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Brandon Ingram is 'pretty close' to making debut with L.A. Clippers: Latest injury update

Brandon Ingram is working his way back and is close to his debut with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The two-time All-Star has been the biggest absence for the team this season, considering he will be an immediate starter upon his return.

He is recovering from right heel surgery he had in May. He is also dealing with a partially torn Achilles tendon.

“I'm pretty close,” Ingram told reporters during media availability on Friday. “I've been on the floor a little bit more than I've been in the past. I didn't have a summer to have 5-on-5, move at all, but I'm gaining that confidence right now.”

The Clippers acquired Ingram as one of the primary trade assets in the package sent over by the Toronto Raptors for Kawhi Leonard during the offseason.

Ingram told reporters he was initially supposed to have a bone removed from his heel, but the doctors found the partially torn Achilles during that procedure. While sidelined, he’s remained close to the team and appreciates the players' efforts.

"I actually want to commend those guys because everybody is in new positions and asked to do more,” Ingram said. “So the guys are trying. They're playing really, really good defense.”

Ingram’s return would be welcomed, especially on the offensive end of the floor. The All-Star led Toronto with 21.5 points and was third in rebounds (5.6) last season. He started 77 games for the Raptors.

“They're trying to figure it out on the offensive end,” Ingram said. “When I come in, I want to play make, make it a little bit easier for guys to catch and shoot, and not have to make so many decisions. And be able to, when it gets down to it, be able to score."

Ingram already had a level of familiarity with head coach Tyronn Lue and assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy from playing for Team USA during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Ingram, center Yanic Konan Niederhäuser and Max Strus, who has the ability to play as both a guard and forward, were recalled on Nov. 2. The trio participated in a weekend assignment with the team’s G-League affiliate.

Konan Niederhäuser is working his way back from right Lisfranc surgery. Strus was recovering from a partial tear to his right plantar fascia.

"Max came back and had a big impact on the team,” Ingram said. “He's made the team better. Yanic is coming back soon.

“... As a full team, I think we're gonna mesh well. And we'll be a little better than we have been. But in these games that we lost, we've been right in the game. Just fix a few mistakes and we can win those games."

The Clippers won the season opener against the Sacramento Kings before losing seven straight. Los Angeles will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 8.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brandon Ingram is 'pretty close' to making debut with L.A. Clippers: Latest injury update

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LeBron James gets warm welcome in Cleveland as 76ers face Cavaliers

LeBron James might have chosen to join the Philadelphia 76ers instead of returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it was all love in "The Land."

James and the 76ers took on the Cavaliers in Cleveland for an NBA Cup game on Friday, Nov. 6. and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming for the 24-year veteran and Ohio native.

In the tunnel to the locker room, there was a video board that said "Welcome Home LeBron!" with an image of him holding up Cleveland's 2016 NBA Finals trophy. During the Prime pregame show, a young fan held up James' St. Vincent–St. Mary High School jersey, and other fans were shown wearing Cavaliers jerseys with James' name on them.

Just before tipoff, James did his signature chalk toss and fans were crowding around with their phones to record the moment. A video from ESPN NBA reporter Dave McMenamin on X showed that as the 76ers were being announced, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid received boos but James was greeted with cheers.

This offseason, James informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he was going to leave the team. The Cavaliers were among the teams that the NBA's all-time leading scorer was considering. The 76ers won the battle with James crediting Tyrese Maxey for helping him make his decision.

James' 76ers teammate Dean Wade also joined Philadelphia this offseason after spending the first seven seasons of his career in Cleveland. He spoke to the media ahead of the game about his memories facing James in his hometown.

"In my seven years, anytime that LeBron came back it was just a madhouse. It was crazy," he said in a video posted byMcMenamin on X. "The fans were awesome. So I expect that to be what tonight's going to be like. Super loud, a lot of energy. I think it's gonna be a fun night."

According to the Prime pregame show, James hasn't beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland since November 25, 2023 when the Lakers won 121-115. He had 22 points, six assists and six rebounds.

James grew up in Akron, Ohio and joined the Cavaliers out of high school as the No.1 overall pick in the 2003 draft. He spent the first seven seasons of his career in Cleveland before leaving to join the Miami Heat in "The Decision" in 2010. After winning two championships in South Beach, he returned for the 2014-15 season. He guided the Cavaliers to their first NBA title in 2016 when he was named Finals MVP. James left again in 2018 to join the Lakers and won his fourth championship in 2020.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James gets warm welcome in Cleveland as 76ers face Cavaliers

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Canadiens Exciting Prospect Is Big Player To Watch

The Montreal Canadiens picked up a hard-fought 5-4 overtime win against the Utah Mammoth on Nov. 5. 

Canadiens defenseman Adam Engstrom had a big moment in the contest. This is because he scored his first career NHL goal at the 14:54 mark of the third period, which forced overtime. 

Engstrom's goal was a good one, too, as he showed patience with the puck before beating Mammoth goaie Sebastian Cossa with a nice snap shot. 

Engstrom scoring an important goal like this is certainly big for him. The 22-year-old defenseman is trying to prove that he is ready to be a full-time NHL defenseman. Having a clutch moment like that will certainly help his chances of becoming just that. 

Engstrom is a promising prospect in the Canadiens' system and has the tools to become a good NHL blueliner. Thus, the 2022 third-round pick is certainly a defenseman who the Habs are hoping continues to trend in the right direction with his development. 

Engstrom took a nice step forward last season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, as he posted 10 goals, 34 points, and a plus-14 rating in 45 games. Now, he is beginning to show off his skill at the NHL level, and he will be a big player to watch as this campaign rolls on because of it. 

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Cavs vs. 76ers game thread

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 22: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives around Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to start their NBA Cup season with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!

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Kenny Atkinson isn’t concerned about Donovan Mitchell’s scoring numbers

CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 24: Head coach Kenny Atkinson of the Cleveland Cavaliers talks with Donovan Mitchell #45 during the first half against the Orlando Magic at Rocket Arena on March 24, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images

CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell is taking four fewer shots per game this season compared to last year. Should the Cleveland Cavaliers be concerned?

“The shot attempt stuff doesn’t bother me in the least,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said when asked that very question.

Even though Mitchell is taking fewer shots, he’s taking a similar percentage of looks at the rim. A quarter of Mitchell’s attempts have been in the restricted area this season; that’s slightly better than last season when he was taking 24% of his shots at the rim.

If you wanted to point at something more negative, you could say that he’s shooting a lower percentage on shots at the rim and below the free-throw line. Additionally, his free-throw rate is also down slightly, and he’s gone from driving 18.5 times per game to just 15.6.

That said, Mitchell has been slightly more efficient as he’s averaging 1.24 points per shot attempt (88th percentile) and has an effective field-goal percentage of 57.4% (85th percentile).

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Instead of worrying about Mitchell’s shots, Atkinson is looking at something different.

“That’s my theme to him: Can you make others better?” Atkinson said. “That’s important for this group. You have to continue to make others better, make the right play. So I judge it more…I don’t look at field goal attempts.”

The blueprint for what Atkinson wants to see from Mitchell is last season’s Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons. In that game, Mitchell came out with an effort to set up teammates, which led to him finishing with eight assists and no turnovers.

We’ve seen glimpses of this during the season. The first game against the Oklahoma City Thunder (when Mitchell had 11 assists) and the win over the Washington Wizards are both examples of that. He made a concerted effort to get others involved, and the Cavs were better off for it.

On the flip side, there’s a balance to this. Mitchell’s efforts to set up others need to come from being aggressive and getting to his spots on the floor. And from those spots, he needs to be getting others involved. That isn’t something he is necessarily doing well early on. Mitchell sometimes feels a little too passive from an energy standpoint, which is where some of the criticism is coming from.

Ultimately, Mitchell is a scorer. But scoring will become easier for him when he’s a threat to find teammates on his drives to the paint.

The Cavs are a work in progress at this point of the season, and so is their best player. The team is asking him to emphasize different skills than they have in previous years. And if he’s able to do so consistently, they’ll be better off for it in the long term.

“I know he can get 40 every night,” Atkinson said. “I know he can shoot 25 times a game. He needs to empower others around him, and I think he does a hell of a job at it.”

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Mavericks vs Jazz Preview and Injury Report: A homestand begins

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 04: Darryn Peterson #22 of the Utah Jazz is defended by Dejounte Murray #5 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half of the game at Smoothie King Center on November 04, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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 Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Dallas Mavericks (4-4) play host to the feckless Utah Jazz (1-7) on Friday night as the start of a three game home stand. The Mavericks are coming off of two straight losses, to the Kings Monday then the Spurs on Friday. The Jazz have lost six straight, their most recent an overtime game to the New Orleans Pelicans. Both teams need a win to get back on track. Here are the main things you need to know:

  • WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Utah Jazz
  • WHAT: Start of a homestand
  • WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
  • WHEN: 7:30 pm CST
  • HOW: KFAA

In what qualifies as actual news, Santi Aldama is listed as probable and he is at least available make his debut as a Dallas Maverick tonight. Coach Dusty May told reporters before the game, “We want to see him play, but obviously he hasn’t played 5-on-5 with the main guys yet.” Max Christie is also listed as probable after missing last game with a hip issue. Sergio De Larrea and Tarik Biberovic are still listed as out with their respective injuries. Kyrie Irving is also listed as probable, apparently dealing with an illness. Caleb Martin is on the injury report as he’s wearing a splint, but he is available to play.

The Utah Jazz are without center Jaren Jackson Jr., who has an MCL tear, and Jusuf Nurkic, who has a plantar plate tear.

The youthful Jazz have much, much better talent than their 1-7 record, so the Mavericks would be wise to approach this game as a must-win. The moral victory of coming back to the Spurs is nice for a day, but this team is capable of wins, and this matchup is one I could see catching the team by surprise. This is the first of three games in four days, but all four are winnable contests, so it would be great to see the Mavericks put together a complete game.

Since you’re here checking out this post, it’s for one of two reasons.

  • Injury report news
  • Discussion and comment thread

If you’re part of the former, please consider signing up for an account. You get way fewer ads, and you can comment! If you’re part of the latter group: GO GET THE APP. I’m serious. The app has some real-time features specifically for game threads like this one and you can comment and get notified really, really easily. It’s part of what’s keeping this whole series of sites going. So go do it for us and in doing so, you’ll see why the experience is simply better.

Consider joining me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube; I will be going live tonight, and I need y’all to join and participate!

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Roman Kantserov Is A Silver Lining On A Dark Blackhawks Cloud

The Chicago Blackhawks are as lousy as any team in the National Hockey League. At 4-12-1, their playoff hopes are over, and it is still multiple weeks before American Thanksgiving. At some point, changes are going to be made, as they always are with underperforming NHL teams. 

However, no team lacks silver linings. For the Chicago Blackhawks, one of those is rookie forward Roman Kantserov. Sometimes he plays center, and other times (especially recently) he plays on the wing. 

In Kantserov's last 7 games, all on the top line with Connor Bedard, he has a point in all of them. He is the first Blackhawks rookie to have a 7-game point streak since Jonathan Toews did so in 2007-08. Toews's went all the way up to 10. 

Only Toews and Jeremy Roenick have had such a point streak as a rookie over the last 40 years. That is some elite company to find your name next to. 

Entering action on Friday, while the Blackhawks are idle, Kantserov leads all NHL rookies with 8 goals. His 10 points are only 2 off the rookie scoring lead, which he is tied for 4th. If this type of goal-scoring and point-producing production continues, his name will start to be involved in the inevitable Calder Trophy conversations. 

Anton Frondell is the other high-end rookie on the Blackhawks. He is the better all-around player, but offensive statistics are usually what catch the eyes of voters. Frondell is great defensively for a first-year player, and he is a top-ten rookie scorer with 8 points, but Kantserov's offensive totals are slightly more impressive at this time. 

Chicago is unlikely to climb out of the hole that they have dug themselves into. However, there is room for the team to improve and not let this season go totally to waste. Seeing where Kantserov can take his goal (and point) totals is important for the future of the team.

Last season, Kantserov led the KHL in goal scoring at such a young age. During that time, he caught the attention of the hockey world and made it clear that he had what it takes to produce in the NHL. When they made him a 2nd-round pick (44th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft, there was a lot of faith that he'd be a good player. So far, he's exceeded expectations. 

Right now, Kantserov is on pace for 40 goals. That would be an impressive goal total for Connor Bedard or Patrick Kane in his prime. For Kantserov to reach a number like that would be as impressive a total as any rookie goal scorer has had in Blackhawks history. 

Is it likely he gets that many? No. But if he can finish in the 20s and perhaps flirt with 30, he will make it clear that he is a long-term piece for their top-nine forward group as an above-average sniper in the NHL. 

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Celtics make another starting lineup shakeup against the Hornets

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: Jordan Walsh #27 and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics celebrate during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One Game Five of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 28, 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

CHARLOTTE — The Celtics will start Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, and Neemias Queta when they face the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

It’s the first time that particular combination has started; Walsh started the first five games of the season, while Hugo Gonzalez started in place of him over the last three. Similarly, Mitchell Robinson started the first five games of the season, while Neemias Queta started the last three.

At Celtics shootaround Friday morning, Walsh was hard on himself when asked to evaluate how his first 8 games have gone.

Walsh’s minutes trended downwards in the games Gonzalez started. After playing 18 or more minutes in three of the Celtics’ first four games, he hasn’t played more than 12 minutes since October 27th.

“I haven’t been playing great — but the starting, not starting thing, it’s not about that,” Walsh said. “That’s just kind of Joe’s thing, like he wants to try new things. Like, that’s fine. But I’m still playing the same amount of minutes. So, I still gotta produce in those minutes. Like, I gotta do that better.”

On the other side, the Hornets will start Grayson Allen, Naz Reid, Brandon Miller, Colby White, and Ryan Kalkbrenner.

It is the Celtics’ second NBA Cup game of the season; they previously beat the Chicago Bulls 125-111 in the first game of of Group Play.

The Celtics are 6-2 to start the year, while the Hornets are 3-6.

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Astros Looking to “Move Fast” & Make “Big Splash” at Manager?

ST. LOUIS, MO - SEPTEMBER 12: Albert Pujols speaks to the media prior to the game between the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Saturday, September 12, 2026 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Ali Overstreet/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Now that the Houston Astros have found the GM in Randy Flores, now they need to settle on a new manager.

While team owner Jim Crane has said that interviews began before the GM was even hired, Flores has now gotten immersed in the search. Several names familiar to Astros fans have been associated with the position, including former Astros catcher Brad Ausmus, former Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols, former Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, and former Astros 3B Morgan Ensberg.

Astros beat writer Brian McTaggart was on MLB Network today with the latest on the Astros search, including a timeline on the hire, which he described as they want to “move fast” and on Crane’s desire to make a “big splash” hire:

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Mariners finally bring Tanner Swanson home to join coaching staff

Feb 14, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees major league field coordinator and director of catching Tanner Swanson (76) leads catchers spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

The calendar says November 6 but it’s Christmas around here at Lookout Landing HQ.

The New York Post reports the Mariners have reportedly finally pried Tanner Swanson away from the Yankees organization to serve as Jason Kanzler’s bench coach. The 44-year-old Swanson, who has deep roots in the Northwest, has been a long-time dream coaching candidate for many of us in the LL community, but he’s been deeply enmeshed in a high-profile role in the Yankees organization since 2019 as their primary catching coordinator; he’s also served as their quality control coach and field coordinator. Finally, with the bench coach job open under new head coach Jason Kanzler, the Mariners were able to bring Swanson home.

Swanson, who was born in Cle Elum and attended high school at Cle Elum-Roslyn (and still makes his home in Roslyn), played his college baseball in the Northwest, moving from local community colleges (Green River and Everett) before transferring to Central Washington. After graduation, he coached high school baseball in Sultan and at his various alma maters (almae mater?) as well as at the University of Washington, where he zeroed in on his true love of coaching catchers, founding his own catching development business, D1 Catching. He parlayed that into his first job in pro baseball, joining the Twins as a minor league catching coordinator in 2017. Swanson’s first big-league job came in 2019, when the Yankees hired him as their quality control coordinator and big-league catching coordinator, where he remained until the Mariners came calling with the bench coach opportunity.

This hire is very exciting for lots of reasons. Under Swanson’s leadership of the Yankees catching corps, they’ve improved from middling to one of the consistently best teams in catcher framing runs. Swanson oversaw Jose Trevino during his first Gold Glove-winning season in 2022, when he led the league in the metric. Swanson has also been credited for his work with Yankees catcher Austin Wells, who many scouts expected to move off the catching position post-college. Wells has ranked in the top five for catcher framing runs for each of the past three seasons.

More globally, Swanson was an early adopter of the one-knee-down catching philosophy, at the time regarded as controversial but now standard practice. Swanson advanced the technique way back in 2017 during his first year with the Twins, while working with minor-league catcher Ben Rodriguez, whose bigger frame caused him issues when he was trying to block balls. He’s a respected voice in the industry who has spoken at conferences, appeared on podcasts, and generally acted as a thought-leader in his field for the past two decades.

Swanson’s father was Jim Swanson, a left-handed catcher with the minor-league Portland Mavericks – made famous in the documentary The Battered Bastards of Baseball – and is worth reading up on if you don’t know his story (left-handed catchers, I will forever dream of you). For those of you fans of a certain age, he also ran Swannie’s sports bar in Pioneer Square in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Catching development is Swanson’s calling card – and makes him a good fit for a team where one of the clubhouse leaders is the catcher – but ironically, he never played catcher in his career, instead playing as an infielder during his college career. But Swanson’s interests are beyond catching; he’s a student of all aspects of the game, often retweeting ideas he finds interesting about hitting or coaching in general (he’s a solid Twitter follow – @TannerSwanson. I’ve been following him for years and learned a ton). He is also passionate about sports in general – especially women’s sports, as the dad of four girls – and still deeply connected to developmental sports in the Northwest.

As far as experience, Swanson has direct experience being a bench coach – he served as Great Britain’s bench coach in the WBC this past year. (He also served as manager for one game in 2026 when both Aaron Boone and Brad Ausmus were ejected in a game against the Rays.)

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CSR Weekend Warriors

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

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Wizards at Hawks, NBA Cup: start time, TV, streaming, radio, game thread

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 04: Kingston Flemings #4 of the Atlanta Hawks handles the ball against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena on November 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. 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 Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Atlanta Hawks (5-4) kick off their NBA Cup campaign with the home portion of a two-game set against the Washington Wizards (4-4) in what figures to be Trae Young’s first time playing in State Farm Arena as a Wizard.

Jalen Johnson will miss a third consecutive game with a left ankle sprain.

Starting lineup:

G Kingston Flemings

G Nickeil Alexander-Walker

F Dyson Daniels

F Luguentz Dort

C Onyeka Okongwu

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Start Time: 7:00 PM EST

TV: Peachtree TV (WPCH), Atlanta News First (WANF)

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)

Streaming:Amazon Prime, NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)

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The Orlando Blueprint: What the Suns take into Houston and San Antonio

Nov 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (15) dribbles against Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) during the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Suns finally exhaled. One win, and a lot left to prove.

Thursday’s 117-104 win over Orlando snapped a four-game losing streak, and after weeks of struggle, this fan base needed it just as much as the team did.

Now the hard part. Phoenix is 2-5, and the win came against a Magic team missing Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs and coming off two straight games under 100 points. Credit Phoenix for handling it on the second night of a back-to-back, but nobody is booking a playoff run off that.

This is the middle of a four-games-in-six-nights homestand that could make or break the season before it started. Portland, Houston, and San Antonio are three of the top six teams in the West. Orlando was supposed to be the “easy” one. Phoenix is 1-1 through the stretch, and the bar was 2-2. That means stealing one from the Rockets on Saturday or the Spurs right after. Easier said than done.

So forget the box score for a minute. The real value of the Orlando game is that Phoenix showed, for 48 minutes, what a winning version of this roster looks like. The question for this week is how much of it carries over.

How They Won

Defense first, and it showed up in the turnover column

Orlando gave it away 25 times. Phoenix gave it away 14. That 11-turnover swing was the single biggest reason the Suns won. They pressured the ball, jumped passing lanes and turned stops into transition looks. Booker had 3 steals and Dillon Brooks had 2. When the defense gets set and forces mistakes, the offense gets easy shots and the whole night snowballs in the right direction.

View Link

Three-point volume with efficiency

Phoenix went 17-of-34 from deep. Orlando went 13-of-38. That is 12 extra points from distance on four fewer attempts. Those made up a 15-rebound deficit and 11 fewer free throws.

Everybody took a turn

Devin Booker set the tone with 12 in the first quarter and 23 by halftime, finishing with 30 on 11-of-22 shooting, 8 assists, and a +16. Luke Kennard rescued the bench in the second quarter with 12 points on 3 threes. When Phoenix opened the third with sloppy turnovers, Brooks took the baton and finished with 24 points, 4 threes and a +12. Miles Bridges did the dirty work with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists.

What travels and what doesn’t

What travels: the effort and the defensive intent. Ball pressure works against anybody. The Suns looked more engaged on that end than at any point during the losing streak, and that does not depend on who is across from them.

What probably doesn’t: 50% from three. Phoenix is not shooting that every night, and a healthy, disciplined opponent will not hand over 25 turnovers. Strip those two numbers back toward normal and the Orlando game gets a lot closer.

What got exposed: the Suns were outrebounded by 15 and took 11 fewer free throws. Orlando went just 13-of-24 at the line and wasted the gap. Better teams will cash it in from the charity stripe.

It will take a complete, 48-minute effort to win these games. They had positive flashes that lasted 12-15 minutes in the previous three games leading up to the Orlando game, but were unable to put it all together and pull out wins.

The recipe is simple. Being active defensively, communicating relentlessly, and staying connected are the keys to winning games you aren’t supposed to.

They won’t beat Houston or San Antonio if they get killed on the glass or in the interior again. You get that leeway against Orlando. But the concept of winning a complete game like Orlando is a building block they can take into these next two games.

They may have to do it in a different way, but staying locked in for 48 minutes is the only way they stand a chance.

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Former Astros OF Josh Reddick Likes Albert Pujols for New Manager

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 09: Manager Albert Pujols #5 of Team Dominican Republic speaks in a press conference after winning the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool D game presented by Capital One between Team Dominican Republic and Team Israel at loanDepot park on Monday, March 9, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Kelly Gavin/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

As the Houston Astros look for a new manager, the idea of future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols getting the job has both fans and media abuzz.

Former Astros OF and World Series Champion Josh Reddick joined the Crush City Podcast and expressed he would like to see Albert Pujols get the job and laid out his case for why:

Pujols was known as a team leader with an incredibly high Baseball IQ. He was essentially another coach on the field, and had the respect of players, coaches and front office staff alike. Pujols was also known for his intensity, and could perhaps bring some fire to a team that has at times looked like it could use more if it.