NBA News Today: Cleveland Cavaliers roll past LA Lakers for 8th consecutive win, Steve Kerr calls for 65-game season, and more
The Cleveland Cavaliers continued their hot start to the 2022-2023 NBA season, winning their eighth straight game on Sunday against the LA Lakers.
In other news, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has called on the league to shorten its schedule from 82 games down to 65.
On that note, here are some of the top news stories from around the NBA as of Nov. 7th, 2022.
Cavaliers roll past Lakers for 8th straight win
The Cleveland Cavaliers won their eighth straight game, 114-100, on Sunday against the LA Lakers. Cavaliers All-Star guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland led the way with 33 and 24 respectively. Meanwhile, All-Star center Jarrett Allen added 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Cavs improved to 8-1.
Cleveland’s 8-game wining streak now matches their longest winning streak since they won 13 straight games in 2017. That was during superstar forward LeBron James’ final season in Cleveland.
As for the Lakers, James led the team with 27 points while All-Star forward Anthony Davis added 19 points and 12 rebounds. Lakers’ point guard Russell Westbrook also had 19 points and 10 assists with seven turnovers off the bench. But they had no match for the offensive firepower of Cleveland’s guards.
Following the game, LeBron James spoke about the Cavs' hot start to this NBA season.
“They did a great job in the offseason of picking up a big-time player. They have a really good team and a great coach. A well-balanced team and a bunch of players who seem like they just really want to play ball,” James said.
James’ loss to the Cavs marked only his second loss against his former team in his entire NBA career. James now has a career record of 17-2 against Cleveland, with his only other loss coming in 2011 during his time with the Miami Heat.
Following Sunday’s loss, the Lakers now sit at just 2-7 and 14th in the Western Conference. The Lakers will now look to bounce back Monday night on the road against the Utah Jazz. Meanwhile, the Cavs will look to extend their winning streak to nine games on Monday on the road against the LA Clippers.
Steve Kerr says NBA season should be shortened to 65 games
Many have suggested that the NBA should shorten its long 82-game season. This includes Steve Kerr, who recently made a case for the 65-game season. Kerr reasoned that it would help in regards to preventing teams from resting their star players.
"The league is trying to address it by softening the schedule some," Kerr said, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.
"I think about it all the time: People are spending good money to see a team, and then someone doesn't play? That's not something I'm ignorant to. I know that is painful. We've had a lot of discussions with fans over the years who have been in that situation," Kerr continued.
Kerr’s comments come after the Warriors rested most of their key players in Saturday’s 114-105 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. This includes starters Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green.
Kerr added that he made the decision with his players’ long-term health as a top priority over fan satisfaction.
"But ultimately, the player's health is the No. 1 factor in our team's success and even in our fans' satisfaction in the long run because we want to keep guys healthy throughout the season," Kerr said.
Kerr also said that while 65 games is an ideal number, it’s very unlikely to happen. However, he believes that 70 games per NBA season might be possible.
"Ideally, it's a 65-game season and everybody plays every night. But good luck getting that passed. Maybe 70," Kerr said.
It’s certainly a tricky situation for the NBA when it comes to balancing profits against fan satisfaction. If players continue to rest, the league may be forced to make some changes.
Raptors’ All-Star forward Pascal Siakam out at least 2 weeks with adductor strain
The Toronto Raptors have gotten off to an impressive 6-4 start to the season against a very tough schedule. They rank fourth in offensive rating (116.0) and sixth in defensive rating (108.5), making them one of the most well-rounded teams in the NBA.
Unfortunately, for Toronto, they are now going to be without their best player, All-Star forward Pascal Siakam. He has been diagnosed with a right adductor muscle strain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the team said Sunday. Siakam will remain sidelined indefinitely and could miss multiple weeks of NBA action.
Raptors say Pascal Siakam has been diagnosed with a right adductor muscle strain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Pascal Siakam’s injury was sustained late in the third quarter of Friday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. Siakam slipped awkwardly while attempting to drive past a Mavericks defender. He did not return to the game and the Raptors lost the game 111-110.
The Raptors have since won their first game without Siakam against a similarly shorthanded Chicago Bulls team, 113-104 on Sunday night. However, moving forward the team’s offense may struggle without him.
The 28-year-old star is averaging a career-high 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game in nine games for the Raptors this season. He looked poised to make his second All-Star game and possibly enter the MVP race. So hopefully for Siakam, he will be able to return ahead of his injury timeline.
Klay Thompson says Warriors need urgency after winless road trip
The Golden State Warriors failed to win a single game during their recent 5-game road trip, including three losses to NBA bottom feeders. The team lost to the Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans.
They have now fallen to just 3-7 on the season and 13th in the Western Conference. This has prompted Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson to call out his team’s lack of urgency.
"We just need to bring more of a sense of urgency," Thompson said, according to ESPN's Kendra Andrews.
Thompson added that the team needs to stop relying on past success and start playing championship-level basketball again.
"We had a long run last year, but 2022 is over. It's time to kick into high gear and play that championship level of basketball that we're used to. I fully expect us to do that," Thompson said.
The Warriors are now the first defending champions in NBA history to make a 0-6 start to the season on the road, per Sportsnet Stats.
Warriors are the first defending champion in NBA history to start the following season 0-6 on the road
The Warriors will now return home and look to end their 5-game losing streak on Monday against the Sacramento Kings.
For more on the Warriors' struggles, click here.
Entire NBA reportedly ready to re-engage with Nets on Kevin Durant trade
Despite winning their past two games to improve to 4-6 on the season, the Brooklyn Nets’ future is still very uncertain.
The Nets currently rank just 13th in offensive rating (113.0) and 21st in defensive rating (113.6). They have also suspended All-Star guard Kyrie Irving for a minimum of five games after his controversy involving anti-Semitism and fired their head coach Steve Nash. As a result, teams across the NBA are reportedly keeping tabs on the availability of Nets’ superstar forward Kevin Durant.
On a recent episode of "The Lowe Post," ESPN's Zach Lowe reported that the entire league is ready to re-engage with the Nets on a Durant deal.
“I don’t think this is going to be fast. I don’t know that it will ever really happen. But I know that the whole league is ready now to re-engage on Durant,” Lowe said.
The Nets may be struggling, but Durant is still averaging 31.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. He is also shooting a very efficient 52.0% and 94.6% at the line. So it’s just a matter of whether teams feel like they can put the right pieces around the 34-year-old superstar.
If a team that thinks they can make the right offer, fans may still get to see a blockbuster trade involving Durant this season.
For more on the possibility of a Kevin Durant trade, click here.