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WASHINGTON — Justin Champagnie is no stranger to sporadic minutes.

The 6-foot-7 forward started 19 games last season. He also received several “DNP – coach’s decisions.” But when he played, he produced.

That streak continued Wednesday when his fourth-quarter outburst willed the Wizards to a 128-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Brian Keefe said Champagnie is everything you want in a winning player. He does all the little things — rebounding, hustle plays, physical defense, shotmaking — necessary to win close games.

He did those winning things against the Bucks.

“Justin always produces when his time is called, and that’s really hard to do,” Keefe said. “He has been assigned to our G League team before, and then called up and played and produced. He can play with any lineup because he crashes the boards, he’s a great cutter, he’s a really good defender. And he brings the shooting and an edge of toughness to him … He’s always stepped up when his numbers have been called.”

Some grew concerned about Champagnie’s role after he sat until the fourth quarter in Washington’s preseason win over the Detroit Pistons. Could Keefe really keep such an impactful player on the bench?

The answer was no. Champagnie entered halfway through the opening frame in Wednesday’s opener and made an immediate impact. He grabbed four of his eight rebounds in the opening quarter while playing stout defense.

Washington trailed 96-90 30 seconds into the fourth quarter after another demoralizing Bucks triple. The Wizards had stuck around for two quarters but couldn’t find their breakthrough. 

Then came Champagnie’s fourth-quarter barrage.

The 25-year-old forward answered with a top-of-the-key triple to pull his squad within three. After a Young layup, Champagnie rifled a feed to Deandre Ayton, who sank a layup to put the Wizards ahead for the first time since the second quarter.

“That ain’t nothing new. I ain’t been here forever, but I know JC is a winning player, and I know what he brings to our team,” Young said.

A few possessions later, Champagnie leaked out in transition and, upon receiving a perfect outlet pass from Kyshawn George, finished through contact for an and-one that ignited the Capital One Arena crowd and forced another Bucks timeout.

Champagnie finished with eight points and eight rebounds. He led the contest in plus-minus (+17), offensive rating (138.6) and net rating (36.3).

“Coming off the bench and playing in spot minutes, I know it can be frustrating for [Champagnie],” Young said. “But his attitude and his positivity when he’s on the bench and when he comes into the game, making the impact he does, not everybody can have that type of mentality to be able to come in and make that type of impact for us. We need him to have it for us to win a lot of games.”

One game down, 81 to go. How’s everyone feeling?

You don’t feel well? Chin up; here’s something to cheer you up.

There we are. That’s why we don’t get bent out of shape over individual regular-season games anymore.

There truly wasn’t much to really evaluate from the first game of the season, which acted more as a showcase for the league of Philadelphia’s new starting five and the pizzazz around the Knicks’ banner raising than anything meaningful.

I mean, it was the worst offensive execution of any game this team has played in the 2020s, so unless these guys had the basketball ability sucked out of them like the Monstars at the parade, whatever.

Of all the things that happened on the floor on Opening Night, none intrigued me more than the newest Knick, Andre Drummond. We saw a lot from him due to Karl-Anthony Towns’ early foul trouble.

Early in the game, he looked like the biggest steal of the offseason, posting a double-double with ease and carrying the offense at times.

Late in the game, he was the worst player on the court, throwing away possessions with his poor touch around the rim.

Ladies and gentlemen, from the creators of the “Jameis Winston Experience”, I present to you:

The Andre Drummond Experience.

He wows with some of the best traits you can ask for out of a center. He is one of the best rebounders in NBA history on a rate basis; he sets brick-wall screens, he fills up space. While he’s not a good defender, he’s a lane-clogger on defense.

Then, there’s the flip side. His touch around the rim is diabolically bad. His stocky build makes him an extremely limited defender and a non-existent lob threat. While he’s started working on corner threes, he is still almost exclusively an under-the-rim offensive player.

It’s those two things that separate him from a Mitchell Robinson. While he’s historically more durable than Robinson, he doesn’t give the Knicks the game-breaking defensive ability without putting pressure on the rim. That fast break where Mikal Bridges tried to hit him on a lob, not realizing the 33-year-old can’t really get up there anymore, said everything.

Drummond is good in small doses. It’s why he’s forced to sign these minimum contracts to sit behind All-NBA talents like Joel Embiid and Towns. When you over-expose him, the bad starts to show up a lot more than the good.

We got the full Drummond experience on Tuesday. He had 10 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 stocks in 16 first-half minutes, going 4-for-8 from the field with six offensive rebounds. He was a maniac on the boards, punishing a Sixers team with not much size and not many willing rebounders.

Considering how little they had at their disposal, the Knicks couldn’t have done much better than Drummond in free agency. A lot of their offense over the last few years has been predicated on winning the possession battle. When they miss a three, someone is there to give them a reload. When they miss at the rim, there’s a putback waiting to happen.

When Drummond is on the floor, it’s going to be like Mitch never left offensively… most of the time.

The one glaring problem with having Drummond as your backup center behind a guy like Towns who gets in early foul trouble way too often is that his overexposure really starts to hurt you.

He played a grand total of six minutes in the second half and was a minus-13. He went 1-for-5 from the field, including an airball in the final seconds of the third quarter.

His minutes at the end of the third were especially damaging. The Knicks were leading by five when he entered the game with 3:39 left and trailed by seven when the final horn sounded.

What went wrong? His eyes got too wide offensively.

He and Bridges had a two-man game around the two-minute mark. It looked to be working in the sense that it allowed Mikal to hit him on a bounce pass for what should be an easy floater or rim run, but the Sixers rotated two guys underneath the basket. At this point, Drummond could look up and swing to a wide open OG Anunoby or Deuce McBride.

Instead, he takes a nine-footer that isn’t even close.

Drummond is a very willing passer, especially on offensive rebounds, but plays like these still happen for all seldom-used bigs.

The Knicks were starting to be grilled from deep by a collection of Sixers. Trailing by four in the final minute, Drummond gets the ball in the corner. For a brief second, I thought he would shoot it. It’s not a great shot with 14 on the shot clock, but he’s open and was a passable three-point shooter last season.

Instead, he passed back and the Knicks once again stagnated offensively. He was given a pass in the post with seven on the shot clock, but the defense collapsed and it led to him taking… this shot.

I’m not expecting him to have eyes in the back of his head, but unless it’s a grenade, he should never be attempting whatever that is. All it does is give more energy to your opponent.

After Tyrese Maxey airballed, the Knicks got the ball with 1.5 on the game clock. For some reason, McBride, the former high school quarterback, decided to throw a 50-foot pass to his backup center down the court and airmailed it. This isn’t Drummond’s fault (why was he even out there?), but it involves him.

Jaylen Brown nailed a buzzer-beating three there to cap an 11-0 run to end the third. That sprint by the Sixers wound up costing the Knicks the game.

This stretch doesn’t even include his three baffling missed dunks. He was routinely getting stuffed by Joel Embiid on the interior and couldn’t finish all game, going 5-for-13 on the night.

That is the big crux for Drummond: he is an abysmal finisher for a seven-footer, and he’s progressively getting worse.

Andre Drummond FG% in the restricted area by year, and where he ranked among centers (min. 100 FGA):
2025-26: 54.1% (61st/61)
2024-25: 59.2% (59th/60)
2023-24: 60.3% (55th/60)
2022-23: 65.5% (56th/64)
2021-22: 61.2% (54th/61)

Compare that to who he’s replacing in Robinson: the man who has the second-highest field goal percentage in NBA history on a diet of 100% layups and dunks. In 2025-26, Robinson was 25th out of the 61 centers, which doesn’t sound impressive, but his 71.9% is leaps and bounds ahead of Drummond’s dead-last figure.

All told, Knicks fans are going to have a love-hate relationship with Drummond all season long, a man who says the right things and is good natured, but is also the Jameis Winston of the NBA.

An incredibly entertaining, but incredibly inconsistent, ballplayer.

It was a pitiful second-quarter performance that did the Dallas Mavericks (0-1) in on Wednesday in the team’s season opening 128-110 loss at the Houston Rockets (1-0). That much is clear.

Second-year star Cooper Flagg says it’s an identifiable trend, already, even this early in the season. First-year head coach Dusty May said it came in response to the Rockets landing the first punch on offense.

The second-quarter wobble shot the wheels off of the Mavericks’ wagon, but there were also some bright spots. Flagg had a brilliant second half. Reserve guard Marcus Sasser looked great.

Here’s what May and several Mavericks had to say at the postgame press conference following the season-opening loss.

Dusty May

Opening statement

Well, we were pleased with our first-quarter performance, with the way we played. We felt like we had a couple breaks not go in our favor, and we just didn’t hold our composure, and we let go of the rope as a group. Overall, I felt we played and competed three out of four quarters. Just the second, when we couldn’t figure out a way to right the ship, so obviously some learning experiences from this, but their front line was sensational.

What happened in the second quarter?

A number of things. Obviously, it’s a make-or-miss game. I thought a lot of our looks were guys that we wanted the shots for. Once they went on a run, I thought we started playing a little too quickly and shooting some shots — some semi-open shots instead of getting back, making them work a little bit, finding some connection.

What went wrong with the transition defense, especially in that second quarter?

First and foremost, the communication. Halfcourt and fullcourt — we’ve spent a lot of time — that was one of our priorities in training camp: to fix the transition defense. We thought we had made strides, and tonight, when things weren’t going well, we let go of our principles, we lost our urgency, and that was ultimately when the game got away from us, when they were just — we had three or four guys back, and we were assuming one guy was going to match up with Jabari [Smith Jr.] or whoever. They outworked us, to be honest. They did a better job.

On output from first unit after starting Max Christie instead of Zaccharie Risacher:

I thought the first unit played well. I thought the second quarter is what killed us. Even with that first unit, I thought we were competing. We were playing good basketball. We made some errors, some mistakes. We lost a couple loose basketballs that, you know, we just don’t have the margin for. We’ve got to get all those possessions.

What do you think changed for [Cooper] Flagg at halftime? (23 of 32 points in second half)

I thought he was setting us up. In the first half I thought he was being very intentional with getting his teammates shots, and then, in the second half, we did a better job of getting some off-ball movement. We played a little bit faster, and then obviously if you’re not taking the ball out of the net, you can get it up and attack quickly. I thought that was the biggest difference. We just — our pace got a lot better in the second half.

On Flagg’s ability to get to the free-throw line (11-of-13 FT shooting):

That’s been a point of emphasis, and that’s one thing, when we evaluated ourselves after four [preseason] games, getting to the line wasn’t something we did well. We thought [Flagg] was the best way to capitalize in the paint. I thought he was strong. I thought he made good decisions. When we start knocking down some open shots, his assist numbers will increase.

What was the challenge in trying to slow down [Kevin] Durant and Jabari [Smith Jr.]?

Jabari — every time we gave him an inch, he made us pay. He played very well. [Durant] — he was just able to get to his spots, and he had a size advantage a lot of the night for numerous reasons, but I also thought that just, the way they outran us and stole some easy baskets in transition were the ways they really got in a rhythm and a flow, and they just make you pay.

What do you have to do to bounce back against Indiana on Friday?

Learn from what we did well. I thought we made some strides in areas we’ve struggled in. But just look at the film. The lowest-hanging fruit — what can we fix in a 48-hour period, so we’re not out here chasing every rabbit, but focus on a couple of things so we can just trust it a little bit more. From everybody, we’ll fix that area. … These extra possessions, they steamroll on you, so if we just clean up a few things, I think we’ll make a significant jump.

When is the last time a team of yours was down 30 at half?

Hoo, 30 at half. Yea, I don’t know. I don’t think…

On Kyrie Irving getting nine shots and being blitzed by the Rockets’ defense:

He’s obviously the focal point. They put two on the ball. I thought he made the right plays, the right decisions. There [are] going to be puzzles we’re going to have to figure out. Playing four-on-three with our other guys — we’ve got to do a better job and find some solutions, but I thought there in the second half, he showed a real — his true character — in being a leader when things weren’t going well, I thought he set a great example. Our bench was phenomenal. They were cheering for each other. We’re worried about getting better, especially starting with a couple games on the road like we are. We’re focused on getting better, and I was proud of the way the guys stayed connected and stayed fighting until the end. That showed some character.

Moving forward, how do you balance giving [Flagg] time to develop and allowing [Irving] time to settle in?

Coop — we’re trying to develop by film, by practice tomorrow, by the Pacers game. Obviously, games expedite the development, but we’re trying to play good ball every single possession.

Kyrie Irving

On getting outscored 38-12 in second quarter:

Ah, man, it was just the effort. It was horrendous, to be honest with you. I don’t want to use a graphic word to negatively put it on one person, or even just myself; it was a total team effort. We were just horrendous defensively, and when you score 12 points in an NBA game and give up 38, fast-break points, turnovers, it’s going to look like that, so, it was rough to go through, but I think we needed it. It was necessary for us to grow as a group and to develop this chemistry moving forward that we’re going to need to win basketball games.

Is that an easy fix in practice?

In theory, but it really comes down to effort. We can make an excuse, but we’ve jut got to take this one on the chin. They put on their boxing gloves and they beat us up pretty good in that second quarter. We got off to a great start — felt like we were in rhythm, and then starting off that second quarter, I’ve got to do a better job of leading us out and not necessarily playing so timid and getting some shots up and aggressively attacking double-teams. It surprised me a little bit when [Rockets head coach] Ime [Udoka] threw some double-teams at me, coming off those screens. First game, coming back, I knew I was going to see some different looks. I just got to adjust moving forward.

On being at the top of the Rockets’ defensive gameplan, how do you process that?

Go watch some film, work and get better, but also, you know, I take that respect very personal. Just knowing that, although I’ve been out for a while, they’re still scouting me. [Udoka] was on record saying that he saw me in the summertime as well, going against them a few times, so we were very familiar with each other’s game, but I’ve just got to do a better job of being aggressive starting off the game, and obviously my spotty minutes were, and I don’t want to say spotty minutes, but just the minutes that I was going to play, just got to get used to them. I came out very early in that first quarter. I’m used to playing 12 minutes through, or 11 minutes, 10 minutes through. I’ve got to do a better job just adjusting to what our gameplan is and just getting other guys involved.

The minutes — is that gameplan, or is that getting you ramped back up after missing so much time?

It’s a little bit of both, but I think on the latter side of just getting ramped back up, playing more minutes, getting more confident and more comfortable out there, and you know, we’ve got a great medical staff, but we’ve also had a lot of change there, so it’s a lot of pressure on a few guys in that office, and you know, we all want to make each other look good, so I do my preparation. They have their preparation. We talk. Talk to Dusty. Talk to the coaching staff as well. They had my minutes lined up, and I just got to be ver patient, so I’m just champing at the bit a little bit, but at the same time, it’s the big picture.

On in-game communication with such a young group:

It’s progressively getting better. [Having] a lot of new faces will do that. Guys coming from different teams. We have a lot of guys that want to prove themselves as well, want to play extremely well when they get out there, in those minutes — want to make it meaningful, make it impactful. Sometimes, that comes with forcing some things. It comes with some turnovers that happen [unintelligible]. But I think our communication has to be better, and it will be. But, tonight was a good challenge for us, going against a team that’s played together for a year or two, that came out here and hit us in the mouth, like I said, and we responded, but we didn’t respond well enough. When you’re getting down 30 and you start looking at the scoreboard, instead of hitting a lot of little singles and doubles, we settled for a lot of 3-pointers. Coming into halftime, we can’t have more 3-pointers than we have shot attempts at the rim. We’ve got to touch that paint. … Take our bumps and bruises and we walk.

On offering to pay the fine of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who wore a “stop the genocide” message painted in his eye black last year in a playoff game:

[Al-Shaair] is a friend of mine, and this revolution that a lot of this generation is building — it’s a selfless act when you can show up for others that don’t necessarily have a voice for themselves, and I think we, I would assume that most of us who know what’s happening around the world globally — that it’s a lot of innocent people that are losing their lives. Children especially, and anytime there’s a war or conflict, there’s going to be unfortunate deaths and murders going on, and you know, us here in America, we get the luxury of going to bed at night in nice bedrooms and things paid for. But when our tax dollars are going towards things that we don’t necessarily agree with, then you have to stand up. I think small instances of revolutionary acts like wearing people’s names, or wearing a child’s name [unintelligible] on your face and taking the fine and stepping up to the plate — it just shows how much you’re a selfless person, how much you’re willing to sacrifice. This mission is bigger than just me and Azeez, and we know that, but our strength is in our solidarity, and how connected we are, and how united we are in our efforts. So, it’s a bigger conversation, but anytime you bring in political conversations to basketball, it does get muddy, so I try my best to do the work in silence and stand with people that are not afraid to stand with me.

What impressed you the most about Marcus Sasser’s performance (17 points, 4-of-5 3-point shooting)?

He was ultra aggressive, and I think he did an incredible job of coming in and maintaining our possession-by-possession attack in the second half. We won both quarters. Obviously that’s not good enough, but he had a lot to do with us getting back into the game. Being that other lead guard that can create and make decisions and take some pressure off of myself. Really proud of him. He had a great game — very impactful. We just want him to keep it up.

On being blitzed and trapped in the first minutes of his first NBA game back in more than a year:

The human element hit me, man; I was just like, ‘man, I’m back in an NBA game, and I’m getting double-teamed.’ I’m seeing [Alperen] Sengun come up here and trying to get the ball out of my hands. I’m seeing [Udoka] yell different commands that I’m learning. They’re yelling out things, and it’s just an adjustment period, and there were times where mentally, I was out there, and I just had to settle in and ground myself, like ‘I’m really back in an NBA game, back into the flow of things.’ Even when the ball was tipped and I was guarding Fred [Van Vleet], my body, I felt just a little bit looser than normal. I don’t know what you can really attribute it to. Maybe it is nerves or anxiety or anxiousness, but I think it’s just, more or less, like, the mental approach. Going out there, you just want everything to go right, and tonight, a lot of things did go right, but a lot of things did go wrong, and I think you’ve kind of got to laugh at it, but also the seriousness of being a competitor, Like, I want to play perfect every game, even though it’s dang near impossible. You look around the NBA tonight, it’s a few teams getting their butts kicked, so maybe it is just a Tuesday or Wednesday night in the NBA. Another night in the office, but a lot of lessons learned. Hard lessons. You’ve got to give credit to [the Rockets]. They came out, they made adjustments from our preseason games, and they wanted to make a statement here on their home floor, and they did that.

On Flagg’s comments on trying to get Irving involved in the game:

It’s great recognition by the young fellow, and I want him to continue to do that. But I think he has to worry about being able to be a voice for us out there, and also not necessarily worry about veterans like myself. He’s a caring individual, and I want him to continue that, and I think tomorrow, once we watch film, or once we get to Indy, we’ll talk more about how we can attack together, even in some of our actions together. We cause a lot of chaos when we’re in plays and actions together, and I think we can do more of that, so I appreciate him looking out for me, but you know, it is a great thing that I’ve got my 19-year-old copilot looking out for me, making sure I’m getting going. But I looked at him a few times, and you know, just like, ‘It’s on me. I’ve got to push the pace.’ I’ve got to dive more into the game and just lose myself into the instincts of it, and you know, just live with the results instead of just trying to think about little plays, that ‘I’ve got to go score.’ For the past few years, that’s been the pattern. I get a chance to come into the game, ease my way into it, but now, playing on this minutes restriction or whatever the case may be, I’ve got to be in attack mode soon, as soon as I get the ball, and as soon as the ball is tipped.

On giving back to the community through the Uncle Drew Circuit:

I’m very adamant on setting a good example for the youth, for the next generation. The Uncle Drew Circuit was a step in that direction. Kind of challenging the AAU circuit and what it’s been like for the past 20, 30, 40 years. You know, it’s become very much money-driven. Parents are running coaches into the ground. Everybody’s the No. 1 player in the country in their minds, and I feel like there’e more of a pigeonhole for top players. They all play on the same circuit, so they all play around the same camps, and, you know, at the end of the day, it was very much brand-driven. When I was growing up, you had Nike, Adidas, Under Armor camps, and they all try to keep everybody in-house. But nowadays, I think we should all have an open dialogue about how we bring everybody together. It’s a competitive shoe market, obviously, but when it comes to the youth, we should all lower down our guards a little bit, and that’s what I feel like Uncle Drew Circuit represents. Obviously, Anta is representing it, but you never know, we might have championship games against Jordan Brand or Nike or Adidas, and it just brings everybody together to the table, because people want to see the best of the best, and you also want to include those that are playing the game for the love, and also to get an education, to get a scholarship, You know, people are playing basketball for different reasons, and I feel like that Uncle Drew Circuit represents all walks of life when it comes to that. From the beginners, all the way to some of the experts of the game, some of the top players, you know, I’m looking to attract those individuals as well, and just having a balance and a competitive market. So, I look forward to the opportunity this next year. We’ve got girls as well, from 12 to 18 years old, and we’re all about inclusion. I think it’s more or less just been put on my heart for the last few years, just, how can we engage more of the youth into conversations about playing meaningful basketball and learning the nuances of the game, learning the rules, learning who came before you, learning about the ABA, learning about the NBA, learning about the CBA, learning about the EuroLeague. Basketball is a broader sport now. And I think maybe media has included that as well in terms of just that package that everybody can watch basketball. So, the love is there, and Uncle Drew circuit represents that love.

Cooper Flagg

What happened in the second quarter, getting outscored 38-12?

Got stagnant. They obviously went on a run, and we just didn’t have any answers. We weren’t organized. We weren’t getting back in transition. Just got out of the norm for us, in what we’ve been doing since training camp started, and it showed. People were doing things that they don’t normally do, and it really showed.

How difficult is it to dig out of that hole when it’s so deep, so early?

I mean, it’s difficult. Down, what, 32 at halftime? It’s not ideal. It’s not where you want to be, and honestly, that’s been the thing for us, is second quarters. Like, all preseason, it’s been bad second quarters. Going into the half and trying to come out in the third quarter and dig ourselves out of a hole. We’ve got to find ways to combat that, and have better second quarters, and leave off on a god foot going into the second half.

Assess the communication through training camp and tonight:

Yea, I mean, I think up to this point, in practice it’s been good. It’s died down in the games. You know, we’ve got to find guys, myself included, that you know, are going to pick up our level of communication and be leaders out there. I don’t think we really had that tonight. We didn’t really have anyone who was setting a tone defensively, communicating, getting everybody on the same page. It really showed in that second quarter, when we weren’t getting stops; we weren’t scoring on offense, so we’ve got to have somebody step up and be really vocal in those moments.

Does the second-quarter trend you talked about frustrate you — that the same thing keeps happening?

For sure. Yea, it definitely is. We’ve got to find ways to keep our level up through the first half, into the second half, and not, you know, get lackadaisical in the second quarter, and go into halftime and have these conversations every time of, you know, we’ve got to come out with some fire, and pick up our level. So, we’ve got to find ways to have our level high at all times and be able to be fresh at all times. Hold our level to what we hold our standard to. I think that’s a big part of it. It’s definitely frustrating.

On Marcus Sasser’s performance:

Sasser’s been great. Obviously, he’s dealt with an injury through most of the preseason and a lot of training camp, where he wasn’t able to be full practice. Getting him back, getting into game shape, I think he’ll be really good for us. Obviously he’s a really good scorer — a really versatile scorer, and can pass it, play defense, pick up 94 [feet], so just having him bring that energy and be composed and get into game shape is going to be good for us.

What happened for you in the second half?

Just being aggressive. We had talked about, going into the half, we had shot more 3’s than 2’s, and, you know, that’s ok if you’re making them. But, I mean, we weren’t knocking them down, so just getting to the rim, starting the domino effect of creating advantages, getting downhill and [the Rockets] weren’t over-helping too much, so just taking what they were giving us, getting to the rim and making them pay.

Are you still feeling out who needs the ball in the first half before it’s your time to be aggressive?

It’s just the flow of the game. I think I’ve got to do a better job of in the second quarter, I could have done a better job of getting us set up and being vocal, and being that leader, and getting us set up into actions. It didn’t have to be me taking shots, but just getting us into the right actions, and another thing. We missed a lot of easy shots, too, during that stretch. Things weren’t going well, and we were missing a lot of the easy ones that I think could go in on any given night. Yea, I think being aggressive vs. feeling out is a part of it, but you know, I’ve got to be there, and be that leader and be vocal as well.

What can you take from this game individually, and what can you carry over as a team?

I think just holding our level all the way through the first half, and not letting it dip down with different lineups and things like that. I thought we played some 2-3 [zone defense] tonight, and I thought it looked good, and kind of gave us some energy through the second half. Maybe we experiment with that a little earlier. I don’t know what that looks like, but just experimenting with different things, different lineups, but the bottom line is just playing to our standard and playing to our level that we’ve done all training camp and all preseason. Just got to do a better job of that.

Takeaways from Irving’s first game back?

Kai is Kai. We can do a better job of helping him. I think Kai is a one-of-a-kind talent, so obviously he’s going to be really good for us, and we’ve just got to do a better job, me included, of helping him, getting him some easier looks, getting the pressure off of him. They’re going to just try and be really physical, and just pick up 94 [feet] on me and him, so I think as a team a big thing for us is finding ways to combat that and having some guys step up, bring it up and set us up into actions.

Marcus Sasser

What happened in that second quarter, when you were outscored 38-12?

I left like we just let go of the rope a little bit — let our offense come to determine our defense. Missed a good amount of shots, and it led to them getting easy buckets.

How difficult is it to come back when you dig yourself in a hole that quick?

Yea, it’s tough, man, especially when you get down that big, vs. a good offensive team like that. But I feel like we did a good job, for the first game, just fighting back. Not letting up. We’ve got some work to do, but I feel like we did alright.

How does the Rockets’ length affect players like you and [Irving], who are under 6’6”?

They’re a good, long team, so you’ve just got to use your ball fakes and be decisive with what you’re doing. Use your speed, but I feel like we did a good job of doing that, for sure.

How would you rate your play overall?

I feel like I played alright. I feel like I could have played better defensively. Especially impacting the ball more. I feel like they [were] a little comfortable getting into their sets and stuff, so I feel like I could have done better there, for sure.

On Flagg and Irving flipping a switch in the second half:

That’s what they do. They’re great players, and I feel like that’s what we’re going to need going forward, so that just gives us a confidence boost, especially when them two got it going, it kind of makes it easier for everybody else.

Your own mindset switch from second quarter to second half?

Just being ultra-aggressive. I passed up a couple shots in the first half, so just trusting myself, and my teammates kept giving me confidence to shoot the ball, so that was the difference between [the] first and second [halves].

Inside Sixers-Cavaliers: LeBron's past meets Sixers' present in home opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers opened their season against the team that eliminated them from last year’s playoffs.

Their home opener brings another familiar opponent, particularly for the newest member of their starting lineup.

LeBron James will play his first regular-season home game as a Sixer at 7 p.m. Thursday against the franchise he led for 11 seasons and to the 2016 NBA championship.

It is an appealing storyline, but the game offers more than a reunion.

Cleveland swept all four meetings with Philadelphia last season and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals. The Cavaliers retained their four most important players, added a starting wing and will begin their season against a Sixers team coming off a 106-100 road win over the defending champion Knicks.

Here is how the teams stack up.

WHAT LAST SEASON’S SWEEP SHOWED

In the 2025-2026 campaign, the Cavaliers outscored the Sixers in their meetings by an average of 124.3 to 111.0.

Cleveland won, 132-121, behind 46 points from Donovan Mitchell in the first meeting. Mitchell scored 35 in a 133-107 victory in Philadelphia on Jan. 14.

Two nights later, Jaylon Tyson produced a career-high 39 points as the Cavaliers edged the Sixers, 117-115. Cleveland completed the sweep with a 115-101 win on March 9, when James Harden led the team with 21 points.

The four different leading scorers illustrated Cleveland’s range of options.

Mitchell could take over as a scorer. Tyson capitalized when Philadelphia devoted additional attention to the stars. Harden controlled the final matchup after joining Cleveland in February.

Only the last meeting came after the Cavaliers acquired Harden from the Clippers. Thursday will offer the Sixers their first look at a Cleveland team that had an entire offseason and training camp to build around the Harden-Mitchell backcourt.

The Sixers are also considerably different from the team Cleveland swept.

James and Jaylen Brown have replaced Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. in the starting lineup. VJ Edgecombe has taken on a significant role, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Anfernee Simons give Nick Nurse experienced alternatives off the bench.

WHAT CHANGED IN CLEVELAND?

The Cavaliers went 52-30 last season and reached the Eastern Conference finals, where the Knicks swept them.

Cleveland brought back its core four. Mitchell signed a four-year extension, Harden returned on a three-year contract, and Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen remain under contract.

Harden’s first complete season with Cleveland is the most important change.

He joined the Cavaliers at the trade deadline last February and had to learn Kenny Atkinson’s offense during the season. Cleveland can now build its system around Harden, Mitchell, Mobley and Allen from the beginning.

The Cavaliers also acquired 24-year-old wing Peyton Watson in a five-team sign-and-trade with Denver.

Watson averaged career highs of 14.6 points and 4.9 rebounds last season while shooting 41.1 percent from three-point range. The 6-foot-8 forward is expected to fill Cleveland’s opening at small forward and defend many of the opponent’s best wings.

Cleveland also added Mario Hezonja, who is returning to the NBA after six seasons overseas, and drafted guard Meleek Thomas.

The Cavaliers lost several rotation players, including Dean Wade, Max Strus, Dennis Schröder, Keon Ellis and Larry Nance Jr. Their starting lineup remains formidable, but Atkinson will need to establish a new second unit.

LEBRON TALK

Cleveland spent part of the summer pursuing a third stint with James.

After James chose Philadelphia, Atkinson acknowledged that the Cavaliers needed to move quickly to another option.

“There was probably a day of ‘woe is me,’” Atkinson said. “But the day after, we’re just like, ‘How are we pivoting?’”

Watson became the centerpiece of that pivot.

That creates a fascinating possible matchup Thursday. The player Cleveland acquired after James signed with the Sixers could spend stretches defending him.

James has faced the Cavaliers 26 times during his career. His teams have gone 20-6, and he has averaged 26.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists. Thursday would be his 27th regular-season game against the franchise.

There is also a Philadelphia connection.

James’ final regular-season game in Philadelphia as a Cavalier came on April 6, 2018. He recorded 44 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, but the Sixers survived Cleveland’s comeback from 30 points down and won, 132-130.

The 44 points remain James’ career high against the Sixers.

Thursday, he will enter the same building from the opposite locker room.

WHERE THE MATCHUP COULD TURN

The Sixers’ speed should test Cleveland immediately.

Philadelphia scored 24 fast-break points against New York. Tyrese Maxey accounted for 12, including nine following Knicks turnovers.

Cleveland’s starting lineup features two traditional big men in Mobley and Allen. That gives the Cavaliers considerable rim protection and rebounding, but Maxey will want to push the pace before they can establish their half-court defense.

The Sixers forced 14 turnovers Tuesday and converted them into 22 points. Creating similar opportunities would keep them from having to attack Mobley and Allen on every possession.

Cleveland’s backcourt presents the opposite challenge.

Harden can manipulate a defense through pick-and-rolls and draw extra attention before finding Mobley or Allen. Mitchell scored 81 points across his first two games against Philadelphia last season and remains Cleveland’s most dangerous individual scorer.

Brown, Edgecombe and Caldwell-Pope give the Sixers several possible defenders to place on Mitchell. Maxey’s defensive improvement will also be tested when Cleveland involves him in actions featuring Harden.

The matchup in the middle could depend on Allen’s availability.

Allen was listed as questionable Thursday morning with right patellar tendinopathy. If he plays, Cleveland can keep one of Allen or Mobley on the floor for most of the night.

If Allen is unavailable, Mobley could receive more time at center. That would leave the Cavaliers with fewer conventional options against Joel Embiid, especially with Khalifa Diop and Nae’Qwan Tomlin already ruled out.

A FAMILIAR FACE

Wade spent the first seven seasons of his career with Cleveland before signing a four-year contract with the Sixers in July.

His possible Philadelphia debut would come against the only other NBA team he has known.

Wade missed Tuesday’s opener with a left ankle sprain and remained questionable Thursday morning. If he is cleared, his size and shooting would give Nurse another frontcourt option against Mobley and Allen.

The Sixers played James at center for stretches in New York, while Adem Bona and Jabari Walker received brief opportunities behind Embiid. Wade could give Philadelphia another small-ball option who is familiar with Cleveland’s personnel and Atkinson’s system.

His availability carries added importance with Dominick Barlow, Ariel Hukporti and Tacko Fall ruled out.

WHAT CLEVELAND IS SAYING

The Cavaliers are emphasizing the benefit of beginning the season together after adding Harden in the middle of last year.

“Just us having an opportunity to start off together is already exciting,” Harden told reporters Tuesday.

Harden said Cleveland has spent time developing the different possibilities within his pick-and-roll work with Mobley. The Cavaliers can use Mobley as a screener, roller, passer or shooter depending on how Philadelphia defends Harden.

Atkinson has also indicated that Cleveland’s opening rotation could remain unsettled until game time because of the injuries in its frontcourt.

The Cavaliers enter the season with championship expectations after advancing one round farther in each of the past four postseasons. They lost in the first round in 2023, the second round in 2024 and 2025, and the conference finals last season.

Philadelphia will be their first opportunity to show whether that progression can continue.

INJURY REPORT

According to the NBA’s 6:30 a.m. ET injury report:

Sixers

• Dean Wade: Questionable, left ankle sprain
• Dominick Barlow: Out, low-back stress reaction
• Tacko Fall: Out, left quadriceps strain
• Ariel Hukporti: Out, right Achilles tendon rupture

Cavaliers

• Jarrett Allen: Questionable, right patellar tendinopathy
• Khalifa Diop: Out, left knee injury management
• Nae’Qwan Tomlin: Out, low-back stress reaction

WHAT VEGAS THINKS

FanDuel Research listed the Sixers as 2.5-point favorites Thursday morning. The over-under was set at 235.5 points.

The line reflects a competitive matchup while giving Philadelphia a slight edge at home. It could move if Allen or Wade receives a definitive designation.

James’ first return to Cleveland in a Sixers uniform will come Nov. 6.

Thursday is about something else. It is the first look at Philadelphia’s new stars in front of their home crowd and an early comparison with a Cleveland team that had all the answers against the Sixers last season.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was visibly overcome with emotion after making a triumphant return from a torn Achilles tendon on Wednesday, Oct. 21, leading Indiana to a 123-120 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in their season opener.

As he gazed up at the cheering fans in the Smoothie King Center and was asked in the postgame interview how much fun he was having in his return, Haliburton could not hold back his tears as the emotion of the moment overwhelmed him.

"I'm just really thankful to be back out here," Haliburton said, voice trembling with emotion.

In the game against the Pelicans, Haliburton recorded 23 points, two rebounds and 12 assists in 34 minutes.

Haliburton acknowledged that the team still has plenty of room for growth, but expressed optimism about their direction. “We have a lot to improve on and Pacers basketball is coming along,” he said. “I’m really proud of this group.”

That’s not how the Miami Heat wanted to start their season. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Heat were blown out at home in his franchise debut Wednesday night by the Timberwolves 131-106. 

After the home opener, Antetokounmpo immediately called for better play from himself and the makeshift roster around him following the stunning offseason trade. 

“We got to trust each other. When things don’t go our way, we got to dig in. We didn’t do that tonight,” Antetokounmpo told reporters. “Our effort has to be better. It starts with me. My effort has to be better. I set the tone.”

Antetokounmpo arrived in Miami with a completely new squad, as the Heat traded Tyler Herro and more to the Bucks after he had spent his entire career in the Midwest. 

The former Buck poured in 35 points and six rebounds, though he didn’t get much help from his supporting cast, and the team’s defense was an even bigger issue.

Minnesota, debuting a new look in its own right with the addition of LaMelo Ball, shot 42 percent from 3-point range on 50 attempts.

Ball had 21 points while Edwards went scorched earth, scoring 45 points in the season opener on 29 shots and 9 of 17 from deep.

“They have two players that can make shots that make your spirit get defeated. You got to keep playing through that,” Antetokounmpo said. “When [Edwards] made shots, we got discouraged, and the game got easier for them. When guys get going, we have to be more physical with them.”

There are plenty of issues for the Heat to figure out, starting with depth, as Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal had some jokes about the roster.

“You take away Giannis, Bam [Adebayo], Klay [Thompson], and [Andrew] Wiggins, name me three Heat players,” Barkley asked the crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and O’Neal. 

O’Neal joked that he could name Herro, now in Milwaukee, and coach Erik Spoelstra to show the team has little behind its starters. 

Meanwhile, former player Jeff Teague, who is a popular basketball personality, said he’s out on Miami.

“I’m done with the Heat,” Teague said after the loss. “I didn’t know they were gonna be playing Milwaukee basketball still. I didn’t know they’d take the Milwaukee Bucks and put them in Miami.

“(Giannis) still doing the same s–t. I’m good.”

It’s a big reaction to the first game of their season, but the Timberwolves are a projected Western Conference contender and they exposed some Heat flaws Wednesday night.

Well, in a game that truly had it all, the Milwaukee Bucks fell 128-116 to the revamped Washington Wizards. The Bucks were led by “the Heat package,” which combined for 68 points. The final score really doesn’t reflect how the game transpired; frankly, the Bucks controlled most of the contest but just couldn’t turn an eight-point lead into a 15-point lead. Some of that was Washington, but I felt like Milwaukee shot itself in the foot a good number of times by playing frantic and rushed instead of calm and poised.

That said, take a step back and think: “frantic and rushed” is about what you would expect when a bunch of guys who have barely played with each other—including young fellas getting thrown into the fire—suit up for a regular-season game. A beautiful mess, shall we say—I can’t wait to do it all over again on Friday. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.

Editor’s note: this year, we are trialing a more consistent grading criteria (while still allowing for your interpretation)—grades are not rewards for production, they’re judgments of performance against expectation:

A: Exceeding expectations.
B: Above expectations.
C: At expectations.
D: Below expectations.
F: Fail (i.e., substantially below expectations; actively detrimental to the team).

Player Grades

Ryan Rollins

23 minutes, 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, 4/14 FG, 1/4 3P, –4

Rollins vastly underperformed compared to what we have come to expect from him and rightly rode the pine to close the game. Yeah, he missed some makeable shots—took some bad ones too—but he is also relied on as the team’s best point-of-attack defender, and he failed on more than a few occasions to keep dudes in front of him and navigate screens. I also thought Rollins allowed himself to get sped up going to the basket, which really isn’t like him; he’s usually cool as a cucumber in tight spaces. An out-of-character game on so many levels.

Grade: D-

Tyler Herro

31 minutes, 24 points, 9 assists, 4 turnovers, 9/21 FG, 4/11, –6

My Prescient Prediction was basically right on. This was the Herro we expected to see in the preseason and, indeed, it looked like he took it up a notch for the real thing. Except when Bilal Coulibaly was on him, Herro got wherever he wanted. Look, we know Herro can score, but the nine assists were the story (and the reason he gets into the B band). Washington paid him a lot of attention in the pick-and-roll, and he was able to methodically locate the open man most of the time. As expected, Herro’s on-ball defence wasn’t great—and I’d like to see him compete 10% more in that part of the game—but I thought he was largely in the right spots off-ball.

Grade: B-

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

31 minutes, 22 points, 7 rebounds, 8/12 FG, 1/3 3P , 5/6 FT, 0

Jaquez was nails all game long. He used his size to make plays for himself and others in the paint, especially when Washington tried to hide Young on him—straight to the post! Jaquez also proved a helpful defensive option on the Wizards’ big front line, which might even be a preferable matchup for him than wings or guards. Other than Jericho Sims, who played under two minutes, Jaquez was the only Buck who didn’t have a negative plus-minus—and it felt like it.

Grade: B

Kyle Kuzma

27 minutes, 5 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 2/9 FG, 1/4 3P, –10

Woof. Where do I start? Look, Kuz’s defence was good, and he did have some solid posessions guarding (and fronting) Davis, but his game had no other redeeming qualities. First off, this whole “returning to Washington and embracing the hate” thing is so corny and has to stop—he’s done this every time Milwaukee has played them! You could tell from the jump that this was a game within a game for him. Sure, Kuz wanted to win, but he wanted to be the reason the Bucks won—give me a break! He missed gimmes at the rim, took out-of-rhythm shots, missed a free-throw blockout, and made two of the most diabolical passes I’ve seen. To top it off, as Miggity pointed out, I’m pretty sure Kuz scored a bucket for the Wizards via a controlled tip. Hated almost every second of Kuzma’s game.

Grade: F

Myles Turner

32 minutes, 11 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 4/7 FG, 2/5 3P, –4

Turner’s offensive numbers look fine, but I thought he was woeful on defence. My biggest issue was his lack of urgency and awareness when recovering to rolling big men after showing on pick-and-rolls. He was surely aware that Trae Young loves to throw lobs, yet there were at least three instances where Turner could have easily recovered to his man after showing on screens, only to dawdle, let the big get behind him, and catch a lob. I also thought Turner was straight-up soft on the inside, letting himself get pushed around.

Grade: D

Kel’el Ware

13 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 6 fouls, 3/6 FG, 0/2 3P, –10

On the one hand, I don’t want to go crazy on a 22-year-old for not being able to physically deal with Anthony Davis. On the other hand, I wanted to see him compete more. I just spoke about Turner lollygagging after showing on screens while his man got behind him—Ware might have been worse. Ware was BBQ chicken for Davis and simply couldn’t be on the court at the same time as him—hence he fouled out in 13 minutes. I felt like Ware was a little lost and sped up on both ends, and it is year three for him now, so you’d hope to see less of that. Still, based on the preseason, I can’t say this sort of game was out of the ordinary. He won’t be playing against an All-NBA centre every game, though, which we need to keep in mind.

Grade: D-

Kasparas Jakucionis

26 minutes, 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 5 PF, 4/7 FG, 1/3 3P, 6/6 FT, –4

Wow. What a game for Jakucionis! So much to like. With this season being a developmental one, giving KJ—who is younger than Brayden Burries—26 minutes on opening night and having him look right at home is huge. Jakucionis handled (and beat) pressure with relative ease, while holding up OK on defence (though Young did catch him too many times). The final thing I want to highlight is KJ’s feel and how he used it to draw a few Young-like BS fouls. People don’t like it, but guards who aren’t elite athletes need to have this in their bag. Swing-throughs, up fakes, accentuating contact—you need it all, and his counterpart at point guard last night is the perfect example.

Grade: B+

Brayden Burries

15 minutes, 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 turnover, 3 PF, 3/6 FG, 2/2 3P, 4/5 FT, -12

I mean, you couldn’t have asked for much more from Burries in his first official game. You could tell his heart was racing a bit at the start, but he settled in after getting his name in the books. By the third quarter, Burries was nailing step-back threes with a one-point lead and doing celebrations running back down the court. Also, as we saw in the preseason, Burries is going to get to the charity stripe. Yeah, he got caught in the wrong spots on defence a few times, but that’s to be expected—great first outing.

Grade: B

Ousmane Dieng

21 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 4 PF, 2/6 FG, 1/5 3P, –4

I thought Ous played… just OK. He had a smooth windmill gather that left our guy Khris in the dust, and his defence was mostly solid, but man, the dude needs to make threes for this to work.

Grade: D+

AJ Green

15 minutes, 6 points, 2/3 FG, 2/2 3P, –10

AJ was AJ. Hit an open three and made a tough one off a wide pindown. Jenkins drew up some action for him out of a timeout, but it broke down. Defence was fine even if he was undersized.

Grade: C

Taylor Jenkins

It’s tough to judge Jenkins too harshly, given it was the first game. The Bucks generated 42 three-point attempts and won the possession battle. He also “played the kids” like fans wanted. Maybe Jenkins could have had the team better prepared for the foul-baiting that Young and (to a slightly lesser extent) Davis were going to do; I did think the refs got sucked into a few horrendous flails by Young, but some were definitely there. Ultimately, I think we could easily be sitting here talking about a Bucks win if a few things had gone differently, so overall, not much to complain about at this point.

Grade: C

Limited minutes: Jericho Sims

DNP-CD: Gary Trent Jr., Nate Ament, Bogoljub Markovic, Caris LeVert

Inactive: Kam Jones, Cormac Ryan, Pete Nance

What We Learnt

Jenkins will lean toward playing the youth, even if it costs him wins and leads to frustrating moments. Good.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• Postgame, Jenkins credited his team’s ability to weather multiple storms in the third, but said their inability to keep the Wizards out of the paint and off the free-throw line was what did them in. Mentioned the backside rotations as a key flaw as well.
• On Burries: “The shots were great, but I thought he was making good reads… Looked very comfortable. I thought he did some good things defensively… He’s got a lot to learn, but this is great for him to get this exposure right out of the gate.”
• As I mentioned, this was a classic game where veterans were playing a rebuilding team, and the refs seemed obliged to call everything in favour of Young and Davis. On one possession, in the bonus, Young “set” a screen (flopped at the slightest bit of contact). The ref saw him on the floor and called it. Really frustrating; you could see the dismay on all the Bucks’ faces.
• I’m both very happy that Gary Trent Jr. didn’t play and incredibly worried that it means something is coming down the pike.
• Milwaukee did a lot right. They won the possession battle (91 attempts to 86), played in transition (16-9 fast break points), and got strong contributions from their bench (45-39). They just couldn’t handle Washington’s size, got destroyed 70-50 in that area, and, obviously, the free throw discrepancy (41-23).

Up Next

The Bucks head back to Milwaukee for their home opener on Friday, which is now at 3:00 p.m. CDT to make way for the World Series. Tune in on My24.

There are a few tricks of the trade you pick up when you write as much as I do. One of them is keeping a thesaurus nearby, a trusty little companion that helps you find different ways to describe situations, emotions, and perspectives. Sometimes you need a better word to properly articulate what you’re trying to say. And as I sit here holding that thesaurus in my hand, flipping through its pages like a desperate man searching for answers, I cannot find a collection of words that adequately expresses the disappointment and frustration I experienced Wednesday night watching the Phoenix Suns open their season.

Every season opener carries a certain magic. There is hope. There is anticipation. After months of speculation, theorizing, and convincing ourselves that certain players will develop and certain decisions will pay off, the rubber finally meets the road. The basketball starts counting. Reality arrives.

On Wednesday night in Portland, reality arrived driving a car and promptly ran over the Phoenix Suns. Apparently, that wasn’t enough. Reality threw the damn thing into reverse and backed over the mangled corpse for good measure. Perhaps it’s appropriate the Suns call The Morg home.

As the regular season began, nearly everything we feared about this team was on full display. The inability to facilitate an offense. The inability to consistently knock down three-pointers. The inability to effectively rebound the basketball. All of those concerns we spent the offseason discussing came screaming back to life, standing in the middle of the Moda Center like some grotesque collection of basketball nightmares.

And the things we hoped would carry this team through those deficiencies? They were nowhere to be found. The energy we expected never materialized. Instead, we watched technical-inciting tantrums. The leadership and composure we believed would help establish an identity evaporated into chaos. The toughness, connectivity, and collective effort that were supposed to define this version of the Suns seemed to disappear the moment the ball went into the air.

I kept searching for the right word to describe it. Frustrating? Disappointing? Pathetic? Somewhere in the English language, there had to be something that captured the magnitude of what we witnessed. And after exhausting the thesaurus, I kept coming back to one word.

Embarrassing.

Now, I understand this was Game 1 of 82. If life and decades of watching the Phoenix Suns have taught us anything, it is that the opening game of a season rarely tells the entire story. There will be adjustments. There will be growth. There will be nights when this team looks considerably better than whatever the hell we witnessed in Portland.

But understanding the importance of perspective doesn’t mean we have to ignore what happened in the moment. We are allowed to react. We are allowed to be frustrated. We are allowed to look at a team that scored 12 points in the first quarter while surrendering 43 and wonder how in God’s name an entire offseason of preparation produced that particular brand of basketball catastrophe.

Eventually, things will settle down. The rotations will stabilize. The offense will find some semblance of rhythm. Hell, we might even score a few points along the way. But Wednesday night made one thing abundantly clear. The hope and belief surrounding this team will have to be earned. Every ounce of it. The Suns spent the offseason talking about culture, toughness, accountability, and fortifying their identity. Those words sounded wonderful in September. They looked considerably less impressive when the lights came on in Portland.

Reality is here now. And reality doesn’t give a damn about your offseason optimism.

Bright Side Baller Standings

Jalen Green’s performance in the preseason finale was enough to earn him his first BSB of the season.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 1 against the Blazers. Here are your nominees:

Devin Booker
23 points (7-of-13, 0-of-0 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, -43 +/-

Jalen Green
10 points (4-of-12, 2-of-6 3PT), 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers, -23 +/-

Dillon Brooks
10 points (4-of-11, 1-of-2 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 turnovers, -29 +/-

Miles Bridges
8 points (3-of-11, 0-of-5 3PT), 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, -35 +/-

Oso Ighodaro
8 points (4-of-7, 0-of-0 3PT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, -7 +/-

Mariah Carey
10 AMA’s, 14 Billboards, 5 Grammys, 34 Grammy nominations, 2 MTV VMAs, 19 World Music Awards

Jordan Goodwin
3 points (1-of-4, 1-of-3 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 turnover, -28 +/-

Let the regular season voting begin…

The NBA never wastes any time getting back to business. The first day of the season gave us the biggest opening night comeback in league history on Tuesday, and Wednesday’s full slate of games included everything that makes this league such a treat to watch, all the way down to LaMelo Ball getting away with the most obvious travel of all-time in his debut for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Wolves beat the Miami Heat, 131-105, in a nationally televised barnburner as both sides debuted new stars. Ball and the Wolves got the win despite Giannis Antetokounmpo going off for 35 points on 11-of-19 shooting in his first game as a member of the Heat. Ball was solid with 21 points and six assists in his debut, and he helped set up teammate Anthony Edwards for a 45-point scoring outburst.

Everything was going so well for the Wolves that the refs even let Ball take about eight steps on a step-back three-pointer. Did LaMelo just forget he needed to dribble? It sure looks like it, but the refs let him get away with it anyway. Watch the play here:

Here’s another look at the play. I’m cracking up.

I usually hate when casual fans harp on uncalled traveling, and then I have to explain the concept of the gather step. Not this time. Ball clearly traveled, but the refs let him do it because the vibes were good, I guess.

The Wolves jacked 50 three-point attempts in their opening night win. Is this team going to great the record for most threes attempted? The 2024-25 Boston Celtics took 48.23 three-point attempts per game, so it’s a high bar to clear. I was very high on the Wolves, ranking them No. 4 overall in my championship rankings coming into the season. This win was encouring for that.

The refs can’t just let players travel like this, because it gives the NBA a bad reputation. This time, the traveling scourges are right. I have no idea how LaMelo got away with this.