Entering the weekend, 9 out of 12 games on ESPN and TNT posted an increase in viewers from last season.

The games include the Suns versus Warriors on Tuesday, which averaged 2.32 million viewers on TNT. That number doubled the equivalent game from last year (Nuggets versus Jazz at 1.2 million) while becoming the most-watched game of the season outside of Opening Night.

Wednesday's Bucks versus Nets game combined for a 1.1 rating with 2.0 million viewers, which represented ESPN's biggest audience in four years for the first half of a weeknight doubleheader. 

Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 44 points as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Toronto Raptors 112-90 on Friday night without Joel Embiid.

"I just know how good we can be, I know how talented we are, but we've got to match our talent with the energy that we play with, and defensive tenacity.

"Tonight we knew it was going to be extremely hard without Joel. That made guys step up, that made guys do things they don't normally do," said Maxey.

Maxey shot 15-of-20 from the field, including 9-of-12 from the three-point line.

Embiid missed the game due to a sore right knee.

Doc Rivers added that the Sixers still have some ways to go to reaching their potential. 

We're not close to where we want to be. And we're going to have some bumps early and we know that. But once we get there, we're going to be a really good basketball team," said Rivers. 

Joe Tsai tweeted a statement on Friday night condemning Kyrie Irving's promotion of an anti-Semitic film on social media. 

"I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion," tweeted Tsai.

Irving posted a link on his social media account on Thursday for a film that Rolling Stone pointed out is "stuffed with antisemitic tropes."

The Nets also released a team statement on Friday.

"The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and have no tolerance for the promotion of any form of hate speech. We believe that in these situations, our first action must be open, honest dialogue. We thank those, including the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), who have been supportive during this time," said the team. 

The Los Angeles Clippers have championship aspirations again this season after getting Kawhi Leonard back from a torn ACL.

"I'm more focused than I ever been," George told ESPN. "You talk about locked in, I am locked into this year. I mean that's what you're going to get, a leader and just whatever it takes. That's always been my attitude and the spirit I carry.

"I'm prepared and understand what the assignment is this year.

"Winning it all."

George and Leonard joined the Clippers in 2019 and have subsequently only won three playoff series together. 

Last Tuesday's NBA opening night games were the most-watched in five years, averaging 3.3 million viewers on TNT.

The number was a 17% increase from last season.

The Sixers-Celtics opener posted a 1.7 rating with 2.98 million viewers, representing a 31% increase in ratings and 36% increase in viewership.

The Lakers-Warriors game averaged 3.55 million viewers, representing the most-watched NBA game on TNT since 2019's opening night.

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Joel Embiid, Chris Paul, and Devin Booker were among several new investors in Mitchell & Ness.

The new investment comes after Fanatics and another group including Jay-Z bought the company in February. 

Fanatics took 75% ownership at the time for $250 million.

The latest round of investors will consult with the company on collaborations, collections, and other creative products. 

The Brooklyn Nets reportedly rank "dead last" in season ticket sales in the NBA, sources told Brian Lewis and Josh Kosman of the New York Post.

The Nets have sold around 5,500 season tickets for the Barclays Center, which seats 17,732.

The team sold between 8,000 and 9,000 season tickets last season.

Sources close to the team did not dispute the figures but added that they rely more on same-day tickets for revenue.

The Nets currently rank in the middle of the league for ticket sale revenue due to charging more per seat than smaller market teams.  

Whether through the draft, trade or free agency, there are 226 total players on a new team to start the 2022-23 NBA regular season. On average, each team has 7.5 new players on their roster compared to opening night in October 2021.

The Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers have had the highest amount of turnover with 13 and 12 new players respectively. 

The Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat have the fewest new players at four apiece. 

Atlanta Hawks: 9

Boston Celtics: 9

Brooklyn Nets: 8

Charlotte Hornets: 4

Chicago Bulls: 5

Cleveland Cavaliers: 6

Dallas Mavericks: 9

Denver Nuggets: 9

Detroit Pistons: 9

Golden State Warriors: 6

Houston Rockets: 7

Indiana Pacers: 11

Los Angeles Clippers: 5

Los Angeles Lakers: 12

Memphis Grizzlies: 6

Miami Heat: 4

Milwaukee Bucks: 6

Minnesota Timberwolves: 8

New Orleans Pelicans: 5

New York Knicks: 7

Oklahoma City Thunder: 7

Orlando Magic: 5

Philadelphia 76ers: 7

Phoenix Suns: 7

Portland Trail Blazers: 9

Sacramento Kings: 9

San Antonio Spurs: 9

Toronto Raptors: 6

Utah Jazz: 13

Washington Wizards: 9

Tyrese Haliburton was initially surprised by his trade from the Sacramento Kings to the Indiana Pacers, but he seems to be embracing his status as the franchise's foundational piece.

"Sacramento was great," Haliburton told Zach Lowe of ESPN. "I wasn't ready to be a full-time point guard when I got there. Playing with [De'Aaron] Fox helped. But now, this is everything I ever wanted. I get to be the full-time guy. I love this."

"In the modern game, where guys love to hold the ball, he's an outlier," says Rick Carlisle, Indiana's coach.

But the Pacers also need Haliburton to score.

"This whole summer has been about challenging my mind and become more of an a--hole in a sense, offensively," Haliburton said.

Giannis Antetokounmpo admits he was never close with Kobe Bryant, but he believes his mindset is similar. 

“I will never say this, I will never disrespect the name of the great Kobe. I don’t like mentioning him,” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic when asked to compare their mentalities. “I feel like he should be mentioned, should never be forgotten. But I don’t like mentioning his name to bring attention to the conversation that we are about to have. I wasn’t close to him. I wasn’t this with him or that with him. But I would say this, in some areas of his mindset, I think we’re very similar.”

In 2018 at the All-Star Game, Antetokounmpo sought out a conversation with Bryant and subsequently worked out with him that next offseason.

“I might not be as talented as him, but when we’re talking about a guy that worked extremely hard from his first day until he retired. A guy that plays to win, a guy that pushes himself to the limit, a guy that has a killer mentality when he steps on the court,” Antetokounmpo said, as he started to recount that workout. “It’s almost like having — I think he had two personalities.

“Like when we were on the sideline and we were talking and I was taking notes, laughing smiling, joking around, talking. But when we stepped on the court, It was like motherf—er didn’t even know me. ‘I thought you were like my friend.’ Again. Again. Again. Again. ‘My bad, Kobe. How many more times are we gonna do it?’ Twenty-five. ‘OK, 25.’ No, 25 makes. Twenty-five makes on the same move?’ And it’s not like you’re just shooting. You’re going hard. I was like, damn, this guy is different.”