Day: November 23, 2023

Ben Simmons will miss at least one more week due to a pinched nerve in his lower back, the Brooklyn Nets announced.

Simmons has started light individual on-court work. The team will announce another update in 7-10 days.

Cam Thomas is expected to rejoin the team workouts next week after suffering a sprained ankle on November 8.

San Antonio Spurs fans like to let Kawhi Leonard have it when he visits his former team. San Antonio fans loudly boo Leonard when he’s introduced, touches the ball and shoots free throws. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich took it into his own hands to try to change that behavior.

While Leonard was shooting free throws, Popovich grabbed the public address microphone to implore Spurs fans to stop booing.

“Excuse me for a second,” Popovich said. “Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play? Have a little class. That’s not who we are. Knock off the booing.”

Postgame, Popovich said he was trying to make sure the fans “didn’t poke the bear”. He offered no other explanation for asking fans to stop booing. Leonard seemed undisturbed by the fans’ reaction.

“If I don’t have a Spurs jersey on, they’re probably going to boo me the rest of my career. But I mean it is what it is. Like I said, they’re one of the best fans in the league and they’re very competitive,” Leonard said. “Once I step out on this basketball court out here, they show that they’re going for the other side. When I’m on the streets or going into restaurants, they show love. So it is what it is.”

Chris Paul was ejected by Scott Foster on Wednesday night. It was another in a long list of incidents between Paul and Foster. Postgame, Paul said Foster has made it personal.

“It’s personal,” Paul said. “We had a situation some years ago and it’s personal. The league knows. Everybody knows. There was a meeting and all of that. … I’m OK with a ref saying whatever they’re saying, but don’t use a tech to get your point across.”

In a postgame pool report, Foster said Paul was issued each technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct. It was the seventh ejection in Paul’s career.

Multiple current and former players called out Foster’s behavior towards Paul. Many referenced that the two have had issues for years and encouraged the NBA to step in and take action. For Paul’s part, he knows he has to avoid letting Foster rile him, especially in an important game.

“I’ve got to do a better job at staying there for my teammates, but it is what it is,” Paul said. “I’ll probably see [Foster] in a Game 7 sometime soon.”