 championship banners on his back.

Free parking and pedal bikes build quick goodwill, but hanging banner 18 is the only thing that truly matters. Wednesday night against Golden State is just the opening chapter of the Luka era.

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The NBA slapped new Boston Celtics forward Paul George with a meager $2,000 fine for flopping during Tuesday’s 121-113 season-opening loss to the Detroit Pistons, the league announced Wednesday.

The penalty stemmed from a fourth-quarter sequence with roughly three minutes remaining in regulation. Pushing the ball in transition, George made contact with Detroit guard Duncan Robinson before dramatically collapsing to the floor in an Oscar-worthy attempt to bait a whistle.

On-court officials swallowed their whistles in real time, but the league office retroactively assessed the violation upon postgame video review.

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Under NBA regulations, postgame flopping penalties begin at $2,000 on an escalating scale. For a superstar commanding nearly $50 million this season, the fine amounts to little more than loose couch cushion change.

Tuesday's physical opener frequently devolved into a four-quarter flop-fest with players repeatedly hitting the deck on contested shots, yet George was somehow the only player singled out to receive an invoice from league officials.

The slap on the wrist capped an otherwise strong Celtics debut for the nine-time All-Star, who was putting on an absolute clinic.

George poured in 38 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the floor, including 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. He added five rebounds, five steals, and three assists in 31 minutes, breaking the franchise record for points in a Boston debut previously held by Kristaps Porzingis.

George's individual performance was ultimately spoiled by Boston's collapse. The Celtics squandered a 22-point advantage, largely undone by a sickening 23-0 Detroit run in the fourth quarter led by Robinson and Cade Cunningham.

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With Jayson Tatum struggling through a dismal 6-of-23 shooting performance, George carried the offense until Boston’s execution fell apart in the closing minutes.

Because the flopping infraction carries no suspension, George remains fully cleared to suit up Friday when Boston hosts his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis is away from the team indefinitely and reportedly weighing whether he has a future in basketball.

Porzingis is reportedly dealing with recurring symptoms tied to Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which can cause dizziness and fatigue.

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Porzingis addressed speculation about his health in an Oct. 14 post on X.

"I'm working with doctors and experts to figure out how to be fully back to good health asap," he wrote, adding that he was "getting better and better." He also said it had been "frustrating dealing with some health stuff that you can't exactly pinpoint," alongside injuries throughout his career, and jokingly swatted online rumors on his health, posting, "I don’t have HIV or AIDS."

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As Porzingis considers his future, Golden State is reportedly exploring trade options. The Warriors signed him to a two-year, $40 million extension over the summer. He is owed $20 million this season, but only $3 million of his $20 million salary for next season is guaranteed.

The Warriors declined to comment on trade speculation or reports about Porzingis’ health. The team said conversations with Porzingis and his representatives would remain private and that it did not expect him to be around the team in the immediate future.

The New York Knicks selected Porzingis fourth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. He later played for the Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks before joining Golden State.

His best season came with Boston in 2023-24, when he averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds and helped the Celtics win the NBA title. He is also a 2018 All-Star.

Boston traded him to Atlanta in 2025 after he played 99 regular-season games over two seasons with the Celtics. The deal helped the team reduce payroll and avoid second-apron restrictions.

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Porzingis’ contract could appeal to a team looking to shed longer-term salary: It could acquire him in a trade, then waive him next summer before the rest of his salary becomes guaranteed, leaving it responsible for the $3 million guarantee.

His basketball future remains uncertain as he focuses on his health and the Warriors consider their options.

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