Ben Simmons doesn’t want to play — or even practice — with the Philadelphia 76ers anymore. So coach Doc Rivers kicked out the All-Star guard and suspended him for the season opener.

Joel Embiid’s take on the whole fiasco? Good riddance. Last season’s NBA MVP runner-up put Simmons on blast: “At this point, I don’t care about that man. He does whatever he wants.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks didn’t let the celebration of the franchise’s first NBA championship in half a century distract them as they opened their title defense.

In his first game since scoring 50 points in a title-clinching Game 6 NBA Finals victory over the Phoenix Suns, Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Bucks to a 127-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.

Opening night in Hollywood went well for three quarters for Los Angeles Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

But it was a flop for their new supporting cast, including L.A. native and former league MVP Russell Westbrook.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen has signed a multiyear contract extension less than 2 ½ months after the team acquired him from the Memphis Grizzlies.

Allen joined the Bucks in an Aug. 7 trade that set guard Sam Merrill and two future second-round draft picks to Memphis.

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and the team he led to the best record in the Eastern Conference last season put their hands together in the middle of a huddle at the end of practice and counted off, “1-2-3! Together!”

Lingering outside the huddle, holding a basketball and looking uninterested was the $147 million puzzle piece in Ben Simmons. With Simmons focused and engaged, the Sixers are again a team to beat in the East this season.

Adam Silver, the basketball fan, would prefer to see Kyrie Irving on the court again with the Brooklyn Nets as soon as possible.

Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, would prefer to see Irving vaccinated.

Silver said Monday he hopes Irving — one of the few players in the league who has not yet chosen to be vaccinated — changes his mind before long and clears a path to get back on the floor with the Nets.

With Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, the New York Knicks can do things they couldn’t last season.

Or the three seasons before that.

Walker scored 19 points in his best game with his hometown team and the Knicks snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 112-99 victory Tuesday night.

Eddie Hearn was in a state of shock moments after watching his fight Mikey Garcia go down in defeat in losing a 10 round majority decision to Sandor Martin last Saturday night at the Chukchansi Park, Fresno, California. The scores were 95-95, 97-93, and 97-93.

Mikey was outboxed by Sandor, who proved to be as slippery as an eel and almost impossible to be hit cleanly.

Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

Atlanta Hawks coach Nate McMillan believes big men entering the league from other countries thrive because they were taught the fundamentals of the game at a young age.

That grasp of the all-around game has helped international big men dominate the NBA.

Last season’s MVP voting confirmed the return to prominence of big men in the NBA. The voting also highlighted the dominance of big men from other countries.