Herbert Jones says Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant and Trae Young are toughest NBA players to guard

Durant shook his head while noting the 36-4 disparity in second-chance points off the postgame stat sheet, stressing “[you’re] never gonna win like that.” “[They were] just flying in,” Durant added. “You’ve got to box out a little bit. They’re just flying in and getting their hands on the basketball. … We’ve just got to be better moving forward. I’m glad we got a game coming up here in a day or so.” -via New York Post / October 21, 2022

Kevin Durant is picking up the pickleball craze. The Nets star and Rich Kleiman, his business partner, have purchased an expansion team in Major League Pickleball. 35V, their investment company, will also serve as strategic partners for the league, while running their team. “35V is committed to investing in the future of sports and emerging opportunities, and Major League Pickleball is a league we are incredibly excited about,” Kleiman said in a statement. “We can’t wait to build this team from the ground up as well as work to elevate the sport and the league to unprecedented heights. As an avid pickleball player and fan, the interest in the sport was a natural fit.” -via The Athletic / October 20, 2022

The 35V team will debut next year during the 2023 season as part of the league’s expansion. The league will grow from 12 teams to 16. “Kevin Durant, Rich Kleiman and 35V are going to be game-changing partners for Major League Pickleball,” Steve Kuhn, the league’s founder and CEO, said. “They not only bring passion for the game, but also unrivaled expertise to help us to continue to grow. We’re especially excited about their plans to bring pickleball to underserved communities – something they have done with basketball for years.” -via The Athletic / October 20, 2022

Justin Kubatko: Luka Doncic last night: ✅ 35 PTS ✅ 9 REB ✅ 6 AST Doncic became the first player in @Dallas Mavericks history to record at least 35p/5r/5a in a season opener. Overall it’s the 41st time he’s reached those marks in a game, 20 more than any other player in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/C0LdO8FiQb -via Twitter @jkubatko / October 20, 2022

Callie Caplan: Luka Doncic: “We relaxed a little bit. Not [thinking] the game’s done, but we just relaxed and [thought] it’s a lot of points, we’re going to get there, we’re going to win. … We can’t be blowing leads. This is a thing we have to work on, and we will, for sure.” -via Twitter @CallieCaplan / October 20, 2022

Shammgod, a New York City legend, considers Doncic’s approach akin to a graffiti artist who encounters a blank wall. “Luka’s imagination,” Shammgod says, “is just on a whole other level.” It seems silly now that skeptics questioned the ceiling for a draft prospect with such limited explosiveness. Sure, Doncic had unprecedented success for a teenager in Europe, becoming the youngest MVP ever in the world’s second-best league before entering the 2018 draft. Yet many scouts and executives wondered whether he could blossom into an NBA superstar. -via ESPN / October 19, 2022

Kevin Chouinard: Nate McMillan said that he put it to a vote before the first game, and Trae Young, John Collins and Dejounte Murray were elected as team captains for this season. -via Twitter @KLChouinard / October 20, 2022

Lauren L. Williams: For tomorrow’s Hawks game vs. Rockets: Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee injury recovery) is out. While McMillan mentioned Trae Young felt under the weather and missed today’s practice, Trae was not on the injury report. -via Twitter @WilliamsLaurenL / October 18, 2022

Kevin Chouinard: McMillan said the Trae Young did not practice today as he was feeling ‘under the weather’. -via Twitter @KLChouinard / October 18, 2022