Lakers forward Sandro Mamukelashvili scores between Portland's Sidy Cissoko and Donovan Clingan in the first half. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
They are the top-scoring teams in the NBA and have dynamic backcourts to make it all work.
So, when the Lakers came to work with their superb guard duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves and the Portland Trail Blazers came to work with their exciting guard combo of Damian Lillard and Ja Morant, it figured to be a high-scoring affair Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
It lived up to that billing, with the game going back and forth in the decisive fourth quarter, finally being settled after Lillard hit a big-time three-pointer off a pass from Deni Avdija for a six-point lead with 42.8 seconds left that the Lakers couldn’t overcome in a 136-129 loss.
Doncic, coming off a 52-point game at Utah on Sunday, had 41 points, nine assists and five rebounds and Reaves had 26 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
Morant and Avdija had 23 points for the Trail Blazers and Lillard had 21. Jrue Holliday scored 22.
The Lakers dropped their first game of the season, falling to 3-1 after getting outscored 34-26 in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers entered the game averaging a league-best 128 points per game and the Trail Blazers were right behind them at 126 points per game.
Doncic (34.3 points per game) and Reaves (26.7) are the top scoring backcourt in the league.
Lillard, who sat out last season with a torn left Achilles tendon injury, and Morant, who played for the Memphis Grizzlies last season before being traded to the Trail Blazers, formed essentially for a new backcourt for Portland.
“You’re talking about a playoff team that essentially added [Damian] Lillard and Ja Morant so it’ll be a great test for us tonight,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I think you know the biggest thing for us is being able to get back, set our defense, and try to get our first bumps outside the paint. They’re a heavy drive team, [with a] number of guys that can do it at a high level and Avdija obviously led the league last year in drives and got to be great with that tonight.”
Lakers center Walker Kessler gets hit in the head by Portland center Donovan Clingan (23) in the first half. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The two teams went at it in the first half, with the Lakers taking a 73-68 lead at intermission after a three-pointer at the buzzer by Sandro Mamukelashvili to end the second quarter.
He pumped his chest a few times, drawing cheers from the crowd.
Lakers rookie guard Cameron Carr, who has been out with a right oblique strain, practiced with the Coachella Valley Lakers on Tuesday. Redick said Carr showed progress while at practice with their G-League team.
“We needed him to be able to get through a full practice,” Redick said. “So that’s probably a very important step. Obviously, he was able to do some level of conditioning because it was an upper body injury. But [we] want to make sure he’s able to take hits and able to be in shape.”
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Cooper Pratt knew it was gone. Joey Ortiz did too.
Pratt led off the 12th inning of Game 4 on Tuesday night by driving Ian Seymour's pitch deep into the left-center field stands, putting the Brewers a half-inning away from the franchise’s first ever World Series title.
About 20 minutes later however, Pratt was consoling Ortiz in a quiet Brewers clubhouse.
The Tampa Bay Rays scored twice in the bottom of the 12th without making an out and won Game 4, 4-3. The rally started when Ortiz bounced the throw to first on Junior Caminero’s groundball.
Ortiz didn't hide from it.
"There's no excuse," Ortiz said. "Not one at all. I should make that play every (bleeping) time."
Pratt found him afterward. His advice was short and sweet.
"Flush it," Pratt said. "I've made about seven of them this postseason. So what? Next pitch.
“And next pitch is tomorrow.”
For the Brewers, a team that had lost just once all October, they spent the early hours of Wednesday morning trying to treat this loss like any other. They did not want to talk about being three outs from celebrating a World Series title.
"It can be (difficult), but if you don't let it, then you can just come back ready to play tomorrow," Ortiz said. "It's a new game."
Pratt had his own play he wanted to flush. He was thrown out trying to steal second in the ninth after the Rays challenged the safe call and won.
"I didn't think he touched me," he said. "I saw the video. It looked like in the video that I was touched. I couldn't feel it. He probably did."
Then he moved on, which seemed to be the point.
"I think a loss is a loss," Pratt said. "Losing by 10 runs is the same as losing by one run in the 12th. It's over. It's done with."
Milwaukee still leads the series 3-1. And the Brewers didn't think they played badly so much as unluckily. They hit the ball hard all night. Much of it went right at Rays fielders. William Contreras, Christian Yelich, Jake Bauers and Brice Turang went a combined 0-for-21.
"We hit a ton of balls hard today that just went right to people," Pratt said. "Nobody said this was going to be easy. They're a really good team. They've proven that all year."
The Rays will be scratching together pitching on Wednesday after using Nick Martinez in relief Tuesday night. The Brewers have the luxury of sending out their ace.
Jacob Misiorowski will start Game 5 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. He won Game 1 and led the majors this season with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts.
And history is on the Brewers’ side.
Every team that has led a World Series 3-0 has gone on to win it. That's 25 for 25. The Brewers are just the fifth to let Game 4 get away.
They are confident they will flush it and get back on track.
“When you're achieving something like this, it's going to have its adversity. We had some things go our way yesterday. They had some things go their way today. That's the way it is,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
“You just live with it, and if you're a competitor, you wake up tomorrow morning and come ready to play.”
And by the end, this World Series looked a lot closer than it did when the night began.
Oh, the Milwaukee Brewers still hold a 3-1 Series lead even after the Tampa Bay Rays got on the board with a 4-3, extra-inning Game 4 triumph after the Brewers were just three outs from clinching their first championship in franchise history.
They’ve got three to win one, odds that any desperate celebrity shilling for a prediction market would surely take. But in a Series that would likely be defined by the performance of its relievers, significant bullpen resources were expended on both sides in a Game 4 that began Tuesday, Oct. 28 and bled into Wednesday.
The Brewers will have just one advantage heading into Game 5: Jacob Misiorowski.
And it’s safe to say they need The Miz more than ever.
He pitched solidly in Game 1, going five innings and striking out just three, a K-rate that might raise eyebrows for a guy who throws 103 mph. Yet five innings is a marathon in this postseason context. Misiorowski did great.
Now, the Brewers will ask him to get out of his comfort zone.
Misiorowski, who led the major leagues with 252 strikeouts, typically gets an extra day or two of rest, the better to conserve his otherworldly arm. He’s still just 24, his odometer is already in uncharted territory at 187 total innings and, since this is a one-time bullet, you want to fire it at an optimal moment.
Four solid innings would typically be fine. But when the Brewers fly back to Milwaukee, they don't want to play more baseball; they want the Commissioner’s Trophy strapped safely into a seat on the team charter.
And Miz is the only man who can prevent Game 5 from becoming a battle of attrition.
Consider the workloads of both teams’ high-leverage guys in Game 4:
Brewers October hero Aaron Ashby pitched 2 ⅓ innings. Dominant Abner Uribe tossed two innings. Lefty DL Hall went 1 ⅓ innings. And swingman Dustin May opened up with three innings. Closer Trevor Megill only got one out, so he’s good to go – yet it’s clear Ashby has supplanted him atop the Brewers’ relief trust tree.
The Rays are similarly diminished: Closer Bryan Baker pitched two innings for the first time since 2024. Game 1 starter Nick Martinez came back on three days’ rest to toss two innings. Set-up man Tyler Wells got five outs. Kevin Kelly pitched for the third time in this Series.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said the club will “huddle” to determine a pitching plan. Like the Brewers, they face a brutal decision involving an ace accustomed to extra race.
In Game 5, they’d be asking Drew Rasmussen to be starting on short rest. Absolutely not what you want – especially for a right-hander who’s endured three major arm surgeries.
But the options are thin.
“We're going to need everybody. We're going to need to be all hands on deck,” says Cash in his postgame press conference.
So imagine Freddy Peralta, on just a days’ rest, giving them an inning. Martinez on back-to-back nights? Might be a little crazy. You know Baker and Wells will be down for the cause, and lower-leverage lefties Steven Matz and Garrett Cleavinger will have to steal some outs.
Yeah, that’s the wounded animal the Brewers are facing. All the more reason the 6-7 Misiorowski must be a menace.
That hasn’t been the case every time out this October. He’s allowed 18 baserunners in 13 ⅓ innings and was chased after getting just 12 and 13 outs in his first two starts. World Series Game 1 Misiorowski will do.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy certainly hopes to see that guy.
“You can write it up and hope that they perform like the back of their baseball card, but that doesn't always happen. You go with what you believe is the deal,” says Murphy in naming Misiorowski his starter.
Through much of the first half of Tuesday night's contest against the Detroit Pistons, the Knicks found themselves still buried in the slump from the season's first three games: shoddy defense, missed baskets, and sluggish transitions. At one point in the first half, they fell 13 points behind.
Then came the third. New York outscored Detroit 60-47 in the final 24 minutes of play, holding its opponents to just 13 points in the third and eventually running away with a 111-97 lead by the time the clock wound down.
The effort was largely spearheaded by Karl-Anthony Towns. The 30-year-old center completely turned it around after the break, finishing with his fourth double-double in four games so far this season. His 57 percent shooting from the field was second on the team, only to Andre Drummond (5-for-7).
But it wasn't until a near-brawl with Pistons starting center Paul Reed midway through the third that Towns really stepped up; he finished the first half a minus-14.
Reed, who scored nearly one-third of Detroit's 50 first-half points (16) and finished with a team-leading 22 points and five offensive rebounds, got tangled with Towns as teammate Duncan Robinson cut New York's lead to 10 midway through the third quarter. The two instantly became heated, but the referees stepped in before things could escalate and dealt Reed a Flagrant 1.
Then came the shift. After making his two free throws from the flagrant — his only two free throws of the night — Towns exploded for 16 of his 27 total points and tacked on eight of his 20 rebounds, recording his fifth 20-20 as a Knick.
After the game, head coach Mike Brown commended Towns for the way he rebounded and said he had a very frank conversation with the center at halftime.
"KAT's a grown man. He's obviously a perennial All-Star. I just told him the truth: 'KAT, the guy is killing us on the glass, and when he gets a rebound, he's putting it back. Anything he gets in the paint, he's putting it back. If he catches on the perimeter, guard him,'" Brown said. "And he did those things. I've got to take my hat off to KAT because I thought his shift in his mindset was really big for us in the second half."
KAT gets tangled with Paul Reed https://t.co/A6NvVBwm2k
The clash between Towns and Reed ignited a fire inside the entire Knicks roster, serving as a catalyst for a more aggressive effort on both ends of the court.
It was just the boost New York needed to clinch their first win of the season after seemingly falling victim to a championship hangover.
"[Reed] played great in the first half. I think we were able to not let him loose on the offensive boards. He was really impacting the game," Jalen Brunson said after the game. "For [KAT] to step up as he did throughout the game was something that we needed."
Towns, however, credited the turnaround to the entire team.
"I thought we did a better job picking up our intensity and our physicality, and we just executed at a high level," he said. "... We've just got to worry about the controllables, which is us playing our best, executing at a high level, and bringing that physicality to the game."
He added that with one win under its belt, the team has to shift all of its energy toward a second one rather than dwelling on Tuesday's success.
"Gotta get the next one — that's the only thing on the mind," he said. "... All year, it's going to be us improving, going through the ups and downs of the season. We just got to stay steady, keep believing in each other, keep pushing each other to another level."
TYLER KOLEK BEHIND THE BACK PASS! https://t.co/fyBK8WVtQn
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jonny DeLuca and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson singled home runs in a stunning 12th-inning rally, and the Tampa Bay Rays staved off World Series elimination with a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night that forced Game 5.
Cooper Pratt hit a tiebreaking home run off Ian Seymour in the top of the 12th for his fourth hit of the game as Milwaukee neared a sweep and its first World Series title.
But the Rays, also seeking their first championship, rallied in the bottom half after a throwing error by third baseman Joey Ortiz on Junior Caminero’s leadoff grounder against reliever Antonio Senzatela.
Liam Hicks singled off Shane Drohan, who relieved in his first appearance since Oct. 15, and DeLuca’s single to center drove in pinch-runner Cedric Mullins to tie the score at 3.
Chandler Simpson’s single loaded the bases and Milwaukee employed a five-man infield with the infield in.
Williamson, who had been 1 for 15 in the postseason, hit a chopper over first baseman Jake Bauers and into right field.
Game 5 will be Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay became just the fifth of 26 teams that fell behind 3-0 in the World Series to win Game 4. The previous four lost Game 5.
Of 43 teams to trail 3-0 in any best-of-seven postseason matchup, the only one that rebounded to win was the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series.
Tampa Bay ended an eight-game winning streak by the Brewers, who were bidding to become only the second team to sweep a League Championship Series and the World Series.
David Hamilton also homered for the Brewers. Jackson Chourio had a single and double, improving to 10 for 20 in the Series.
Pratt, a 22-year-old rookie whose go-ahead hit sparked the Brewers to a 5-4 win in Game 2, drove a slider into the left-field seats against Seymour. Pratt had tied the score at 1 with an RBI double in the second.
Milwaukee players bounded out of the dugout to greet Pratt, who debuted in June and became the first rookie to hit an extra-inning homer in the World Series.
Seymour had allowed Frelick’s tying homer in Game 2.
Milwaukee fans in the crowd of 40,514, many waving yellow towels and some wearing cheeseheads, brought a Badger State feel to Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay returned to its white home jerseys, a day after playing in Devil Rays throwbacks.
Simpson hit an RBI double off starter Dustin May in the second, but Milwaukee tied the score in the fourth against Griffin Jax when Frelick hit a two-out single and came around on Pratt’s double.
Caminero singled leading off the bottom half to chase May and advanced on a groundout. DeLuca hit a hard grounder to Hamilton and Caminero twisted toward the grass to avoid the third baseman’s tag, then came home when Hamilton bounced his throw past Bauers for an error.
Hamilton, Milwaukee’s No. 9 hitter, drove an 0-2 fastball at the letters from Jax into the right-field seats for his second home run of the postseason — half his regular-season total and just his second since June 6.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 27: Members of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrate after Ben Williamson #15 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits a walk off single in the 12th inning to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers during Game Four of the 2026 World Series presented by Capital One at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
In 2011, Dan Shaughnessy famously counted the Rays out when they were down 7-0 to New York in Game 162 while the Boston/Baltimore game was in a rain delay. Shortly thereafter, the magic happened propelling the Rays into the postseason. It took 12 innings and 4 hours and 15 minutes of baseball for the magic to happen as the Rays avoided being swept with a 4-3 comeback win.
Griffin Jax got the Rays through four innings, but the lift was a lot harder than the line score looked. Jax had nine batted ball events with exit velocity of at least 96 MPH and expected batting averages of at least .770, but early on, only an opposite field line drive single by Jackson Chourio with one out in the 3rd inning safely found the synthetic surface. That changed in the 4th when a two-out single by Sal Frelich, which was 104.4 off the bat, was quickly followed by a 98.9 MPH double by Cooper Pratt to tie up the game. The Brewers put nine balls in play off Jax and only a Brice Turang groundout had an exit velocity below 96.0 MPH. Their offense, overall, made outstanding contact despite the low-scoring affair:
By the bottom of the 4th, the Rays did something they could not do in Game 3, and that was plate a second run. It was more a bad process-good outcome type of play though as Junior Caminero should not have been moving on contact to the left side from second base, yet somehow avoided the tag and being called out the baseline to score on an errant throw by David Hamilton to get a hustling DeLuca. DeLuca would be eliminated on a fielder’s choice groundout by Chandler Simpson, who himself would soon be eliminated after getting picked off by JoJo Romero.
That 2-1 lead lasted all of three pitches when Jax’s final pitch of the evening came in at a game-low 93.4 MPH and Hamilton yanked that 0-2 pitch into the stands to tie the game and make up for his throwing error:
The pen was once again asked to get 15 outs, which has not gone well in previous events this series, this month, and this season. Kevin Kelly got the first three while stranding a two-out walk to Christian Yelich in front of William Contreras. Jax’s outing overall was effective by the measures, but not the overall outcome. The PitcherList report card even says as much, and the results went from B+ to C+ with that last swing by Hamilton:
Nick Martinez came in of relief for Kevin Kelly and had a similar path of stranding a two-out baserunner. Martinez would go on to work two innings in relief before handing it off to Bryan Baker in the 8th. A well-rested Baker looked sharp with his changeups and threw a 95.7 MPH fastball to jam Brice Turang to record the final out of the 8th. The 9th inning was eventful with Pratt reaching base for a third time and attempted a steal of second base with Andrew Vaughn at the plate with two outs, but Pratt was nullified by a hairline tag by Palacios after receiving a perfectly placed throw from Liam Hicks. Tyler Wells came on in the 10th with a 1-2-3 inning while he and Cam Booser combined to the the Rays through 11 innings. Martinez, Kelly, Baker, Wells, and Booser did all they could to keep the Rays in this contest, but the offense once again, offered little support. Ian Seymour came in for the 12th inning and allowed the go-ahead home run to Cooper Pratt while stranding Jackson Chourio at second base to give the Rays one last chance in this contest. Seymour has now allowed 4 post-season home runs, but he did limit the damage in the 12th to give the team one final chance.
The Rays looked like they might mount a rally in the bottom of the 6th after a leadoff single by Yandy Diaz, but that was followed by a 108.1 MPH liner right to Brice Turang allowing him to double off Diaz at first. Aranda’s rocket had an .890 expected batting average, and the double play changed the complexion of the entire inning. Instead of Caminero coming to the plate with two on, he came up with the bases empty. He quickly got ahead 2-0, then chased a slider out of the zone, before Dan Bellino once again decided a Rays hitter fully swung despite questionable supporting media:
That was the last serious offensive threat mounted by the Rays over the first nine innings as they failed to get a runner to second base in any of the final three innings. In fact, neither team had a runner reach second base after the Hamilton home run in the 5th inning until Jorge Mateo stole second base in the 11th inning. Mateo would be stranded after Jonathan Aranda flew out to right field. Milwaukee went into the bottom of the 12th with a lead but had exhausted their best relievers to get to this point and left the ball in the hands of Anthony Senzatela to bring home the franchise’s first ever World Series.
Caminero started off the inning and reached on a throwing erorr by defensive wizard Joey Ortiz. Pat Murphy opted to bring in Florida native Shane Drohan for the first time in this series to force Liam Hicks to hit against a lefty or have a cold Nick Fortes step in for this game. Drohan allowed 14 regular season home runs, all to righties, but Kevin Cash opted to leave in Hicks and not bring in the righty Fortes. Hicks would single through the left side setting up first and third with nobody out. The extra base was costly though as Caminero left the game limping, but was also noticably limping after reaching first on the throwing error. The drawn-in infield allowed for a Johnny DeLuca groundball to sneak through the middle to tie the game at three. Simpson then came up with the job of bunting over the two baserunners but did not execute a bunt with two strikes but rather hit a two-strike single back through the middle to load the bases with nobody out. Ben Williamson was brought in to pinch hit for Victor Mesa Jr with nobody out and Milwaukee implementing a five-man infield to prevent another ball to sneak through the infield. The suspense would last one pitch as Williamson would hit the fourth consecutive single of the inning to plate Cedric Mullins with the winning run.
Both managers were forced to use young left-handed relievers in key moment because of how long the game went. Seymour has struggled throughout the month of October while Shane Drohan saw things snowball on him with four consective singles from Hicks, DeLuca, Simpson, and Williamson to allow the Rays to out-Brewer the Brewers for the first time in this series. The final inning of this game was the first time since the first inning of game two where the Rays had multiple positive events putting a crazy bow on a game which was extremely well-pitched through 11 innings.
Later today is a new day, and the Rays have a few hours to figure out how to piecemeal a pitching plan for Game 5. They will need to come up with an approach to limit the hard contact the Brewers made in this contest as they had 12 of the 13 hardest hit balls of the game:
If anything, it was refreshing to see the team hang around and come back just a night after getting embarrassed in front of the home town fans and national audience. Let’s hope the image of Junior Caminero limping off in the 12th inning was a Willis Reed moment and not him being too hurt to play in Game 5.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 27: Jonny DeLuca #21 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits an RBI Single during the twelfth inning against Shane Drohan #55 of the Milwaukee Brewers in game four of the 2026 World Series at Tropicana Field on October 27, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite a 12th-inning home run from Cooper Pratt, Shane Drohan and the Brewers couldn’t hold off the Rays in the bottom half. The Rays won 4-3 on a walk-off single by Ben Williamson, cutting Milwaukee’s series lead to 3-1 and sending the World Series to Game 5.
Milwaukee immediately threatened, putting runners on the corners in the top of the first thanks to two walks by Rays starter Griffin Jax and a throwing error by catcher Liam Hicks. Brice Turang had a chance to give the Brewers an early lead, but he grounded out to short to strand both runners.
Tampa Bay couldn’t get anything going against Dustin May in the bottom half of the frame, as he capped off a 1-2-3 first by striking out Junior Caminero looking. The second inning went less smoothly. Hicks led off with a single, and Jonny DeLuca followed with a grounder to Turang at second that nearly became a double play, but the speedy DeLuca beat the relay to first.
That brought up Chandler Simpson, who took a strike, fouled off a couple more pitches, then laced a double down the right-field line to score DeLuca from first.
Chandler Simpson breaks the ice in Game 4!
He brings home Jonny DeLuca for the game's first run as Tampa looks to avoid elimination 👀
With Simpson, one of the fastest players in the game, standing on second, the inning looked like it might snowball, but May bore down. He got Ryan Vilade to ground out to second, then got Richie Palacios to wave at a high fastball for the third out.
Simpson’s double gave the Rays a quick lead, but they wouldn’t hold it for long. With two outs in the fourth, Sal Frelick grounded a single through the right side, and Cooper Pratt followed with a double down the left-field line and into the corner. Frelick scored without a throw (though he slid headfirst anyway) to tie the game 1-1.
After a wild pitch from Jax moved Pratt to third, Garrett Mitchell had a chance to give the Brewers the lead, but he chased a high fastball for strike three.
Dustin May allowed a leadoff single to Caminero to start the bottom of the fourth, at which point Pat Murphy went to lefty JoJo Romero to face the left-handed Hicks. Hicks grounded out but moved Caminero to second. Jonny DeLuca then hit a grounder to third baseman David Hamilton, who tried to tag Caminero, but Caminero swerved onto the infield grass to avoid him. Hamilton nearly fell lunging for the tag, then threw the ball away trying to get DeLuca at first, and Caminero scored to give the Rays a 2-1 lead.
Junior Caminero avoids the tag and scores on the errant throw!
Tampa takes the lead in a back-and-forth contest 👀
Whether a runner left the base path isn’t reviewable, so Milwaukee instead challenged whether Hamilton had tagged Caminero… and lost. Luckily for the Brewers, Romero escaped without further damage, getting Chandler Simpson to ground into a force-out for the second out, then picking him off first for the third.
Hamilton, due up first in the top of the fifth, immediately made up for his error: crushing a home run into the right field stands to tie the game back up.
And then, after runs in three straight half-innings, the game slowly settled back into a stalemate. Abner Uribe kept the Rays scoreless through the fifth and sixth innings, with some help from a beautiful play by Turang at second:
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay brought out Game 1 starter Nick Martinez to pitch the sixth and seventh innings, and he delivered with two scoreless frames before Bryan Baker pitched a scoreless top of the eighth.
DL Hall relieved Uribe and pitched a shutout seventh, then got two quick outs in the bottom of the eighth. With with the right-handed Diaz coming up, Pat Murphy went to his closer, Trevor Megill, who delivered with a strikeout to send the tie to the ninth inning.
With one out in the top of the ninth, Pratt grounded a single through the left side to put the go-ahead run on base. Mitchell then lofted a high fly ball to right field that didn’t quite have the legs to leave the ballpark, and Chandler Simpson ran it down with a leaping catch up against the wall.
With two outs and Pratt still on first, Murphy called on Andrew Vaughn to pinch-hit for Hamilton. Vaughn took a strike on the first pitch, and Pratt took off for second on the next one. He slid in ahead of the throw and was initially ruled safe, but Rays manager Kevin Cash challenged the call. Replays showed second baseman Richie Palacios’ tag may have grazed the back of Pratt’s hand as he slid in, and although none of the angles seemed conclusive, the call was overturned, ending the inning.
Brewers-Rays Game Is Being Held Up Due To This Review.
Instead of Megill, Aaron Ashby came out for the ninth and retired the heart of the Rays’ order — Jonathan Aranda, Caminero, and Hicks — in order to send the game to extra innings.
n the top of the tenth, Tyler Wells replaced Baker and retired the side in order, although Jake Bauers made things interesting with a seven-pitch at-bat before striking out. Ashby again set down the Rays in order in the bottom half, finishing the inning off it with a strikeout of Victor Mesa Jr.
Wells got Christian Yelich to pop up to third and William Contreras to fly out to open the eleventh. With lefties Turang and Frelick due up, Cash went to his bullpen for Cam Booser, who gave up four hits and four earned runs without recording an out in last night’s game. Booser walked Turang on four pitches, the last coming after time was called and the grounds crew came out to repack the mound.
Up next was Frelick, who quickly fell behind 0-2 before time was called again, this time because Booser was having issues with his PitchCom device. Frelick took ball one, then fouled a pitch off his knee as Turang took off for second. Turang went again on the next pitch, which bounced in the dirt, but Frelick couldn’t check his swing, sending the game to the bottom of the eleventh.
Ashby came out for a third inning and kept rolling, striking out Palacios on five pitches. But with Ashby at 31 pitches, Murphy pulled him in favor of Antonio Senzatela. Senzatela struck out Taylor Walls for the second out, then lost the strike zone against Díaz, walking him on four pitches to put the winning run on base. Jorge Mateo came in to run for Díaz.
Aranda quickly fell behind two strikes, and Mateo took off for second on the third pitch of the at-bat. Senzatela pitched out, but Contreras didn’t transfer the ball cleanly and didn’t attempt a throw. With the winning run now in scoring position, Aranda flew out to Frelick to end the eleventh.
Cooper Pratt, who was already 3-for-4 on the night, led off the bottom of the twelfth. Pratt worked the count to 2-2, then demolished a sweeper up in the zone for a go-ahead home run. No moment is too big for this kid:
Despite a Jackson Chourio double with two outs, the Brewers weren’t able to add to their lead any further. With only Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan, and Brandon Woodruff left in the bullpen, Senzatela came back out for the top of the twelfth with a one-run lead.
Junior Caminero led off with a soft ground ball to third, but Joey Ortiz, who’d come in to play third after Vaughn’s pinch-hit at-bat, bounced the throw to first, and Bauers couldn’t dig it out. Caminero pulled up limping, but stayed in the game.
With the left-handed Hicks coming up, Murphy went to Drohan for his first appearance of the series. Hicks worked the count to 2-2, then grounded a single through the left side. Caminero got on his horse and made it to third without a throw, then limped off the field in favor of pinch-runner Cedric Mullins.
The next batter for the Rays was Jonny DeLuca, who grounded a single up the middle to score Mullins and give the Rays runners on first and second with nobody out and Chandler Simpson coming to the plate. Simpson smoked a line drive up the middle for a single, but Nick Fortes — who had come in for Hicks — stayed at third.
Ben Williamson, pinch-hitting for Mesa Jr., bounced the next pitch through the right side for a single to send this series to Game 5.
With Nick Martinez having pitched tonight, tomorrow’s pitching matchup is presumably Jacob Misiorowski against Drew Rasmussen. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.
The Rays, down to their final three outs, pulled off a zany 4-3, 12-inning comeback over the Brewers to stay alive.
The Rays are still in deep trouble, trailing the Brewers 3-games-to-1 in the best-of-seven series.
But, oh, they are alive.
The Brewers, leading 3-2 after 22-year-old rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt’s homer, opened the floodgates when third baseman Joey Ortiz, known for his defense, threw Junior Caminero’s routine ground ball by first baseman Jake Bauers. Then, the bullpen, which had pitched eight consecutive scoreless innings, melted down.
Catcher Liam Hicks slapped a single to left field off reliever Shane Drohan, with pinch-runner Cedric Mullins scampering to third base. Jonny DeLuca followed with a single up the middle past a drawn-in infield, tying the game. Chandler Simpson, after trying to bunt, then slapped a single to center, loading the bases.
And pinch-hitter Ben Williamson became the hero slapping ball to right field for the game-winner, with the majority of Brewers’ fans that filled Tropicana Field groaning.
It was the fourth game in World Series history that a team staved off elimination with an extra-inning victory.
“These are the two best teams left in baseball,” Game 4 starter Griffin Jax said. “Unfortunately, we haven’t been playing the cleanest baseball for the last three games. No secret there. You can tell by the three losses we have that we’ve been giving them a lot of extra chances, and you can’t do that against the Brewers. They’ve taken advantage of everything.
“There’s no rewriting the script. No changes in who we are."
But this time, they re-wrote the script.
They now are only the fifth team in World Series history who trailed 3-0 in a Series to even force a Game 5, which will be played Wednesday night, possibly with ace Drew Rasmussen on the mound.
“Obviously, we want to play well. Everybody in this clubhouse wants to play well,” Caminero said. “I don’t even think it’s been a matter of necessarily playing bad. I think a lot of credit goes to Milwaukee. They’ve just been playing exceptionally well.
“Earlier, I told (Brewers catcher William) Contreras, you know, you have my blessing. You know, I wish you the best in this series. But now, it’s kind of like, well you’ve played a little too well. Things are what they are now. Credit to Milwaukee. Things just haven’t unfolded our way necessarily.”
Well, up until this night, ruining the Brewers’ party.
There were a horde of Brewers’ fans that into town for the game, staying everywhere from Tampa to Clearwater to Sarasota, and seen everywhere from bars to restaurants to coffee shops, certainly made their presence known. They actually drank popular Ferg’s Sports Bar and Grill, located just outside Tropicana Field, dry.
Jake Ferguson, owner of the bar, said they actually had to call in an emergency shipment of beer after selling 1,000 cases of Miller Lite and Coors Lite in one day, the normal supply for an entire month.
Now, for at least a night, they’ll be drinking in their sorrows, while the wait for a World Series title continues for at least another day.
“That's a really talented group," said Rasmussen, who was beaten in Game 2. “In all honesty, they've outperformed us in all three facets of the game.
“I think they've pitched better than us. I think they've done better offensively. And I think they've played better defense than we have. It’s a really talented group. Their decision-making is off the charts.’’
But not this night.
It belonged to the Rays, in the unforeseen way imaginable.
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SAN ANTONIO, TX -OCTOBER 27: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs grabs a rebound over a host of Sacramento Kings players in the first half at Frost Bank Center on October 27, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After the San Antonio Spurs’ road win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, head coach Mitch Johnson was less than pleased with his team’s performance through the first week of the season. He challenged them and pushed them to be better and play like he knows they are capable of.
Tuesday night saw the Spurs answer the call.
A 41-point second quarter effectively put the game away as the Spurs rolled to the 130-107 victory over the shorthanded Sacramento Kings at the Frost Bank Center, securing their second consecutive win.
“Every game has gotten a little bit better,” Johnson said after the game. “We made a few more shots tonight… commitment to the process is real and I thought they came to play tonight.”
Victor Wembanyama had 29 points and 10 rebounds, his best numbers of the young season so far. Julian Champagnie added 26 points on 8-for-13 3-point shooting, while Dylan Harper added 13 points, six rebounds and six assists.
San Antonio’s offense was better, hitting their shots on a 54 percent clip, while hitting 17-of-37 shots from beyond the arc for a season-best 46 percent.
“We felt today what we were supposed to do and what we weren’t,” Wembanyama said. “And we actually showed progress through the game. So, I think, I hope, we can stick to the good stuff we did.”
All five Spurs starters were in double figures in their highest offensive output of the season. San Antonio’s bench had 40 points as San Antonio finished with seven players in double figures.
Sacramento was shorthanded, but led by Domantas Sabonis, who posted 20 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in a losing effort. De’Andre Hunter added 24 points and Zach LaVine had 22 points for the Kings, who remain winless on the season (0-4).
“Whether the ball goes through the hoop or not, our standard stays the same,” Champagnie told reporters after the game. We came out and did exact what we’re supposed to do and played how we want to play. Hopefully we can continue to build on this.“
Games Notes
With so many injuries around the NBA a week into the season, no one give the Spurs ojo. Light some candles for these guys!
In all seriousness, San Antonio has a golden chance to get to the top of the standings thanks to a lighter schedule and teams dealing with huge injuries. As Shams Charania reported, the Minnesota Timberwolves will be without Anthony Edwards when the Wolves visit San Antonio on Saturday.
I didn’t think Harrison Barnes could still get up like that. What a dunk!
Devin Vassell had his best outing of the season with 14 points and eight assists.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 17: Steven Kwan #38 of the Cleveland Guardians hits a Single during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in game four of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on October 17, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s Tuesday here at BCB After Dark: the boppin’ home base for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the fall air. There’s no cover charge. If you’ve got a coat, we can check that. There are still a couple tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last night, I asked you if the Cubs should make a change to the pitching coaches. I think Tommy Hottovy and Casey Jacobson are glad you’re not running the team, because 42 percent said “yes” and 38 percent of you said “no.” The other twenty percent said it didn’t make a difference either way.
On Tuesday nights, I don’t do any movie stuff. But I always have time for jazz and that time is now.
So I sort of lied when I said there would be no movies tonight, because I do have a clip from the 1936 film Pennies from Heaven. The film starred Bing Crosby, but the clip we have here is Louis Armstrong and his band performing “Skeletons in the Closet.”
So here’s a good classic to get you in the holiday mood. There’s a little Bing Crosby in here too.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music.
So I was going to wait until the World Series was over to post tonight, but I don’t think this Brewers/Rays game is never going to end. I guess it doesn’t make much difference because even with a Rays win, the Brewers are overwhelming favorites to win it all.
So I thought I’d ask you about a trade candidate. The Cubs are looking at losing both of their corner outfielders to free agency, so they need to pick someone up to play right and left field if Ian Happ and/or Seiya Suzuki don’t return. The problem is that there aren’t a lot of good free agent outfielders out there and the Cubs may prefer to stay away from making a major commitment to one anyways as Josiah Hartshorn and Kane Kepley are two of their best prospects and both may be knocking on the door for a major league job in 2028. Behind them are Caden Sorrell and Ethan Conrad, both of whom could also be good starting outfielders soon enough.
So maybe the trade market is the way to go. I found this article by Mark Feinsand on MLB dot com from last month and one name struck me as intriguing—the Guardians Steven Kwan. Kwan doesn’t have much power. He had 14 and 11 home runs in 2024 and 2025, but he managed just three home runs last year and a .349 slugging percentage. However, Kwan does a lot of other things well. He makes a ton of contact and gets on base. Last year he had a career-high on-base percentage of .382. His strikeout percentage last year was a ridiculously low eight percent. He’s an excellent defensive left fielder. He runs the bases OK, stealing ten bases in 13 attempts last year.
Looking at Kwan’s Statcast page, you can see it’s a matter of extremes.
Terrible bat speed, slugging and exit velocity. Elite launch angle, chase, whiff and walk rates. Elite defender.
So why would the Guardians want to trade Kwan? Simple. He’s a free agent after this upcoming season. With this upcoming season in doubt, it makes sense for Cleveland to get something for Kwan rather than lose him to free agency. For the Cubs, that works out as Kwan wouldn’t be blocking any of the Cubs outfield prospects.
It’s hard to say what it would take for the Cubs to trade for Kwan. They definitely want someone cheap with years of control. Would it be worth it for the Cubs to trade Matt Shaw for him? Shaw has been disappointing, but he’s still young and he still has room to grow. He’s also very versatile and that’s pretty valuable. But with the emergence of Pedro Ramírez, maybe the Cubs can afford to part with him more than a prospect like Harsthorn or Owen Ayers.
So if there was a proposed trade of Matt Shaw for Steven Kwan, who says no?
If you think Shaw is too much for Kwan, then propose your own deal in the comments.
Thank you for stopping by tonight. Let’s hope we have more baseball soon. Get home safely. If you checked anything, let us get it for you now. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.
Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt launched a solo homer to right field off Tampa Bay Rays reliever Ian Seymour to break the tie and give the Brewers a 3-2 lead in the top of the 12th inning.
Pratt's homer was his fourth hit in Game 4 of the World Series.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 01: Ousmane Dieng #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket against Tari Eason #17 of the Houston Rockets in the first half at Toyota Center on April 01, 2026 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Rockets are 4-0 for the first time in over a decade.
The NBA got rid of the “four games in five nights” thing that everyone hated, but the Rockets are about to get the next-best thing: three games in four nights! It’s already the second time Houston is getting this fun treat after opening the season with the same setup. Another quirk? Houston doesn’t play a game on Thursday until January. That’s usually a day reserved for national television games, but it’s still odd.
Anyway, time to move on to the opponents. The Milwaukee Bucks are 1-3 after picking up their first win of the season against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. Amen Thompson’s nemesis Tyler Herro scored 23 points and had seven assists to lead the way while Myles Turner added four blocks against his former squad.
Of course, Herro is now with the Bucks after Milwaukee traded Giannis Antetokounmpo after two years of Giannis whispering that he wanted to be traded because he didn’t want to be hated by the fans for demanding a trade. Eventually, everyone moved on and Giannis is with the Heat. With the Heat 0-4 to start the season, many are already declaring Milwaukee the winners of the trade, which is a bit silly. The Bucks did get back a decent haul, but not necessarily anything that will anchor a contender in the near future. Along with Herro, the Bucks received Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jaucionis, the 13th pick in the 2026 draft (Nate Ament), first round picks in 2031 and 2033, a first round swap in 2030, and a second round pick in 2033. Again, it’s a great haul, but it’s the picks that loom largest.
Each of the players mentioned are contributing to the Bucks at the moment. Herro and Jaquez Jr. are starting, and Ament, Ware, and Jakucionis are coming off the bench. The Bucks also drafted Brayden Burries out of Arizona, who is also getting minutes early in the season.
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 27: Mikel Brown Jr. #0 of the Brooklyn Nets makes the game tying shot against the Boston Celtics on October 27, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Brooklyn Nets got about as close you can get to your first win of the season without actually getting it tonight. It was as encouraging and heartbreaking as it sounds.
Adding to the bittersweet sentiment, Brooklyn’s prized rookie was in the driver’s seat for this one’s most pivotal moments. He took us up, down, side to side, and deeper into the night than we originally anticipated. Here’s how we got there…
The Nets began tonight’s contest with a different starting five for the first time all season, making a change at the point guard spot. No, I’m not talking about Mikel Brown Jr. As Bane harrowingly said in the opening sequence of The Dark Knight Rises, that comes later.
It was actually Nolan Traoré who made his first start of the season this evening against the Boston Celtics. And, the Frenchman looked confident and collected early on, with little-to-no hesitation attacking inside after coming around screens. He made his first four shots to put up nine first quarter points, and even left Jayson Tatum in the dust on one of his drives…
Nolan Traore is playing with confidence during his first start of the season.
He's got nine first-quarter points on 4/4 shooting and has already scored on Tatum, PG, and Pritchard. Touching the paint whenever he wants. pic.twitter.com/QhaK1UGTX6
Brooklyn also got a lift from an energized Day’Ron Sharpe in the first, who’s active hands helped the Nets mount a stingy first quarter defense for a second straight game. It wasn’t another seven steal opening frame, but Boston possessions that didn’t involve Brooklyn deflections were difficult to come by.
Speaking of the Celtics, for them, this was the second half of a back-to-back, and they didn’t do much to hide it. Boston, the best 3-point shooting team coming into tonight, began the contest just 2-of-15 from deep, more often than not missing short on their attempts.
Between that, Traoré‘s aggressiveness, and impactful contributions from Mo Wagner and Chaney Johnson, who combined for 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting in the first two periods, Brooklyn controlled almost the entire first half. The only Celtic they couldn’t keep under wraps was Jayson Tatum. Shocker, right? He had a game high 16 points at half while dishing four assists, but the Celtics still trailed going into the break by five.
We’d hear more from him later, but the second half’s opening minutes were our last chance to applaud Traoré, who again came out on the attack. He had arguably his strongest take of his career only a few minutes into the third, seemingly setting the tone for another strong half…
But unfortunately, “seemingly” is the key word in that sentence. Even in Boston, a city known its historical defiance of legislation, the law of averages had to be obeyed. After their dreadful first half, the Celtics shot 8-of-14 from deep in the third, eventually retaking the lead with 1:07 to go in the period. Their second-to-last make in that frame came off the hands of a well-covered Tatum from the top of the key, which just ate you up inside.
As Boston made its run at the lead, the YES broadcast reported that Traoré asked for a sub while indicating that he had been cramping, which Fernández confirmed to be true postgame. Traoré did play a little over a minute in the fourth, but no further, and with little impact on the game. He finished with 15 points and three assists while shooting 6-9 from the field and 1-of-2 from deep.
Day’Ron Sharpe picking up his fourth foul around the time of Traoré’s exit didn’t help either. Brooklyn had found some defensive success earlier with Mo Wagner in drop coverage, although that largely just helped them take care of the defensive glass, and Boston had simply stopped missing. The Nets’ six turnovers in the period also didn’t help.
But in the fourth, The Juniors did. Michael Porter Jr. and Mikel Brown Jr. combined for 25 points in the final frame while shooting 7-11 from downtown. Some of their haves looked like they came all the way from Dorchester. They found the bottom of the net regardless…
After trailing by as many as eight in the quarter, the Nets tied things six separate times, and even snagged the lead for themselves twice, as both groups went back and forth down the stretch.
However, as time ticked away, the game slowed, and that favored the more experienced team, the home team. After Brown Jr. snuck in a high, lefty finish that knotted up the game with under a minute to play, White got free on the next possession for an and-one finish that gave his team the lead back, now with only 33 seconds to go. Then, it was time to play the foul game, and Boston didn’t seem to know the rules.
After another string of misses from Brooklyn, Tatum went to the stripe to put his team up five with three seconds to go. He made the first free throw, but then missed the second as Neemias Queta committed a loose ball foul on Randle. That put Randle at the line, needing to make one shot to pull within three, and then miss in the hope someone would coral the rebound and hit a game-tying three.
Off the miss, the ball instead found Mitchell Robinson’s hands, but that wasn’t so bad either. The career 50.7% free throw shooter proceeded to miss both of his shots at he stripe, giving the Nets the ball back and the chance to hit a game-tying three with three seconds to play. Mikel Brown Jr. did that…
And, to overtime we went. With a new lease on life, the Nets came out swinging in the extra period. Randle pitched in a quick four points to establish an early lead while Porter Jr. registered two blocked shots to help defend it. Brown Jr. kept firing away as well, hitting one triple but missing three others.
Those blanks, however, left the door open for Boston. After Brown Jr.’s next miss, Randle, again going for an offensive rebound, fouled Paul George, who sank both of the free throws from it and made it a one point game with under a minute to go.
After Brown Jr. and Tatum traded misses, the Nets still possessed a one point lead and the ball, but with 28 seconds to go. Brown Jr. drove, hoping to ice it, but missed. Day’Ron Sharpe was originally called for an offensive foul after bumping into Luka Garza while going for the rebound, but a Jordi Fernández challenge overturned it.
So, with a fresh shot clock, a lead, and only six seconds remaining, the Nets just needed to inbound the ball and run out the clock to win.
Well, they did one of those things. After getting the ball into Brown Jr., he quickly found himself under the basket, and put up a shot. He missed. The Celtics then secured the rebound, called a timeout, and let Tatum work for his own look in isolation. He did not miss…
“Obviously on that layup, Mikel, you want to dribble it out because you want to take more time out of the clock and then they’ll foul you,” Fernández said postgame. “Good intentions, but if you go for the layup, you got to make it. But even if you make it, it’s still a one possession game. But he’ll learn from it. I just told him that he was not happy with himself and it’s a lot. But the kid also was a reason why we were there. He got it going and he showed that when the big lights are bright and they’re on, he can perform. So a lot of good things, a lot of the good things as a unit, and got to move on to the next one. I know it’s tough, but I take the positives.”
MBJ put it more succinctly in a tweet…
THAT ONE IS ON ME BROOKLYN! IMMA SHAKE BACK I PROMISE YALL DAT💯
His father and childhood coach, Chris Brown Sr. praised his son for taking accountability for the losss…
This the accountability I want to see. Take it on the chin, head high, shoulders back & LEARN from these moments. I fucking love it, we needed this. 🤫 https://t.co/Gv37Ci7XYs
After the game, Fernández also said that Brooklyn switched onto Tatum when they weren’t supposed to, leading to a better look than what they had hoped to give up.
“We’re not supposed to switch there because we wanted to keep a bigger body on him,” Fernández said. “We did switch. He bumped. Keon tried to contest and he got a shot that he can make… We wanted to maintain the matchup on Tatum with Noah Clowney because he’s big… And then he bumped and then he shot over. And then Keon, who was on the ball, was supposed to track and contest that or help a little bit because we knew that most likely the shot was for him.”
For Tatum, it was one of his biggest moments since coming back from his torn achilles late last year. He finished with 40 points, eight assists, and five rebounds while shooting 10-20 from the field. He also made 18-22 free throws.
For Brown Jr., who finished with 17/5/5 while shooting 5-17 from the field and 4-11 from three, it was the epitome of a “rookie moment.”
For the Nets, though, it’s just another loss.
Final: Boston Celtics 125, Brooklyn Nets 124 (OT)
Injury Update
Egor Dëmin exited this one in the second quarter and was later ruled out with a right leg contusion. He appeared to bump into Paul George, which may have caused it. However, he brushed it off postgame, telling Erik Slater of ClutchPoints it’s nothing serious and he’d be good to go in a couple of days.
Egor Demin on his leg injury:
“It’s nothing serious. I’ll be ready to go… I just got kneed in the muscle/bone area… Now it feels better. I think I’ll be ready in a couple of days.” pic.twitter.com/9II4h4n4z2
As mentioned, Fernández also confirmed postgame that Traoré had been cramping.
“Yeah, he was cramping and then I felt like he was not moving well,” Fernández said. “And as you guys know, Nolan is a guy that has great energy, can touch the pain anytime. And just for that reason, I felt like I didn’t want to change anything. And I know he wanted to because he wanted to battle through it, but I almost just felt like I had to save him for myself.”
Traoré dealt with muscle cramps that last year as well. If there’s anything more to related to his health, we’ll update this report.
Next Up
Do you care about the NBA Cup yet? Either way, it’s coming to a TV or arena near you soon. Brooklyn will play its first Cup game of the year at home on Friday night against the Detroit Pistons. The Nets went 1-4 against Cade Cunningham and company last year. Brooklyn is 5-7 all-time in NBA Cup play. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.
TORONTO, CANADA - OCTOBER 21: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors looks on against the Chicago Bulls during the second half in the game at Scotiabank Arena on October 21, 2026 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Per Shams Charania, Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard will miss “a period of weeks” with left knee swelling.
“An MRI on Leonard’s knee showed no structural damage, but both sides will use the time to ramp up Leonard. The 35-year-old had an uncommon offseason, as he could not join the Raptors until after a resolution was reached in the NBA’s investigation into the LA Clippers’ salary cap circumvention case.”
The Bucks play the Raptors in their first NBA Cup game (see here for their full NBA Cup schedule) on November 6, which, if the multi-week recovery timeline holds up, means Leonard will miss it. Of course, the Raptors are still a formidable outfit without Leonard, but you’d still rather play them with the seven-time All-Star in street clothes. The Bucks need every advantage they can get!
Notably, the swelling is in Leonard’s left knee, which is not the knee he has previously had issues with; the 35-year-old has had multiple surgeries on the meniscus and ACL in his right knee.
Leonard issued a statement on Twitter, writing “it’s always frustrating missing time.”
“I came back to compete with this team and I’m focused on getting back to 100. Toronto, I’ve appreciated the love since I’ve been back. Returning soon.”
NEW YORK – Maybe there is such a thing as a championship hangover.
At least for one night and three quarters of nearly flawless execution, the New York Knicks avoided an embarrassing history, and it might signal that the NBA champions are not ready for an extended stint in basketball rehab.
Over the first three games of this new season, the Knicks looked nothing like the team that earned adulation and praise after snapping a 53-year title drought.
After a 111-97 win at Madison Square Garden over the Detroit Pistons, handing them their first loss, the 1969-70 Boston Celtics remain the last defending champs to start the season by losing each of their first four games. That team went 34-48 in its first season after legend Bill Russell retired.
New York, which snapped a six-game regular-season losing streak to Detroit, entered the game with the league’s least efficient offense, with a 40.8 field-goal percentage ranked only ahead of the Chicago Bulls.
“Close to 48 minutes of basketball the way we know we can play and like to play," Knicks head coach Mike Brown said after the game. "We had some lulls where we weren't as physical as we should've been, during the course of the game, but we had some really good moments. We had more good moments in this game than we did in the totality of the first three games, and that's why we got the win."
In the first quarter, those bad trends held true to form as Detroit, with victories already over fellow Eastern Conference contenders the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers, raced out to a 38-25 first quarter lead, doing the things that they lacked in getting them bounced from the second round of the playoffs last season despite having the conference’s best record.
The Pistons relied on a balanced attack, with three different leading scorers in those three games, plus finding long-distance shooting, hitting 42% from downtown and scoring 118 points a game.
Their shooting abandoned Detroit after the first 12 minutes, as an 18-5 run by the Knicks in the second quarter tied the score at 43, led by reserve Landry Shamet, who scored 10 points during that stretch, as the Pistons only scored a combined 25 points in the second and third quarters and found themselves down by 25 entering the final quarter.
The Knicks scored the first 11 points of the third quarter and took their biggest lead, as part of a 15-4 stretch that essentially put the game away as the home team ran its lead up to 27, and finished the road-weary Pistons off with a 12-2 flurry, as they missed 15 of their 19 shots coming out after halftime.
Karl-Anthony Towns led six Knicks in double figures with 27 points and 20 rebounds, his fifth 20-20 game as a member of the Knicks. Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, who went 1-for-10 in the first half, finished with 23 points (13-16 FT) and seven assists.
Almost like laying bricks for a new foundation at the World’s Most Famous Arena, New York shot 35% in the first quarter; then the bench came on, the Knicks heated up, and they started forcing the issue on both ends of the floor as Detroit went cold. Both teams finished shooting 43%, as the game got bogged down with a flurry of fouls and free-throw misses, especially by the Pistons.
Knicks coach Mike Brown called out his team for their lack of effort early in the season, saying they looked lethargic and were slow to get upcourt in transition, which contributed to their next-to-last pace in the league. Brown was singing a different tune after a thorough victory.
Brown said he challenged Towns at halftime and told him that Paul Reed, who replaced the injured Duren in the starting lineup, was getting the best of him in their matchup.
"KAT's a grown man, he's obviously a perennial All-Star. I just told him the truth." Brown added. "The guy is killing us in the paint. Anything he gets, he's putting it back. Catch him on the perimeter, guard him. And he did those things. I gotta take my hat off. I thought his shift in mindset was really big for us in the second half."
Detroit again played without All-NBA center Jalen Duren, who sat out with a hamstring injury, as Cade Cunningham had 19 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Reed led the Pistons with 22 points, but they hit a pitiful 9-for-37 (23%) from the 3-point line.
While their shooting woes continue, New York turned it on, especially defensively, when they needed to much like their championship series against the San Antonio Spurs, when they were down at least double digits at some point in each of the five games.
“This is a long season and we can have hiccups, but that’s what the season’s for: so they can correct it come playoff time so we can do what we need to do," Brown said.
Even Brunson joked during his television interview following the victory when asked, "You said the first few weeks of the season, you'll learn who you guys are. Who are you?"
Brunson calmed stated, "Uh, we're the Knicks, actually. But most importantly, we got to remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. This is a new year, new team. Adversity started early, and so we just got to fight back."
