Worldwide Sports News

The Knicks travel to Xfinity Mobile Arena tonight for their inaugural preseason game and their first appearance on the court since beating the Spurs for the NBA Championship (yes, that really happened).

The 76ers are not the same team that New York swept in round two of the playoffs. This offseason, Philly bulked up with additions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. Paired with fellow starters Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and V.J. Edgecombe, this squad is built to challenge the throne. Temper your excitement for tonight’s tilt, though: James, Embiid, and Maxey, Anfernee Simons, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona, and Tacko Fall are all OUT tonight.

We expect limited minutes for New York’s starters—Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, O.G. (The Big Tipper) Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns—as they continue to get back online after a short summer break. Meanwhile, Coach Mike Brown is eager to see what Mohamed Diawara brings to the table in year two, and who stands out among the centers competing for the third-string spot. Jose Alvarado (knee contusion) is the only Knick on the injury report.

Game time is at 7 p.m. EST on MSG. This is your game thread. This is Liberty Ballers. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Be excellent humans. And go Knicks!

SACRAMENTO — Lakers basketball is back – albeit preseason exhibitions. 

And with the Lakers fully in the preseason swing, certain elements of the season are back to, such as morning shootaround. 

The Lakers held their first shootaround of 2026-27 at Golden 1 Center Monday morning ahead of their preseason-opener against the Kings.

While shootarounds don’t always provide insight into the ongoings of a team, Monday did.

Veteran guard Collin Sexton, who the Lakers signed to a two-year deal in July, had his right lower log/calf area wrapped during the portion of shootaround that was open to the media. 

Sexton’s status is uncertain. 

He got some extra work in with the team’s strength and conditioning staff after Saturday practice, and hasn’t been in any of the clips of the team’s that the Lakers have posted on their social media pages last week.

Sexton did light jogging/shuffling after Monday’s shootaround, plus resistance running with a harness around his waist. Two-way forward Arthur Kaluma also did the resistance running.

When asked Saturday if he had an idea of who’d be available in Sacramento, coach JJ Redick responded: “Obviously, still working through stuff.”

Another notable takeaway from Monday afternoon was players wearing the new Nike team gear, which looked heavier than year’s past and more suitable for streetwear instead of clothes that would be comfortable to play basketball in.

Luka Doncic was decked out in the entire sweatsuit while taking a variety of jump shots.

The Hawks and Grizzlies meet in the preseason debut of Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, and others.

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 EDT

TV: Peachtree TV (WPCH)

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

Streaming: N/A

If you don’t have the SB Nation app, it comes in real handy for Game Threads. Just sayin’!

If you haven’t downloaded the SB Nation app yet, now is the time.

Game Threads are so much better in the app, and with Suns basketball back, you’re going to want to be there with us!

📱 iOS: https://t.co/rlWLl9wrHL

📱 Android: https://t.co/4XngVKJDjK

— Bright Side of the Sun (@BrightSideSun) October 5, 2026

Observations after Sixers win preseason opener, Brown scores 22 in 1st half  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers kicked off their preseason Monday night with a 120-97 win over the defending champion Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena. 

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points in the first half and watched the second from the bench.

The Sixers sat a slew of players, including LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Anfernee Simons, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona (left foot sprain) and Tacko Fall (left hip strain). 

Ariel Hukporti exited in the first quarter after a non-contact injury, More on that below.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said before the game that Barlow has a minor back injury and Simons has “muscle tightness.” He expected both players to see game action soon. Simons worked out with Brown following the Sixers’ Monday morning shootaround.

Nurse did not note any other Sixers health issues pregame. He said he anticipates most of the Sixers’ key pieces playing in at least two of the team’s four preseason contests. Next up is a road game Thursday night against the Nets. 

Here are observations on the Sixers’ preseason opener:

Hukporti exits early

The Sixers started VJ Edgecombe, Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Dean Wade and Hukporti. 

The night’s first points came courtesy of reigning Finals MVP Jalen Brunson. He sunk a turnaround jumper for the Knicks, who began with their typical starters and were close to a full-strength squad, 

Hukporti assisted the Sixers’ first make with a sharp dish to Wade for a backdoor layup. Unfortunately for the new Sixers center, he didn’t make it through the first quarter.

Hukporti fell awkwardly while guarding Karl-Anthony Towns on the perimeter and stayed down with an apparent right lower leg or ankle injury. He limped to the sideline with heavy assistance from Towns and Sixers teammates at the 7:06 mark of the first.

Ariel Hukporti leaves the game after suffering a non-contact injury. pic.twitter.com/IRjPYGhfYA

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 5, 2026

Jabari Walker checked in at center and drained a top-of-the-key three-pointer soon after entering. Walker competed well on the glass, knocked down two more triples and finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 19 minutes.

Wade later slid up to the five. For the time being, the Sixers are sparse on conventional centers behind Embiid. They’ll hope for the best with Hukporti’s injury and that Bona continues to progress in his recovery. The Sixers haven’t set a specific timeline for Bona’s return, though Nurse said last week that he believed the goal was for Bona to play in multiple preseason games. 

Brown gets rolling as a Sixer

The Sixers took an early 7-4 lead on a Brown baseline jumper.

The five-time All-Star was the focal point of the Sixers’ offense and settled into a nice groove as an isolation scorer. Coming off of a career-high 28.7 points per game season, he posted 13 in the first quarter on 5-for-8 shooting.

Brown tends to look comfortable attacking against just about anyone who’s in front of him. It’s not difficult to imagine the Sixers leaning on that ability in certain lineups that are relatively light on stars. Monday’s performance was a reminder that even with all the adjustments to come in Brown’s first Sixers season, he’s the sort of player who can be very productive in any situation. 

Edgecombe had a good outing serving largely as a facilitator next to Brown. He tallied 12 points, seven assists and zero turnovers.  

First look at young guards 

Rookie Labaron Philon Jr. was first off the Sixers’ bench.

He hit his first shot, a smooth mid-range jumper. Philon generally made sensible decisions with the ball, including on a drive-and-kick feed in the second quarter that set up a Rayan Rupert three. He had six points on 2-for-9 shooting and four assists in his preseason debut.

The 20-year-old should refine his sense for how to counter NBA size and athleticism as he gains experience. Purely in terms of offensive tools, Philon has plenty to work with.

Two-way contract players Rupert and Caleb Love each played alongside Philon in the first half. Love’s shotmaking talent shined.

He drilled his third long-range jumper of the second quarter with a buzzer-beater right in front of the Sixers’ bench, giving his team a 14-point advantage. With the big names on both sides sitting, the Sixers maintained their lead in the second half.

Love scored 15 points on 4-for-10 shooting in the game. Improved three-point efficiency would be a significant step for the second-year guard, who shot 32.6 percent from deep over five college seasons and 31.8 percent last year.

There were plenty of reasons why the Golden State Warriors shocked the world four-and-a-half years ago, and won their fourth NBA championship in a span of eight years. Steph Curry was the main reason, obviously, while Steve Kerr, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson were huge factors. Andrew Wiggins’ temporary leap to stardom was integral, as were the contributions of the team’s rookies.

One of the most underrated reasons for the Warriors championship that year? Jordan Poole, who blossomed from an inconsistent and often inefficient youngster into a bonafide bucket. Bouncing between a starting role and a sixth man gig, Poole dropped in 18.5 points per game that year on remarkable efficiency, while jump-starting the offense seemingly every time Curry needed a breather.

And ever since that breakout campaign, the Warriors have been in search of someone to fill that role. Whether it was due to regression or the result of being punched at practice by Green, Poole was unable to reprise his role as effectively the next season, and was traded at the end of the year. The Warriors tried to shift Thompson into a similar role, but it was clunky and awkward, and he left town. They hoped Jonathan Kuminga could fill the void, but it never happened. Buddy Hield was signed for that explicit purpose, but was far too inconsistent. Seth Curry arrived as a feel-good story, but was never healthy.

For the Warriors to have another surprising year of contention, a lot of things will need to go right. One of those things is the emergence of someone to fill that role that Poole perfected all those years ago.

And after one preseason games, Brandon Williams certainly looks like he could be that player.

Williams was sensational in Sunday’s meaningless Hawaiian loss to the LA Clippers. He attacked the basket relentlessly and effortlessly, scoring 11 points in just 15:30 of action, while adding two rebounds, three assists, and one steal, and finishing with a team-high plus/minus of +16. He gave the Dubs something that they’ll sorely be lacking until Jimmy Butler III returns from his ACL surgery: scoring inside the arc. While Williams missed both of his three-point attempts (and is just a career 28.0% shooter from deep), he went 4-for-7 from inside the arc, and compounded that with a trio of free throws (where he’s shot 77.5% for his career).

Three of Williams’ four buckets were on plays where he cut through the defense and got to the rim, and afterwards it was fairly clear that Kerr was excited by what the speedy 26-year old can bring to the offense.

Dubs go to their "Thumb out" set for Brandon Williams. The get action gives him the downhill momentum for the paint touch and finish at the rim. Such a welcome addition he's been proving to be so far. pic.twitter.com/0eqPjqYH8w

— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) October 5, 2026

It’s a downhill dynamic that has been missing from the Warriors since Poole’s departure. We all remember Poole hoisting heat-check three after heat-check three, but the element he brought to the offense that impacted the team the most was his ability to splice through the defense and attack the rim. That ability is crucial when the team is in need of a bucket, and it opens up perimeter opportunities for the rest of the team.

And it’s an area where Williams has thrived. Last year, when he averaged a career-best 13.0 points per game (in just 22.2 minutes), the majority of his shots were near the hoop, despite always being one of the shortest players on the court. An impressive 59.0% of Williams’ shots last year were within 10 feet of the hoop, with more than half of those shots coming at the rim. That’s compounded by the shots that aren’t counted: despite the modest minute totals, Williams attempted 4.6 free throws per game last season.

The Warriors need someone who can attack, attack, attack, and Williams could perfectly fit that role. Of course, as is always the case with the Dubs, so much of his success will be dependent on if he can make the right reads and decisions, and commit to defense and other factors in the game. After all, Kuminga had no problem attacking the rim, but trying him out for the spark plug role was a five-year demonstration of shoving a square peg through a round hole. Thankfully, after his first stint in a Warriors jersey, Williams seems to be endearing himself to his new team, which would suggest that Golden State is happy with the other elements of his game.

Brandon Williams' day is done. Steve Kerr just walked to him on the bench and dapped him up with a big smile

He leaves the game as the Warriors' leading scorer (11 points) and was a plus-16 in 16 minutes

— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) October 5, 2026

We’ll learn more in the coming weeks, but Williams certainly has a chance to be one of the steals of the offseason. With Yaxel Lendeborg and Brandin Podziemski looking like they can be high-impact role players this year, the door is open for Williams to be the spark plug off the bench who leads the second unit when Curry is off the court.