It was another busy slate in the NBA on Sunday, and the games featured everything from routs to rallies and everything in between. There was drama, too: a superstar—Nikola Jokic—who put his team’s fans on blast, and another—Jaylen Brown—who delivered cryptic remarks in an interview about his former teammate.
So, without further ado, here are the daily NBA notables:
Heat Tumble Again
The Miami Heat were supposed to be championship contenders with the arrival of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the addition of Klay Thompson. They still might be, but at this point, they are 0-3 and looking more like a team headed for the play-in than a lengthy postseason run.
Miami lost its third straight game to start the 2026-27 NBA season on Sunday, falling behind big against the Charlotte Hornets and coming up short down the stretch in a 115-110 defeat. Brandon Miller led the undermanned Hornets with 34 points, while Dennis Schroder and Naz Reid added 25 and 23, respectively. The Heat got solid outings from several players, with Davion Mitchell leading the scoring with 22 points and Bam Adebayo chipping in 20. Antetokounmpo, however, struggled through a foul-plagued performance and finished with just 14.
Nikola Jokic Slams Booing Fans After Nuggets Rally
The short-handed Denver Nuggets looked to be on their way to a heavy loss against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. They fell behind by as many as 23 points in the first half, and Ball Arena heard boos from the crowd.
Those boos ultimately turned to cheers as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray spearheaded a furious fourth-quarter rally to send the game into overtime. There, the Nuggets completed their comeback for a 141-135 victory, with Murray’s 42 points and 6 assists leading the way. Jokic, meanwhile, had 35 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks—as well as a pointed message for the fans who were booing when the team was down.
“We got booed at our first home game, and I think those fans who booed us, they don’t need to come anymore,” Jokic said. “If you guys follow us, you know that we never quit and we’ve come back from much worse situations. So, if they ask me, they are not welcome anymore.”
For someone so chill and nonchalant, that’s quite the message. Nuggets fans might want to take note.
Jaylen Brown Leads Sixers to Third Win, Then Gets Cryptic
The Philadelphia 76ers won their third game in a row on Sunday even without LeBron James, and Jaylen Brown was among the team’s leaders once again. Brown finished with 27 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals to help Philly hold off the hard-fighting Milwaukee Bucks, 127-116, at home.
After the game, Brown turned cryptic when asked about his former teammate, Jayson Tatum, saying there’s no beef between him and Brown.
“There’s no beef. Jayson comes from a wonderful family, he got a great PR team. There’s no beef, but there might be a little lamb chops with some gravy. He should stay ready at all times,” Brown said.
“… We both got so much stuff in front of us,” Brown added. “So, at the end of the day, he gotta do what he’s got to do for his team. I gotta do what I do for my team. Jayson’s a great guy. Like I said, great family, hell of a basketball player, hell of a PR team. There’s no beef, but it’ll be a little lamb chop.”
Brown and Tatum won a title together with the Boston Celtics, but the Celtics decided to trade the former to the Sixers this offseason. Since then, speculation has been rampant that the two forwards are not on good terms.
