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With just under six minutes remaining on Wednesday night, Walker Kessler walked toward the Lakers bench, his jersey drenched in sweat, his left knee bloodied and bruised, his work finished. 

At that moment more than 18,000 fans inside Crypto.com Arena rose to their collective feet to give the new Lakers big man a standing ovation for his spectacular debut in the purple and gold.

Kessler turned the paint into his personal playground in the Lakers season opener, throwing down 10 dunks, scoring 26 points on a perfect 12-for-12 shooting performance in the Lakers dominant 127-105 win over the Golden State Warriors. 

Not bad for a first impression.

And somewhere, back at the “Inside the NBA” studios in Atlanta, Shaquille O’Neal was smiling.

The Lakers legend christened Kessler with a hilarious new nickname during ESPN’s postgame coverage: “Milk Chamberlain.”

Considering the company Kessler joined on Wednesday, it couldn’t have been more appropriate.

The 7-foot-2 center became just the second player in Lakers franchise history to make at least 12 field goals without missing, joining Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 34 points on 14-for-14 shooting in 1969.

His 10 dunks were the most by a Laker since O’Neal himself in 2003, according to ESPN, and reportedly established an NBA play-by-play era record.

But the most frightening development for the rest of the Western Conference wasn’t Kessler’s historic stat line. It was how ridiculously easy the Lakers’ new Big Three made everything look.

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves spent Wednesday treating the rim like a dartboard, tossing alley-oops into Kessler’s general vicinity and watching their new center finish everything in sight.

On one particularly outrageous possession, Doncic wrapped a behind-the-back pass around Draymond Green and delivered it directly into Kessler’s chest beneath the basket. Doncic might as well have put a bow on it. 

“When I was driving he stepped up. When I was doubled he played the pocket,” said Doncic, who finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. “It was a very impressive game from him.”

Kessler added nine rebounds and two blocks, giving the Lakers precisely the interior presence general manager Rob Pelinka envisioned when he surrendered two unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps to acquire him.

That price looked outrageous this summer. Wednesday, it looked like a bargain.

Even Lakers coach JJ Redick acknowledged the significance of the moment.

Luka Magic was on full display in tonight's action!

28 PTS
8 REB
7 AST
3 STL
5 3PM

The Lakers pick up the win at home in their season opener pic.twitter.com/vo7cqoOm7k

— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2026

“He understands what this is and what the pressure that comes with it is, and this is a great opening statement for him,” Redick said.

Teammate Ziaire Williams admitted he occasionally found himself watching in amazement from the corner as Doncic, Reaves and Kessler operated.

For Kessler, the explanation was refreshingly simple.

“I wish I could say it was really difficult, but their court vision is insane,” he said.

WALKER KESSLER WENT 12-12 IN HIS LAKERS DEBUT

He had 10 DUNKS… the most by a Laker since Shaq in 2003! pic.twitter.com/i7KWBrC9f6

— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2026

A day earlier, Kessler spoke about embracing the pressure of playing for one of basketball’s most storied franchises, but on Wednesday evening he admitted he was nervous. 

By night’s end, those nerves had disappeared beneath a thunderous standing ovation.

And now one thing is for certain, the “Snowtime Lakers” era is off to a thunderous start.

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In theory, Collin Sexton is a Laker.

Fans are still waiting for his debut after he was sidelined for the entirety of the preseason. Things seemed to be trending toward Sexton making his debut on Tuesday after he was a full participant in practice on Monday and Tuesday.

Initially, Sexton was listed as questionable for the contest with a calf strain. However, hours before Wednesday’s game, the team downgraded him to out. Head coach JJ Redick spoke to the media pregame and shared more on why Sexton didn’t play.

“No setback,” Redick said. “Collaborative decision with [the] performance [staff]. Everyone [was] involved. I always say this with soft tissue injuries, the athlete has to have confidence and full confidence.”

That last line seems to indicate that perhaps Sexton is not feeling fully healthy enough to return. Perhaps that means there’s still a bit of soreness or perhaps that means he doesn’t feel his conditioning or fitness is up to par after missing so much of the preseason.

However, that’s all speculation. What we know is that, in the past, the Lakers have erred on the side of caution with injuries, particularly with calf strains. It’s an injury that can lead to much worse setbacks, so it’s not necessarily a surprise to see him held out.

Lakers fans are eager to see Sexton’s debut, especially given the state of their backup guards and ballhandlers. But patience will be required before that finally happens.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

LOS ANGELES — Matched up with Luka Doncic, Yaxel Lendeborg, the Warriors’ bold and brash rookie, learned at least one thing in his NBA debut.

“Being in there firsthand, just watching all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect, man,” Lendeborg said after Golden State’s 127-105 season-opening loss to the Lakers. “That was awful.”

The most entertaining part of a blowout loss for the Warriors was undoubtedly Lendeborg’s ongoing back-and-forth with the Lakers’ equally loud-mouthed superstar, whom the 24-year-old rookie said he once “had a lot of respect for him, just watching him. … I’d see him kill people all the time.”

Lendeborg finished with 12 points, four personal fouls and one technical in 29 minutes.

He often drew the defensive matchup with Doncic, who went off for a game-high 28 with nine free throws.

But Lendeborg’s biggest takeaway was all the Slovenian’s extracurriculars that came after the whistle.

“Like, me getting frustrated, it’s not about the foul getting called. It’s about him complaining the entire game,” Lendeborg said. “Then you get the foul called — congratulations, bro — and you talk to me like you did something great? That’s just weak. It kind of threw me off for a while. Because like I said, I had so much respect for him. Gone, man.”

Though Doncic only made it to the line nine times, Lendeborg said it felt like 30. Two of his four infractions came while guarding Doncic.

“He probably had three fouls that wouldn’t be called fouls in any other league in the world,” coach Steve Kerr said. “But it’s the NBA. … It was a frustrating night for him, but a lesson well-learned.”

Doncic mostly kept his talking on the court, merely saying afterward that the Warriors rookie was “talking crazy.” Lendeborg, on the other hand, was happy to get into the nitty gritty.

“I was telling him he sucks. ‘You can’t score on me. You talk and you can’t score on me.’ I said it the whole game,” Lendeborg said. “I said a couple cuss words. That’s why I got the technical. But I was letting him know, because he was laughing and talking all this because of one foul call.”

Lendeborg bit on one of Doncic’s pump fakes midway through the first half, and the two were off and running — their mouths, anyway. Doncic pointed and laughed. Lendeborg responded.

At one point, Lendeborg started putting both his hands behind his back when guarding Doncic.

“I tried my best,” he said. “I still got called.”

The back-and-forth continued for the remainder of the first half, hitting an inflection point after Lendeborg successfully defended Doncic on a step-back 3. He followed him back down the court, yapping all the way, until he was T’d up for the first time in his career.

Doncic returned the favor after banking in a half-court shot at the buzzer going into halftime.

Coach Steve Kerr said it was “kind of ridiculous” that Lendeborg was the only one to draw a technical in the exchange, calling it the “rookie treatment” — but also a “great welcome to the NBA.”

“I loved the back and forth. … They were jawing at each other. I think it was the words Yaxel chose that got him the T,” Kerr said, acknowledging that Doncic “kind of lured him in.”

Lendeborg looked at it differently, despite Doncic’s well-known proclivity for elevating his play when an opponent pokes the bear. The rest of the league will learn he feeds off it, too.

“I feel like it works for me, for sure. On the defensive end I feel like it worked,” Lendeborg said. “I know he has a reputation for that. That’s probably why the half-court shot went in. But I didn’t really see nothing else. I definitely thought that he was gonna do more than that.”

If we learned anything from Lendeborg’s NBA debut, the No. 11 overall pick may be the league’s No. 1 most captivating newcomer, possibly even a spiritual successor to Draymond Green.

Green, of course, loved it.

“Everybody’s gonna be like, ‘Ah, man, he shouldn’t talk to Luka, you should not talk to Luka,’ and I disagree with that s–t one thousand percent,” Green said. “You f–king gonna talk to somebody, you talk until you can’t f–king talk no more. And if he bust your ass, guess what, you play him again three more times and you go back at his ass again. …

“Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, man, the rookie learned his lesson.’ What’d he learn?”

Allow Lendeborg to answer that one.

“I got to see what the NBA’s like, man. A lot of flopping, a lot of foul baiting, a lot of praying to the ref,” Lendeborg said. “Interesting first game, for sure.”

LOS ANGELES — Even the rain that poured over downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday couldn’t have prepared Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg for the storm Luka Dončić wrought upon him in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 127-105 win over the Warriors.

In a game with plenty of highlights for the purple and gold, Luka’s evisceration of the overeager rookie may be what’s remembered most. Lendeborg poked the bear only to be mauled in a second-quarter onslaught, punctuated by a technical foul and a memorable buzzer beater.

“He was talking crazy,” Dončić said of Lendeborg. “I was trying not to talk back this season, not trying to get techs. It was the first time that was not a double tech, because I didn’t say nothing.”

Dončić instead opted to let his game talk. He scored 10 of his 23 first-half points after the chirping began, including a halfcourt heave well before the halftime buzzer sounded. Dončić pointed and smiled at Lendeborg as he regretfully walked to the tunnel.

“Oh yeah, I knew that was going up before it got in my hands,” Dončić added.

LUKA MAGIC ✨

Beyond half-court at the buzzer to extend the Lakers' lead against the Warriors 🍿 pic.twitter.com/RiPZVHk7gg

— ESPN (@espn) October 22, 2026

The Lakers star finished with 28 points and was a team-leading plus-31 in 29 minutes. Lendeborg was a minus-21 with four personal fouls in 28 minutes. Dončić was the eccentric rookie’s defensive assignment in his first NBA game, and, despite the result, he doubled down postgame.

“I had a lot of respect for [Dončić],” Lendeborg said. “Being in there first-hand, just watching all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect, man. That was awful… It kind of threw me off because, like I said, I had so much respect for him. Gone.”

Yaxel Lendeborg on Luka Doncic: “Watching all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect.” pic.twitter.com/X8s5qaKA2n

— Melissa Rohlin (@melissarohlin) October 22, 2026

Lendeborg joins a long list of foes that learned the hard way what happens when they bark at Dončić.

“It was a frustrating night for him, but a lesson well-learned,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

This opening-day feud shouldn’t overshadow the teamwide effort the Lakers displayed, though. Dončić’s threes, Walker Kessler’s dunks, Austin Reaves’ elusive isolation buckets were all complemented by Quentin Grimes’ scoring pop off the ball, Ziaire Williams’ dives to the floor, Jake LaRavia hounding after 50-50 balls. (And, yes, Lendeborg’s chirping.)

Los Angeles outscored the Warriors by at least 12 points when each of them was on the floor. LaRavia and his refined jump shot scored 10 points off the bench on 2-of-3 shooting from the perimeter. Grimes added 10 himself, mostly attacking closeouts as an off-ball guard. Williams had nine points and was a plus-12 in 24 minutes.

The Lakers gave up 33 first-quarter points and proceeded to allow just 35 over the next two quarters. Redick said before opening night that he still wanted to learn how the team responded to adversity. Respond they did.

“I thought we did things that a connected defense [would] do,” Redick said. “The thing that I saw a lot — particularly on the court — was, [during] dead balls, timeouts … those guys were on the court talking and problem-solving together.”

It’s game one of 82. Nights won’t always be this high, but the precedent the Lakers set is a promising sign for a team enduring a new era with serious championship aspirations.

Thanks a lot, Yaxel Lendeborg.

You can follow Connor on Twitter at @cmorenoNBA.

Sacramento Kings rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. made his NBA debut against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on Oct. 21.

The Kings dropped their season-opener against the Clippers in a 121-96 loss. As for Acuff, he struggled in his first-ever NBA game.

He wasn't shy about shot attempts, which is something you might want to see from your No. 7 overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft.

The 19-year-old played 35 minutes in his debut game for the Kings. Here's how performed.

How did Darius Acuff Jr. perform in his NBA debut?

Acuff scored 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. He also had four turnovers. Acuff didn't have the best shooting night as he struggled to find the bucket. Acuff shot 5-for-24 in his rookie debut, shooting 20.8% from the field.

Darius Acuff stats

• Points: 12
• Rebounds: 3
• Assists: 3
• Field goal: 5/24 (20%)
• Steals: 3

Kings vs Clippers highlights

Check out the Sacramento Kings vs the Los Angeles Clippers

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sacramento Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. struggles in NBA debut

Rookie Mikel Brown Jr.’s NBA debut was one of the few Nets bright spots in a season-opening disappointment.

The Nets lost 110-103 to the visiting Hornets, though their lottery pick showed some flashes in his first game.

“Man, I can’t even put it into words, man. It’s great,” Brown said. “At the end of the day, I still wanted to win. That’s the biggest thing when it comes to that stuff. But I was excited to be out there.”

Brown finished with six points, three rebounds and three assists with just one turnover.

After missing the first three preseason games with a rolled left ankle and not suiting up until the finale, Brown was on a minutes limit.

He logged just 19:48 off the bench, after playing 18 minutes in the preseason finale in Miami.

Brown checked with 3:57 left in the first quarter, and scored his first points on a strong drive into Charlotte center Moussa Diabate for an and-one 1:40 later.

He looked fairly composed and comfortable on the ball, but did get sped up at times and shot just 2-of-8. The rookie guard also tried to posterize Hornets big man Naz Reid.

“Yeah, really just got to slow down, pick my spots better. I’ve been talking to Julius [Randle] about it, just trying to slow down. Everything I want is there. It’s just all about me being patient,” Brown said. “And on the defensive end, just keeping that same mentality of not letting the guards touch the paint. There’s a lot of things that I can clean up. But it’s Game 1. We’re going to get better.”

Egor Dëmin started at point guard, but struggled on his drives. While he did touch the paint, unlike last season’s rookie campaign, he was ineffective when he got there.

Brown showed downhill juice, and threw a nice behind-the-back pass to Randle for a 3-pointer.

“He’s going to be great, man. That play was fun,” Randle said. “His vision, I’ve said it from the beginning, but his vision and understanding how to play and make reads off of pick-and-rolls or just make the right play every single time comes really natural to him. So he’s going to be amazing.

“He did great. He did exactly how I’d expect a first-year player to do first game. He was aggressive. I can tell he’s a little sped up at times, but he’s going to continue to get better and better. His future is going to be really, really bright in this league and I put it on myself to try to help him accelerate his growth because he’s going to be a big part of this team and can help us win a lot of games.”

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Nolan Traore had three points on 0-for-4 shooting with no assists, two turnovers and a minus-13.

Mo Wagner was a team-worst minus-15 in 15:49.

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Tyler Bilodeau (right shoulder sprain) was the only Net unavailable.

Kon Knueppel (hamstring strain), Coby White (calf strain) and Grant Williams (hamstring strain) were out for Charlotte.

Yaxel Lendeborg made headlines during his debut NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Was it all for the right or wrong reasons? That’s up to you.

A tall task was given Lendeborg during his first official game at the highest level of professional basketball: guarding one of the league’s best players in Luka Dončić.

Given Dončić’s penchant for trash talk and Lendeborg’s refusal to back down from challenges, two strong personalities would inevitably clash — and clash they did.

Rookie Yax goin’ at Luka 🍿 Yaxel Lendeborg and Luka Doncic got into it during Warriors-Lakers 👀 https://t.co/DRQb9kTVqI

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 22, 2026

Trying to go at one of the league’s preeminent scorers — who, by the way, is infamously fueled by trash talk — is a bold move from the rookie. Although it wasn’t primarily due to Lendeborg’s defense (Gui Santos spent considerable reps on the Slovenian superstar), Dončić did end up scoring 28 points, albeit on an inefficient 7-of-18 from the field. But through the use of his foul-baiting trickery, Dončić did end up going to the line plenty, going a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe, which allowed him to finish with a respectable 63.8% true shooting clip.

The highlight of the Lendeborg-Dončić feud on the court came on a half-court heave to end the first half:

From halfcourt. To end the 1H. This shot from Luka 🤯 https://t.co/K5vM0otMtE

— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2026

Off the court, Lendeborg — known for his blunt postgame quotes with nary a filter applied — was asked about his verbal altercation with Dončić. Suffice to say, he did not mince words:

Yaxel Lendeborg said he “lost all respect” for Luka Doncic after facing him tonight because he said Doncic was “complaining the entire game.” On his interaction with Doncic: “I told him he sucks. He can’t score on me.” Full soundbite https://t.co/1NPctFQ3Vp

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 22, 2026

Might I remind everyone: the Warriors and the Lakers play three more times this regular season. With what happened tonight, the next couple of tilts will be must-watch TV — if only for the continuation of this budding feud.

What was not must-watch TV, however, was the Warriors’ performance, in which they were blown out easily by a Lakers squad led by Dončić and Austin Reaves. Granted, the Warriors were missing approximately $100 million in salary tonight — but they will continue to miss a considerable chunk of their important personnel for a considerable chunk of the regular season.

If this portends the upcoming season, it’ll be a long one, indeed.

Darius Garland, microphone in hand, waited patiently at midcourt to speak before the Clippers tipped off their 2026-27 NBA season against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night at Intuit Dome.

“Clipper Nation, Clipper Nation,” the eighth-year guard said to raucous cheers in Inglewood. “We’ve been working hard all summer, ready to really turn up this year. [We’ll] try to play at the highest level. [I] really appreciate the support from my teammates, coaching staff [and] organization — really appreciate everybody that comes out and … continues to support. We’re gonna be here all year.

“Clipper Nation, let’s go.”

Garland wasted no time giving Clippers fans something to smile about after an offseason of torment and transformation. He started the game shooting five-for-five from the field and three-for-three from deep, scoring 16 points in nine minutes and fueling the Clippers’ 121-96 blowout win over the Kings.

“Darius, I thought, came out and set the tone early, scoring the ball offensively,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “And [in] the second half, just getting everybody else involved, getting guys shots. … He did a good job of really orchestrating that second half.”

Garland led the Clippers with a dominant 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting and four assists.

Darius Garland scores the first three points of the #Clippers’ season👌 pic.twitter.com/G9h16vMNNn

— Joaquin Ruiz (@WalkingRuiz) October 22, 2026

“Shots [were] falling,” Garland chuckled. “The first trey ball went in, and after that, the rim just looked bigger and bigger.”

Perhaps most importantly for the team’s near future, Garland looked comfortable and confident as the Clippers’ alpha, beginning his first full season in Los Angeles after being acquired from Cleveland in a trade for James Harden in February.

“He’s our leader,” Clippers center Brook Lopez said. “Our best player. Everything starts with him. He’s been so great.

Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, meanwhile, did the heavy lifting for Sacramento, with the shooting guard scoring 28 points and the center facilitating the offense with 14 points, eight assists and 18 rebounds.

Kings forward Keegan Murray was scoreless through the first three quarters and was held to just two points. And rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr., whom Sacramento selected No. 7 in the draft out of Arkansas, posted 12 points on an abysmal five-for-24 shooting in his debut.

The Clippers, however, had fun to start the post-Kawhi Leonard era.

Following Garland’s lead, L.A.’s returners, including forward Derrick Jones Jr., guard Kris Dunn and centers Isaiah Jackson and Brook Lopez, were efficient and productive. Jones finished with eight points, five assists, six rebounds and an electric alley-oop slam; Dunn had seven points, seven assists and five rebounds with his usual hard-nosed defense; Jackson had 13 points and five rebounds; and Lopez had 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

“I’m excited, obviously, home opener, great energy,” Lopez said. “But just taking it one game at a time, trying to help my team win.”

The Clippers’ new guys also had the fans’ attention.

Former Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, who signed a three-year deal with the crosstown rival in the offseason, struggled in his Clippers debut and finished with 10 points on three-for-13 shooting.

Ironically, Hachimura’s looking forward to bouncing back against his old team on Friday.

“[Nervous] for what?” he laughed.

Guard Gradey Dick, a piece of the offseason trade that sent Leonard back to Toronto, was far more productive with 12 points.

Then there’s the rookie out of Illinois.

Keaton Wagler, the Clippers’ No. 5 pick in the draft, posted 15 points with five assists and five rebounds off the bench.

“It was definitely chills,” Wagler, 19, said of his regular-season debut. “From the intros, to the first bucket, to the end of the game. The fans were into it. It was live in there. It was a great atmosphere. I love playing here.”

Wagler had an assist on his first touch and converted a savvy layup for his first career points.

Clippers rookie G Keaton Wagler scores the first points of his NBA career 🫰 pic.twitter.com/XNulM76WM7

— Joaquin Ruiz (@WalkingRuiz) October 22, 2026

“It kind of got the nerves out,” Wagler said of his first bucket.

Clippers rookie G Keaton Wagler — who finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists — on his NBA debut and his first NBA points:

“Kind of got the nerves out.” pic.twitter.com/qyYDWAEr56

— Joaquin Ruiz (@WalkingRuiz) October 22, 2026

The Clippers’ highest draft pick since Blake Griffin (No. 1 in 2009), Wagler was comfortable from the jump and gave his new fan base plenty to be hopeful for.

After all, he is the youngest NBA player since LeBron James to score 15 points on 50% shooting with five-plus assists and five-plus rebounds. Wagler also joined Ernie DiGregorio (1973) as the only other Clippers rookie to have at least 15 points and five assists in a season opener.

“He’s been working his butt off, literally,” Garland said. “He’s been in the gym every day.”

Fellow rookie Baba Miller, a forward the Clippers drafted with the No. 36 pick, finished with four points and three rebounds.

Lue — whose first starting lineup featured Garland, Dunn, Jones Jr., Hachimura and Jackson — and the Clippers are in unfamiliar territory without a superstar on the roster and with most outsiders expecting the team’s streak of 15 consecutive plus-.500 campaigns to end.

But as Clippers interim president of basketball operations Trent Redden nervously said on media day, the team works well with its back against the wall.

“Win as many games as we can,” Lue said pregame. “Our goals don’t change. We have our team goals that we don’t wanna discuss outside these walls, but we feel confident, we understand we’re putting the work in.”

Postgame, though, Lue began his news conference by shouting out Steve Ballmer, the Clippers’ governor, who was suspended for a year after the NBA’s salary cap circumvention investigation.

Lue, Lopez and Garland all noted how they’re competing in the house the billionaire built.

“That win was for Mr. Ballmer,” Lue said. “Just want to thank you for everything. We’re still fighting for him.”

Injury updates

The Clippers said guard Bradley Beal (knee), center Yanic Konan Niederhauser (foot) and forwards Brandon Ingram (heel) and Max Strus (foot) are all making progress in their rehab journeys but won’t travel for the team’s first road game on Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

As far as debuts go, in this one with the Miami Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo was exceptional.

He set the record for most points during a debut in franchise history with 35 – a mark previously held by LeBron James.

He set the tone with a 21-point first half on a barrage of downhill drives and finishes at the rim, giving the Heat a legitimate Most Valuable Player candidate they haven’t had since James was on the roster. He played with pace and was practically impossible to guard in transition and in the paint, where he scored a game-high 24 points.

Yet – and it’s essential to point out here that it’s merely one game and that it was always going to take some time for this group to find its potential – the Heat will be in trouble if they cannot do these two things.

Miami bricked 3-pointer after 3-pointer on Wednesday, Oct. 21 in the 131-106 beating it caught in their much-anticipated season opener, which is concerning because this was precisely the weak spot the team was facing headed into the season. The Heat also got torched on defense, especially along the perimeter, which fed into the offensive struggles.

Miami traded away much of its young core and had to scramble during the offseason to add worthy shooters. And on a team with Antetokounmpo as its centerpiece, shooting is a non-negotiable. Antetokounmpo carries so much gravity when he has the ball in his hands, sucking defenders into the paint, which tends to leave players wide open in the perimeter. It’s why Antetokounmpo has averaged at least 5.4 assists per game each of the last 10 seasons.

Yet, Miami made only 8-of-33 attempts (24.2%) from 3-point range. Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jović, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Pelle Larsson – players expected to convert catch-and-shoot looks – combined to go 3-of-20 (15%).

“We didn’t get many good looks,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “(Antetokounmpo) was a force of nature, for sure, doing what he does. But we didn’t look like us offensively.”

In fact, it was so bad for the Heat that Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who dropped 45 on Miami, actually made one more 3-pointer (nine total) than the entire Heat lineup.

Spoelstra went on to say that Miami did “uncharacteristic” things, but he was generous with the good looks comment. A lot of them were with plenty of space. The issue was that role players seemingly still don’t know how to play with Antetokounmpo, with many resorting to standing around, waiting for the ball to come to them.

Compounding the poor shooting was relative disinterest on defense. This is particularly uncharacteristic of Spoelstra and the Heat, who pride themselves on making everything difficult for opponents.

Minnesota shot 46.9% from the field, which is fine – Miami was actually more efficient at 48.1% – but the Timberwolves unloaded from deep, draining 21-of-50 attempts (42%). The edge of converted 3-pointers for the Timberwolves, 13, created a differential of 39 points. Very few teams, if any, will be able to win with that disparity.

The Heat under Spoelstra have usually had their defensive intensity feed offensive rhythm. Spoelstra’s teams do best when they get stops and force turnovers, so they can sprint out into transition. But when having to take the ball out time and time again, that momentum is totally neutralized.

The good news for Antetokounmpo and the Heat is that it’s merely one of 82 and that they now know what they cannot let happen against a team that shoots well.  

For his part, Antetokounmpo chose to start the assessment from within, as he told reporters after the game, simply: “We have to trust what we’re doing.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves spoil Giannis' home debut with Heat

The Dallas Mavericks (0-1) opened the 2026-27 season against the in-state rival Houston Rockets (1-0) on Wednesday night, falling 128-110 at the Toyota Center after one of the worst second quarters you will ever see. The long-awaited return of Kyrie Irving only halfway materialized, as the veteran guard logged just 24 minutes in his first game back from a torn ACL he suffered in March 2025. But for those 24 minutes, Mavs fans got their first look at the dynamic duo of Irving and Cooper Flagg.

Head coach Dusty May made plenty of lineup switches in the early going. In fact, 10 players logged over five minutes each, well before halftime rolled around. The starting five fared well in the opening minutes, but the sample size was small and you have to wonder if the frequency of substitutions didn’t contribute heavily to the lack of rhythm thereafter. It didn’t help that the Rockets are a much more well-rounded team and Dallas is still finding its way. About 20 minutes into the game, this one was over.

Let’s get to the grades!

Kyrie Irving: A-

15 PTS / 4 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 24 MIN

Yes, this grade is intentionally generous. Irving’s numbers didn’t jump off the box score, but this is a guy who hasn’t played in nearly 600 days(!) and who, in limited minutes, arguably played harder than any other Maverick. He drove, he shot (very well; 6-of-9 overall), he absorbed contact and got to the line, he played defense and he even got in amongst the trees for a few rebounds. Certainly not the best game in his Hall-of-Fame career, but against the backdrop of a return from injury, this was nothing short of amazing and a nice welcome back from a very long layoff.

Max Christie: C-

5 PTS / 3 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 29 MIN

Christie is likely to face some slightly harsher grades from me on nights where he camps out at the 3-point line almost exclusively. He’s a great shooter from deep (not tonight; 1-of-7) and needs to be hoisting from beyond the arc, but he’s got to mix it up a bit. Worse than not driving, the one time he did, he made an ill-advised pass underneath to Daniel Gafford rather than taking an open mid-range or finishing at the rim.

Cooper Flagg: A

32 PTS / 5 REB / 2 AST / 3 STL / 1 BLK – 33 MIN

This was a funny game for Flagg. He didn’t shoot well at first, but then jumped his shooting percentage to over 50% at the end of the third quarter (10-of-17 overall for the game). He scored 23 of his game-high 32 points in the second half. Turnovers and fouls were the primary blemishes (four each), but otherwise he picked up where he left off last season, playing beyond his years and putting up a really impressive opening game.

P.J. Washington: C+

10 PTS / 4 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 31 MIN

Washington started hot, played well overall, but ultimately disappeared — not in the sense that he was on the court and did nothing, but rather that he literally didn’t play much late in the game. Overall, he was just fine, but his four turnovers really hurt his grade, and he didn’t leave a meaningful mark on the game.

Daniel Gafford: D

2 PTS / 3 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 2 BLK – 22 MIN

Gafford looked sluggish, as though he was just plodding around somewhat aimlessly. The Mavs got shredded at the rim and rebounded poorly for stretches of the game whether Gafford was sitting or playing. As the only real center on the team, the Mavs needed more from him than logging as many fouls as rebounds (three) before checking out in the first half. Then he added another foul in the second half without another rebound. The starting center had more fouls than rebounds for the game.

Morez Johnson, Jr.: N/A

6 PTS / 3 REB / 1 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 14 MIN

Johnson is not grade-eligible yet simply because there is no real sample size to draw from, but we wanted to include the rookie for his first NBA game. Johnson delivered what you could reasonably expect for a rookie coming off the bench with limited minutes. He shot well enough (3-of-5), grabbed a couple of boards, took care of the ball, and fouled like it was his last chance to ever do it. Did he look like a rookie? Yes. Did he show promise? Also yes. Reasonably solid game for his first true outing.

Marcus Sasser: A

17 PTS / 1 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 23 MIN

Sasser was nothing short of awesome. If he can play like this every night, the Mavs will have gotten a steal for sure. He didn’t pepper every category of the box score, but he microwave scored and looked very comfortable with the ball and running the offense a bit. He made the most of his time and impressed relative to what was likely limited expectations. He was 6-of-8 overall, including 4-of-5 from deep.

Final Thoughts

The Mavericks’ performance in the second quarter will hopefully be the worst quarter they play for many years to come. No hyperbole — it’s very difficult to imagine they could play that badly again anytime soon. This is a new team, experimenting with lineups, on the road against a much more established opponent. There are 81 games yet to come, so flush this one, chalk it up to an ongoing feeling out process and move on. Irving is back, rookies are getting some burn, and a tighter rotation will be established as time goes on.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.

LOS ANGELES – Walker Kessler got a standing ovation from the Crypto.com Arena crowd as he subbed out with six minutes left to go in the Los Angeles Lakers' season-opening 127-105 blowout win over the Golden State Warriors firmly in hand on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Kessler stole the show after wreaking havoc all night in the paint, scoring 26 points on a perfect 12-for-12 shooting performance – 10 of which were dunks, nearly all of which came via alley-oop – to go along with nine rebounds and two blocks in his Laker debut.

Not a bad first impression for a guy who has been vocal about embracing the spotlight and pressure that comes with being a center who wears the purple and gold.

"The energy's great," he told reporters after practice on Tuesday. "I remember being in Utah. Every time we played the Lakers at LA. I was there for Luka’s opening night, and ... it was insane. The fan base is unreal, their energy is great and playing for that, obviously … You can place on yourself a little bit of pressure. But for me, I just look at it as an opportunity to compete for a such a great franchise."

But the biggest surprise from Wednesday night wasn't Kessler's dominant showing, it was how seamlessly the Lakers' new "Big Three" flowed. Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves were throwing it in Kessler's zip code at times and he still was able to come down with it to make a play.

Then, there were unexplainable plays like Dončić wrapping the ball behind his back and slipping it by Draymond Green in the post and right into Kessler's chest as he stood all alone under the hoop. All that was left for him to do was reach up.

LUKA BEHIND-THE-BACK DIME TO KESSLER!

KESSLER'S GOT 18 PTS (9-9 FGM) 💯 pic.twitter.com/NBSCriABxA

— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2026

Rob Pelinka paid a steep price to acquire Kessler this summer – two unprotected first round picks in 2031 and 2033, and first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030. It's still early, but it's already looking like he was worth every penny.

Lakers big three stats vs Warriors

• Luka Dončić: 28 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists
• Austin Reaves: 23 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists
• Walker Kessler: 26 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walker Kessler wreaks havoc on Warriors as Lakers impress in opener

LOS ANGELES — In a season opener to forget, the Warriors were boat-raced out of Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night in a 127-105 loss to the Lakers.

New offense, same old Steph

Any concern that Curry was at less than full strength after tweaking his ankle in an open practice last week should have evaporated by the end of the first quarter, if not earlier. He was just as smooth an operator as ever, even while breaking in a new, five-out offensive system.

Curry finished with 23, including 16 of their first 21 when he took a seat for the first time at the 4:24 mark of the first quarter. The new system did nothing to disrupt his chemistry with Draymond Green, who assisted on three of his first-quarter buckets and dished out eight total.

The Warriors were efficient when Curry was on the floor, but the new system didn’t make up for the playmakers that they continue to lack when he takes a seat on the bench.

The clean, crisp basketball that Steve Kerr strives for was on display as the Warriors kept it within 1 through the first quarter, turning the ball over just once to 10 assists while creating efficient looks to knock down 13 of 24 attempts from the floor.

From the second quarter on, however, it was more of the same sloppy, stuck-in-the-mud offense that too often plagued them last season. They finished 37-for-91 (41%) from the field — just 8-for-36 from 3 (22%) — and still ended up coughing up the rock 16 times for 25 points.

Warriors played big and were still too small

With Kristaps Porzingis out for who knows how long and backup center Charles Bassey also missing with knee tendinitis, the Warriors simply had no answer for Walker Kessler.

The 7-foot-2 center was a regular recipient of lobs from Luka Doncic and mixed in a handful of ferocious putbacks dunks. On his way to finishing a perfect 12-for-12 for 26 points with nine rebounds, both game-highs, Kessler slammed home all his first 11 buckets — the most dunks in one game by a Lakers player since prime Shaquille O’Neal, according to ESPN’s research.

Without Porzingis, the Warriors are going to have to deal with a size disparity at center against more than just the Lakers, and Kerr offered a clue as to his plan to make up for it.

With Brandin Podziemski dealing with low back soreness, De’Anthony Melton took his spot in the starting lineup alongside Curry, Green, Gui Santos and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg.

Kerr made it a point to match Curry and Green’s substitution patterns to keep them on the court together. When they came off, the Warriors went as big as they could:

Brandon Williams was the only guard on the floor with Al Horford, Georges Niang, Santos and Lendeborg. But they were too small and unathletic enough to keep the Lakers in check.

They allowed Los Angeles to score 21 fast-break points, 15 second-chance points and shot 57% from the field.

Lendeborg’s loud introduction

The Warriors should hope that all anybody remembers from opening night is their first-round pick’s moxie to pick a fight with the league’s nastiest trash talker.

Doncic got the last laugh (and a few more), but Lendeborg never backed down. He got into Doncic’s face after getting baited into a shooting foul, and he kept talking all the way down the floor after denying Doncic on a step-back 3-pointer — leading to his first career technical.

Lendeborg’s 6-foot-9 frame and even more sizeable confidence allowed him to fit right in, but there were also painfully clear signs that he was playing his first career NBA game.

No. 1 might have been igniting Doncic, who went off for 28 points while getting to the foul line nine times.

But the film will also show Lendeborg driving into multiple defenders with no clear plan on a couple possessions, a few missed defensive assignments and him looking left and right trying to find where Kessler came from after flying over him for a putback dunk.