Collin Sexton reacts after making a basket against the Clippers in the second half Wednesday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Lakers scoring phenom Luka Doncic missed his first game of the young season with back tightness, leaving a giant hole in their offense with the NBA’s leading scorer (36 points per game) sitting out.
Lakers defensive star Ziaire Williams also missed his first game with left foot soreness, leaving them even more depleted with two starters unable to play.
The Lakers added a lot of depth over the summer in case of injury situations and now it was going to be tested against the Clippers at Intuit Dome.
Collin Sexton is one of the players the Lakers acquired for a moment like Wednesday, and he delivered in a big way, coming off the bench to provide energy and effort in helping the Lakers take a 103-87 victory over the Clippers.
Sexton was at his best in the third quarter, scoring 11 of his 21 points, flexing and pounding his chest after a made basket. His play helped the Lakers open a 22-point lead they never lost.
He was four for five from the field in the third, six for 11 for the game. He was two for three from three-point range in the third, four for seven for the game. He also had four rebounds and two assists.
Quentin Grimes (23 points), Matisse Thybulle (15) and Austin Reaves (16 points) did their part to help the Lakers improve to 4-1.
Doncic and Williams played against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, but they couldn’t go in the back-to-back game.
“Both those guys woke up with some soreness and tightness today — tightness for Luka, soreness for Ziaire,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “We have a tough stretch of games. Not a lot of time between [games so] just being overly cautious.”
The Lakers next play at the Golden State Warriors on Friday, their fourth game in six days.
Redick was asked if Doncic and Williams would be available for that game.
Redick turned to Jarred Vanderbilt, who didn’t play in the first four games, and Jaden Hardy, who played in the first game of the season, to help the shorthanded Lakers in their time of need. Vanderbilt played 21 minutes and had seven rebounds. Hardy played nine minutes and had two points.
“Yeah, I go back to something I said a couple of times already is that every guy’s going to get an opportunity throughout the season,” Redick said. “...Guys that haven’t played are going to get opportunities tonight.”
The Clippers, however, have their own injuries to worry about.
Clippers forward Rui Hachimura (left quad soreness) missed his first game of the season, joining Bradley Beal (right knee injury management), Brandon Ingram (right heel surgery), Jordan Miller (left rotator cuff surgery), Yanic Konan Niederhauser (right lisfranc surgery) and Max Strus (right plantar fascia partial tear) on the injury report.
The Lakers signed center Lawson Lovering to a two-way contract Wednesday and waived two-way forward AK Okereke.
INGLEWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 28: Quentin Grimes #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers plays defense during the game against the LA Clippers on October 28, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Even without Luka Dončić, the Lakers easily handled the Clippers in the Intuit Dome on Wednesday, picking up a 103-87 win.
The Lakers struggled with turnovers themselves, finishing with 21. But their 15 steals and 17 offensive rebounds helped overcome that.
Matisse Thybulle put the Lakers up by four early, as he was the only one to score. Derrick Jones Jr. was the only Clipper to score, draining a triple. The Clippers called a timeout after the purple and gold extended their lead.
Out of the break, Darius Garland converted on a layup.
The Clippers scored seven in a row, led by Jones Jr., to put them in the lead by two. They extended their scoring run to 12-2, as the Lakers continued to struggle offensively. It was a low scoring affair throughout the quarter, as neither team was able to create a lasting lead.
The purple and gold ended the first on a 9-2 scoring run to retake the lead by three.
First quarter: Lakers 25, Clippers 22
Back-to-back steals and transition finishes from Quentin Grimes gave LAL the lead after one. Austin Reaves has 7 points on 2-7 FG. Matisse Thybulle has 6 points. LA already has 5 stocks — half as many as they had all of last night.
Quentin Grimes scored for the Lakers early in the second period. Both teams were having a rough time controlling the ball. The Clippers had eight turnovers and the Lakers had six. Jarred Vanderbilt finally saw playing time and was spearheading a lot of great defense for the Lakers.
The Lakers were now up by three. Reaves was leading the charge with 12 points.
Led by their impressive defensive showing, the purple and gold built a lead of nine. Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili combined for 13 off the bench. Thybulle ignited for six points, draining two triples, pushing his point total to 12.
The Lakers ended the half on a 27-7 scoring run to lead by 18 heading into the half. The purple and gold had three players in double figures, led by Reaves’ 16 points.
The Clippers scored a quick five points to start the third period. The Lakers, meanwhile, started the quarter with multiple turnovers. Grimes fouled Garland while he was shooting from behind the arc and he converted on all three free throws, further extending the Clippers’ early run.
Walker Kessler stopped some of the bleeding for the Lakers with a dunk.
The purple and gold saw their lead shrink to single digits as they struggled to replicate the suffocating defense they showed in the first half. The Lakers were also 1-5 from the field.
Spearheaded by LaRavia, Thybulle and Grimes, the Lakers went on a 10-0 scoring run to go back up by double figures. Sexton went on an insane individual run, scoring 11 straight points to help the Lakers lead by 19 at the end of the third.
The final frame began with a dunk by Baba Miller for the Clippers. Grimes scored on a layup on the other end for the purple and gold. He added another three points, keeping the Lakers up by 19.
It was a continued Laker takeover with the Clippers trying to shave points off the lead, scoring five in a row, but they were still down big with 6:25 left. The Lakers did go on a four-minute scoring drought, but they put the final dagger with back-to-back shot from Grimes and Mamu.
Key Player Stats
Reaves finished with 16 points and five rebounds as he struggled on the night, shooting 6-16 from the field and turning the ball over eight times. Kessler notched 11 points with nine rebounds.
The big scoring nights came from Sexton with 21 points off the bench and Grimes with 23 points as a starter due to the injuries.
Thybulle pitched in with 15 points, shooting 5-6 from the field. Mamu had 13 points with eight rebounds. Jake LaRavia and Vanderbilt did the dirty work, combining for 17 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
The Lakers’ next game will be against the Golden State Warriors on Friday at 7:00 PM PT.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 28: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts to his three-point basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second quarter at Target Center on October 28, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After Saturday’s loss, which moved them to 0-3, I sure didn’t expect the Golden State Warriors to have a decent-looking record anytime soon. They had a brutal schedule facing them, and it seemed likely that they’d return to San Francisco still winless.
Instead, they won the road trip, and head home with a chance to get to .500 on Friday night. Wednesday’s 119-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves was far from perfect, but it was, most importantly, a win. So let’s grade the players who got it done. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Last year, league-average TS was 58.1%.
As I reminder, I grade each player based on my expectations for them. And because of that, Lendeborg is easily the hardest Warrior to grade at the moment. Why? Because I’m simply not sure what my expectations are, or should be!
In just his fifth career game, he had an efficient 26 points and nine rebounds, while playing strong defense on Jonathan Kuminga. If you had told me that before the season started, I would have said it was an easy A at the very least … and probably an A+.
But Lendeborg played so well over the first week of his professional career that the expectations are already beginning to change. On the one hand, it’s unfair to judge him more harshly in just his fifth contest. On the other hand, he’s doing stuff like this, and it’s absolutely altering the equation:
So seen through that lens, we need to address the bad: Lendeborg turned the ball over seven times, and plenty of those turnovers were the type that could — and should — be avoided. He had some breakdowns late in the game, where he got the ball in critical moments and was unable to get off a good shot or make a quick pass. All of his free throws came when the Warriors were trying to ice a small lead, and he only shot 2-for-4 on them.
I don’t say that to criticize Lendeborg. Those are natural learning curves for a rookie who, again, made his professional debut just a week ago. But he’s played so well that the rubric is starting to change, and the grades will reflect that.
Grade: B- Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds.
With Gui Santos a late scratch due to knee tendinitis, Niang got a very rare start. How rare, you ask? It was his 549th career game, and just his 33rd start.
He played well. He defended larger than his frame, and had a nice sequence early in the game where he hit a three on one end, and then quickly stole the ball from Minny. I’m surprised at how much energy and effort he plays with, considering he’s a 33-year old coming off a major injury. Nice to be able to slide him into the starting five, even though I’m sure he’ll be back on the bench soon.
A really excellent defensive game for Green. Two days after having to start at center against Nikola Jokić, he did the same against Rudy Gobert, who finished with just one point, four rebounds, and a game-worst -11. So I’d say mission accomplished for Draymond.
Green’s defensive ability and versatility are once again powering the Warriors, and this was a good game for him from a playmaking standpoint, too. He made some excellent passes, directed the offense all through the game, and took fairly good care of the ball.
He’s not the player he once was, but he’s still damn good, and can be the catalyst on both ends of the court.
Grade: B Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds and assists.
Tasked with spending a decent amount of time on LaMelo Ball, Podziemski had a hard time finding a rhythm with foul trouble. But props to him for not pressing; he was more than comfortable playing a different role in this game, and not being one of the primary scorers. And he did everything else quite well: he was strong on the glass, set up his teammates, kept the ball moving, and made some big defensive plays. Not a great game for Podziemski, but a solid enough one.
Grade: C+ Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in assists.
If anyone had any questions as to whether Steph Curry was still Steph Curry, well … this week has been a pretty firm answer. On Monday, he had 24 points without missing a single shot. And on Wednesday, he casually dropped in 44 points (not to mention eight rebounds and six dimes), and looked completely unstoppable.
Curry took over in the second quarter, when he scored 19 points and helped Golden State take control of the game. From there, he masterfully bounced between shouldering the offensive load, setting up teammates, and serving as gravity to open up the floor for everyone else.
The aggression was a joy to see. Curry wasn’t foul-baiting so much as just being aggressive at all times, and especially when the Warriors were in the bonus.
The chef’s still got it. And between Curry and Lendeborg, you can rest assured that this team will be extremely entertaining this year.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Led the team in points, tied for the team lead in assists, best plus/minus on the team.
It’s still very early in the season and, as a result, Steve Kerr is still trying to figure out his rotations. And so it’s a little bit unclear what Richard’s role is right now. It seemed on Monday that he was out of the rotation, but in this game he was in the opening set of substitutions, just a few minutes into the game, and ended up playing nearly half the contest.
I thought it was a very good defensive game for last year’s second-round pick, and the stat sheet doesn’t accurately reflect how impressive his rebounding was. There were a few occasions in this game where was outnumbered by multiple taller players, and somehow either came down with the board, kicked it to a teammate, or kept the ball alive.
Whatever his role ends up being, the Warriors are better with him on the team.
Grade: B Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
Melton had some huge plays down the stretch in this game, particularly on the defensive end. It seems like he was always in the right place to bother the Wolves, deflect a ball, or keep a play alive. He even blocked a shot with 18 seconds left in the game, when Minny just needed one bucket to get back into the game … ultimately the Timberwolves retained possession of the ball, but that huge defensive play not only kept points off the board, but used up critical time.
It wasn’t the most noteworthy game on offense, but defense and veteran play are what he’s there for. On Wednesday, he delivered.
Just a super solid game for Big Al. He played awesome defense, including on Gobert, a three-time All-Star. He was seemingly always in the right place at the right times, and his hands are so gifted for someone of his size and age. He doesn’t even need to shoot threes to be effective!
And up-and-down game for Williams. Ultimately, the Warriors simply need him to be more efficient than he was in this game. But his ability to attack and make things happen is huge, and the Warriors already rely on it with regularity when they need a bucket. No one else can get to the rim with as much ease as the ultra-speedy Williams. There were times in this game where it really felt like he was saving the entire offense and shifting the momentum. But ultimately, it simply needs to be more efficient, especially since he’s not contributing much elsewhere in most games (though I thought he did in this one).
Payton was jumped in the rotation by Richard for this game, though it may or may not be a long-term thing. He played his usual excellent defense, including a little bit on Ball, and his athleticism was, as always, on display.
Grade: B
Charles Bassey
2 minutes, 0 points, +3
Despite the Warriors being shy on frontcourt bodies right now, it looks as though Bassey is temporarily out of the rotation. Part of that is due to the rebounding and defensive flexibility of Lendeborg, which allows the Warriors to play Green at the five.
Grade: Incomplete
Wednesday’s DNP-CDs:LJ Cryer, Graham Ike, Malevy Leons
Wednesday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, Kristaps Porziņģis, Gui Santos
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 7: Rafael Devers #16 of the San Francisco Giants prepares for the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park on September 7, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Monday, I suggested that the team’s pitching woes were the fifth-most important story of this historically bad 2026 season and yesterday I handed some flowers to Bryce Eldridge and the Giants’ player development pipeline as a meaningful positive story, but today is all about being petty. Yes, I think the third-most important story of this 2026 season was Rafael Devers making all the losers and the haters eat crow, suck it long and suck it hard, and burnish in people’s mind that he is That Dude.
He nearly tied his career high in homers (38) with 37 through 148 games and 633 plate appearances. His 136 wRC+ was exactly what he put up last season between Boston and San Francisco. He has been 36% better than the league average for 3 years now, and his 3.5 fWAR also matches basically what he’s always been: a 3.5-4-WAR player. And that’s basically as a DH and not dreadful first baseman. Despite needing season-ending surgery, he was still the 14th-best hitter in baseball, in the same bunch as Bryce Harper and Riley Greene. He was on a 40-homer pace and finished 9th in MLB with those 37. He was the first Giant in 5 years to have 90+ RBI (he ended the year with 98).
So, I can’t myself among those losers he mashed in the face of. What was I thinking when I wrote this?
[…] Devers is definitely experiencing a physical decline of some sort (he’s not hitting the ball as hard), but the decline from a good player to a practically useless one appears to be entirely self-engineered. It’s unlikely that a 29-year old goes out like this based on aging alone. But, as Buster Posey is fond of saying, baseball is hard.
The situation isn’t hopeless, especially since Devers wound up having a good year after a rough time following the trade last year. It’s just that nothing the Giants have done this year and most of the last decade should give anyone hope for a better future.
Well, okay. There it is. Misery is contagious. Because the Giants had been such a bummer, I simply mapped those vibes onto Devers’ season to that point and on the occasion of the 1-year anniversary of his acquisition: .235/.293/.413, 7.5 BB%, 30.3 K%, 9 HR, 33 RBI (94 wRC+).
And, nope, he was hurt! Not a physical decline! He also had a fantastic post-trade 2025 with the Giants and wound up playing in 163 games. I, and many others across the sport, let a bad start to the year confirm some statistical suspicions. Everyone’s been trying to predict his downfall and all because the Red Sox signed him to a long-term deal and then came to regret it when they viewed his AAV as being too cumbersome to manage under their self-imposed salary cap upon the realization that they needed more money to cover holes they didn’t realize were there.
But I was just a loser. I was never a hater. Just disappointed that this was another Giants move that didn’t seem to be working out in a season that already promised to be extremely painful. These were the haters:
One Year Later, the Rafael Devers Blockbuster Doesn’t Look So Great
The Giants’ Long-Term Contracts Are Becoming A Big Problem
Rafael Devers has already become the worst contract in baseball
Nearly one year after his controversial trade, Rafael Devers is now the 3rd worst player in MLB
Giant problems: How the 2026 season has gone off the rails for Rafael Devers, Buster Posey and San Francisco
The Red Sox made the right move by trading the overrated manchild that is Rafael Devers — It has only been one year, but Rafael Devers is already wearing out his welcome in San Francisco
Inside the Giants’ tailspin: Everything that’s gone wrong since the Rafael Devers trade
Sure, less than a week after the 1-year anniversary there was a major public dispute between he and Tony Vitello which necessitated an apology, but that was a part of the larger story of Tony’s Terrible Start. I never accepted the Boston message that he was a clubhouse cancer, mainly because it was coming from Boston.
Grant Brisbee did a deep dive that offered up a pretty simple explanation:
Devers missed most of spring training, and when he returned, he faced pitchers who threw much harder than when he was a rookie. They pumped fastballs by him at the letters, which has always been the way to pitch him, but he was so concerned with them that he was whiffing on pitches down the middle. Devers wasn’t walking, so pitchers could expand the zone and get him to chase. He couldn’t get in a rhythm.
[…]
I don’t think it’s an accident that the nadir of Devers’ season in terms of OPS was April 30 (.537). It fits with the image of a player taking a deep breath and starting over. April couldn’t hurt him anymore. He immediately started an eight-game hitting streak, and while nothing can really hint at the kind of tear Devers has been on lately, he’s been the same hitter as always, which is pretty good indeed.
The tear he’s referencing is .275/.367/.588 (.955) from May 1st through September 7th. He was the third-best hitter in baseball (159 wRC+), trailing only Pete Crow-Armstrong (177) and Yordan Alvarez (166). When the smoke settled on the season, his average exit velocity of 93 mph was in the top 4% of MLB and his 51.6% Hard Hit rate was top 6%.
Folks, this elite hitter continued to be an elite hitter.
So, why is this such a big story deserving of the #3 spot of this top 5? It changes the narrative for many aspects of the Giants.
They can pull off a big trade — they might have even won it
Power hitters can hit for power at Oracle Park (19 HR, .533 slug at Oracle, 18 HR, .517 slug away)
The Giants’ lineup really was just one big bopper away from being well above average — during this Devers hot streak, the Giants as a team were 10th in MLB (103 wRC+)
Buster Posey is not completely ignorant about running a baseball operation
It’s very important to create some organizational certainty. Knowing that the middle of the order is basically set for the next couple of years is a very good thing. It makes it easier to build a lineup and it takes the pressure off, say, Bryce Eldridge to be the 40-home run guy. Not many lineups have 35-40% better than the league average hitters in them.
“Why don’t we just get good players” is a simple enough idea, but the reason why not every team does it is for the same reason why a lot of firms shy away from the seemingly obvious move: consequences. What if the obvious move doesn’t work out? If it were so obvious a move, why hadn’t somebody done it before? Doesn’t that indicate a huge downside? Well, sure. Devers’ contract could be a huge weight around the team’s next in a few years, but what really compounds it are the Adames and Chapman deals. I think Buster Posey made the move ignoring that for the enormous upside: what if we get one of the best hitters in baseball into our lineup?
The main reason why there was so much blowback from non-Giants fans is because most internet people are trying to get jobs in front offices and the best way to post into that position is to emphasize surplus value. The rest of the noise was Boston media-generated. At the end of the day, if the Giants think 3-4 years of Devers bringing 40+ home run power into Oracle Park is worth the obvious downside of the final 4 years then I don’t really see what the problem is; the Giants might need a flawed profile like him more than the Boston Red Sox, but they probably could’ve used a hitter like him in 2026, when their offense was below league average (99 wRC+).
It’s easy to forget that these professional athletes have a bare minimum of professionalism that gets them into nine-figure deals and they don’t necessarily need revenge as a motivator to rebalance themselves after a stumble — but my goodness, it’s nice to think that Rafael Devers’ season got better exponentially as he silenced his critics one after another with every clout and multi-hit game. The Giants might’ve had a bad season that put them on a course for oblivion, but not Rafael Devers. He had a great one, and if the Giants have nothing else, at least they have him.
Matas Buzelis #14 of the Chicago Bulls loses possession of the ball against Mikal Bridges #25 of the New York Knicks during the second half of a game at the United Center on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois.
CHICAGO — Mikal Bridges was benched for all but three minutes of the second half, as coach Mike Brown rode with streaking reserves Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson and Landry Shamet to beat the Bulls 133-127 on Wednesday.
It represented his shortest appearance as a Knick outside of the two times Bridges was subbed in briefly to maintain his consecutive games played streak.
Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls loses possession of the ball against Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks during the second half at the United Center on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. Getty Images
Part of the reason, according to Brown, was the Kolek-Jalen Brunson backcourt combination was effective.
“We just found a combination we went with,” Brown said. “One of the things [assistant coach] Rick Brunson suggested was throwing Kolek in the game with Jalen. Just to give them a different look and get Jalen off the ball and put Tyler on the floor.
Landry Shamet, who scored 14 points off the bench, goes up for a layup during the Knicks’ 133-127 comeback win over the Bulls on Oct. 28, 2026 in Chicago. NBAE via Getty Images
“Doing that, playing Jordan Clarkson extended minutes, Landry was playing well. Now there’s not much room. And the combination we had out there, we kept playing well. It was harder to go back to what we started with.”
Kolek, Clarkson and Shamet combined for 41 points and 15 assists.
There were a couple of injury scares in the first half Wednesday. False alarms.
Midway through the first quarter, Karl-Anthony Towns had the ball at the elbow and was knocked hard to the court by defender Noa Essengue.
Towns hurt his left hand during the spill and writhed in pain on the United Center hardwood. He went to the locker room but re-emerged quickly with tape on his hand and wrist. Towns finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.
“He was still shooting that thing from 30 feet,” Brown said. “So the wrist looked good to me.”
With 9:26 left in the second quarter, Shamet limped to the locker room after twisting his ankle. He completed a dunk, took a step and clipped his foot on a Bulls defender. Like Towns, Shamet returned quickly.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 28: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts to his three-point basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second quarter at Target Center on October 28, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
10,000-Foot Game Overview
With Anthony Edwards sidelined for an extended period of time, everyone was curious how the rest of the Wolves would respond. And well, it did not get off to the best start.
The hope was maybe that just a slow start as the team was adjusting to their new normal, but then Steph Curry Steph Curried. At one point, he scored 11 straight points in the second quarter and for the rest of the first half, you could hear a pin drop in Target Center as the Wolves went into the locker room down 64-48.
Thankfully, basketball games notoriously feature two halves which would give the Wolves starting group some time to find themselves after a halftime tongue lashing. Unfortunately, things somehow got worse. The Warriors ballooned the lead to 24 before the Wolves’ bench unit, featuring Joan Beringer, TJ Shannon, Jaylen Clark, Bones Hyland and Trey Lyles, brought some needed energy and scoring to help cut the lead down to 12 by the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter turned into a perfect encapsulation of the game: The Wolves missed open looks, got frustrated and fouled (the Warriors were in the bonus by the 8:45 mark). Despite this, the Wolves lingered around. After a furious comeback to get it within four points with 32 seconds remaining, Jaden McDaniels missed back-to-back wide open 3-point looks that proved to be the final dagger as Minnesota dropped to 3-2 on the season.
Two Stats That Defined the Game
1. 44 – Points scored by Steph Curry
The shortest summation of the game is this: The Warriors had their superstar and the Wolves didn’t. It was a throwback performance for Curry who was brilliant on the offensive end, pulling the Wolves defense off-balance like it was on a string. Going a perfect 16 for 16 from the line in a game that ended up in the clutch is why he’s one of the best to ever do it.
2. +11 – Warriors advantage at the free throw line
The Timberwolves committed 29 fouls which led to 37 free throw attempts for Golden State. The fouls were a hallmark of the sloppiness that plagued the game for our favorite team. The foul trouble was especially bad after Steph’s second quarter heater; the team felt especially frenetic trying to chase the future hall-of-famer around screens leading to all kinds of late defensive rotations that the Warriors were able to take advantage of.
Award Ceremony
Big Ticket Award: Joan Beringer and Jaylen Clark
The Big Ticket award goes to Minnesota’s MVP of the game, which meant tonight it had to go to someone in the group that pulled them out of blowout territory in the third quarter. Effort is a skill, and in a game where the Wolves lacked any kind of juice, Beringer and Clark’s shared minutes finally a heartbeat to an otherwise lifeless building.
Beringer outplays Rudy Gobert for the second straight game on his way to seven points on three for three shooting, along with nine boards. The rebounding is not only already an NBA-level skill, but a potential budding elite skill for the young Frenchman.
Jaylen Clark was let off the leash long enough to do Jaylen Clark things, finishing the game with a team high +8. Almost more importantly, he hit one of his two looks from deep. He was Minnesota’s best defender on Curry tonight in his very brief assignment, but he was the only other player (with Jonathan Kuminga) strong enough to slow rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. Would have loved to see Finch give him a longer leash as a reward for the game flipping during his minutes and influx of energy.
“Superstar Lacking” Award: LaMelo Ball
Woof.
Two bad games in a row for the Wolves prized off-season acquisition. From the get-go, Ball was pressing for his offense by hoisting three-pointers on his way to an zero for five start from perimeter. The overall plus/minus (-2) was salvaged a bit by the Wolves’ late run, but his final counting stats leave a lot to be desired. He finished with eight points, four rebounds, eight assists, and six turnovers on a putrid three for 11 shooting mark, including two of eight from deep. In the first game where the Wolves needed him to step up in Ant’s absence, he wasn’t just “not good enough,” he was bad.
Ball is the new head of an offense that just lost its center of gravity, so he deserves time to continue to grow accustomed to his new role and teammates. However, the Western Conference is not going to wait for him to get up to speed, and if he (and the Wolves) take too long, they may find themselves buried much further in the standings than they’d like.
“Kurt Rambis” Award: Chris Finch
This award (an honor bestowed upon less than stellar coaching) is always a hard one to give because a few facts need to precede it:
Chris Finch has forgotten more about basketball than I’ll ever know.
Was it just gameplan discipline for the players? There have been so many games where players have come out afterwards and said something equivalent to “We should have followed what the coaching staff was saying”.
That being said, the levers that Finch was pulling on rotations and matchups felt off all night. Jaden McDaniels had one of his worst defensive performances we might see all season, but part of that was because chasing a smaller and quicker player around screens all night has never been an elite skill for him. Curry used constant screens, tired McDaniels out, and then took advantage of mismatches all night.
A great counter to Curry going on a heater? Hunt him relentlessly on the defensive end. If that was part of the game plan, it was not emphasized.
The only other player that could generate offense for Golden State during the non-Curry minutes was Landeborg. For the majority of those minutes, the Wolves put Trey Lyles on him who was no match for the his strength and athleticism. Matching Kuminga to Landeborg’s minutes, or pulling the Jaylen Clark lever earlier, could have been a great way to force some tougher looks and take advantage of the non-Curry lineups.
Also, Draymond Green is done as a scorer in this league. Would have loved for the Wolves to bring earlier double-teams off him and force him to shoot all night. He botched easy layups all night.
We are only five games in so roles and rotations are all new (especially after losing your superstar), but the Wolves group on the floor felt out of sync all night as Finch scrambled for (mostly) unsuccessful answers.
Empty The Notebook
Gobert didn’t hit a shot for the second straight game and Finchy even called an immediate timeout after Gobert failed to run back in transition to an open shooter. As the 20 minutes played indicates, he was bad tonight.
TJ Shannon was our most reliable player at creating his own offense, but tonight it involved a lot of straight-line drives without much ball movement.
Jonathan Kuminga played… pretty good? He hit three of six shots from beyond the arc on his way to leading the team with 20 points, but his game tonight lacked any huge impact moments that you would have hoped for in this matchup with his former team.
Even after he beats your team, still got to respect the future HOFer
Game Highlights
Up Next
The moment we’ve all been waiting: The start of group play for the NBA Cup! On Friday, October 30th, the Minnesota Timberwolves will aspire to get a victory against the new-look Los Angeles Clippers in Minneapolis. The game tips off at 7:00 PM CT on DAZN-MIN and KARE 11.
Curry tied James at 15 games for 40-point game performances past the age of 35 years old.
Stephen Curry tied LeBron James for 40+ point games past the age of 35 following 44 point performance against the Timberwolves. AP Photo/Abbie ParrStephen Curry ties LeBron James for games with 40+ points past the age 35. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
From the moment the game tipped off, Curry was on fire.
The 38-year-old had 23 points through the first half, and it continued into the second half, as Golden State had a 24-point lead, when he checked out at the 5:01 mark of the third quarter.
Curry also finished 16 of 16 at the free-throw line.
Besides scoring a lot, Curry also had eight rebounds and six assists.
Rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg had his highest-scoring performance, finishing with 26 points, sinking 2 of 5 3-pointers and shooting 55% from the field.
Golden State went up against a Timberwolves team that was without Anthony Edwards, who will miss at least the next two months due to arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
Stephen Curry lined up at the free-throw line in a 44-point performance where he shot 16 of 16 from the free-throw line. NBAE via Getty Images
Luca Evans of The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Steve Kerr said the Warriors “smelled blood in the water.”
After starting the season 0-3, Golden State is starting to find its rhythm and has won two in a row.
The Warriors will take the court again on Friday, when they host the Lakers.
Here's a look at the scenes from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, as the Brewers celebrated that championship after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5:
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Bob Uecker’s presence has remained a big part of the Brewers’ culture since he died last year, and in the franchise’s biggest moment on Wednesday night, Christian Yelich made sure the beloved broadcaster wasn’t forgotten.
“He’s smiling, man,” Yelich said to Ken Rosenthal on the Fox broadcast. “I really wish he could have been here to see this. It would have meant everything to him, but we said a bunch, he’s been with us a lot. We keep him close to our hearts, and this one’s still for Bob and still for Ueck. Ueck, I love you, man, and we did it.”
Christian Yelich (right) celebrates after the Brewers’ 4-1 World Series-clinching win over the Rays in Game 5 on Oct. 28, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Getty Images
Uecker was the voice of the Brewers for 54 years and became a beloved figure among Brewers supporters and baseball fans as a whole.
Uecker died on Jan. 16, 2025, at the age of 90 after a private battle with cancer.
Ahead of the first pitch on Wednesday, fans left beer cans at the Uecker statue, TMJ 4 reported.
Christian Yelich holds the World Series trophy after the Brewers Game 5 win over the Rays. AP
Following the final out, Hall of Famer CC Sabathia paid homage to Uecker in a post on X.
“Bob Uecker smiling down,” wrote Sabathia, who spent the 2008 season in Milwaukee.
During the Game 4 broadcast on Tuesday, Fox play-by-play man Joe Davis paid tribute to the famed Brewers announcer with his home run call on Cooper Pratt’s solo blast in the 12th inning.
Bob Uecker and Christian Yelich celebrate after the Brewers won the Central Division title after beating the Mets on Sept. 26, 2021 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisc. Getty Images
“Hitting a high drive! Deep left field! Get up, get up, gone!” Davis said, emulating Uecker’s signature home run call of “Get up, get up, get outta here, gone!”
“Ueck is obviously a guy that you grew up listening to and was underrated because he was such a comic genius that his ability to master the craft and be an amazing play-by-play announcer didn’t get enough love,” Davis told MLB.com.
“I say that to say I was always studying him and listening to him, and just by osmosis, that stuff is in there.”
DALLAS, TEXAS - OCTOBER 28: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates during the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at American Airlines Center on October 28, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks (3-2) won their third game of the young season on Wednesday, in jaw-dropping fashion over the Oklahoma City Thunder (4-1), 120-96. Cooper Flagg led a balanced Dallas effort with 26 points and eight rebounds. Ajay Mitchell had a game-high 29 in defeat for the Thunder
The opening quarter was a back-and-forth affair between the teams, with neither getting a firm advantage. Flagg came out gunning, scoring 12 in the period, with Kyrie Irving chipping in a pair of 3-pointers. Dallas shot the ball well early, and it allowed the Mavericks to keep pace when the Thunder kept scoring from inside the arc. A late Flagg floater followed by another Irving three gave Dallas a 33-30 lead heading into the second quarter.
Hot shooting from Dallas continued, growing the lead to double digits just four minutes into the frame. The Thunder attempted multiple pushes to eat into the Dallas lead, only to be rebuffed by timely shot-making from Max Christie, Zaccharie Risacher and, yes, even Caleb Martin. A personal 5-0 run from Ajay Mitchell cut the Mavericks’ lead in half with just over three minutes remaining. Following a Dusty May timeout, the teams traded baskets for the rest of the half, and Dallas went into the half up 65-59.
Cold shooting welcomed fans after halftime, with neither time connecting on an actual field goal for the first several possessions of the half . Steadily, Dallas built up a 15-point lead by the 7:30 mark by out-working the Thunder on the offensive glass. Over the next 90 seconds, the Thunder responded with a 7-0 run powered by Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, forcing a Mavericks timeout. Dallas settled in, and Flagg helped the Mavs close out the quarter on a 16-10 run. Dallas took to the final frame, up 94-81.
With Flagg on the bench, Marcus Sasser and Risacher took it upon themselves to drive the Thunder into the ground. Martin’s second 3-ball of the game put Dallas up 17 points early in the fourth, forcing an Oklahoma City timeout. Dallas pushed the lead up 113-93 before the Thunder threw in the towel. The rest of the game was about making it out alive and uninjured.
Dallas wins 120-96.
They’re real, and they’re spectacular
Maybe this subheader will bite me in the ass later. Right now, I don’t care. The Dallas Mavericks are 3-2 and just beat the crap out of the 2025 NBA Champs and 2026 Western Conference finalists. Yeah, the Thunder are injured. So are the Mavericks.
This rocks and I don’t know how else to say it. There might be darker days ahead but the last time the Mavericks were ABOVE .5o0 was March 5th, 2024. That’s a long-ass time.
So right now your mission is simple: enjoy this win. Enjoy the moment. Revel in it with those you enjoy fandom with. Then tell your friends. People left the Mavericks church some time ago. They had good reason to. But joy should be shared and spread and sought. We have it. There will be more. Tell your friends. Let’s go Mavs.
It’s a team effort
Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving were good. A combined 41 points, seven rebounds, and 12 assists. Very good if you’re feeling generous. But were they great?
Not really. And that’s just win. Dallas won by 24 anyway.
Dallas shot under 50% and shot 36% from three. They didn’t win this game on outlier areas. They won because they pushed harder, defended better, and never stopped as a team. If you didn’t watch this game, you missed a play from every person on the roster who saw minutes that came from sheer grit. The every-game Risacher play that leaves me laughing (this time, a block of SGA in transition that was so rude, I loved it). The gaul of Walter Clayton Jr. to attack in transition. I could keep going.
These guys are feeling it right now.
Living in the hustle stats
Dallas nearly tied points in the paint, losing 44-42 after getting killed in the first half (26-14). They won fast-break points 17-0. The Mavericks won second-chance points 18-7.
That is how you win a big game on national television. They controlled and dominated the effort and came away with a big early-season win.
The Brewers are officially World Series champions, and after their magical postseason run, our friends at Breaking T have created a ton of shirts to help you celebrate! You can even get free shipping on orders over $100! Check out the shirts below, and be sure to stock up on your gear today!
Note: Most designs are available in multiple shirt colors/styles. Click the link for each to check availability.
This Milwaukee Brewers team has been defined all season, and especially all postseason, by its resilience. On Tuesday, the Brewers had a chance to sweep the Rays and win their first-ever championship. It didn’t go to plan. Doubts crept in amongst fans. Horrible “what-ifs.”
Luckily for us, we don’t play the games. As they have all postseason, the Brewers immediately bounced back from their Game 4 setback. With their ace on the hill, the Brewers’ pitching staff utterly shut down the Rays’ offense, even if Jacob Misiorowski was doing it differently than he did for most of the season. A rookie on a hot streak, a night after just missing out on creating the most legendary moment in the history of the franchise, picked up a couple more hits and a couple more RBIs and set a major league record in the process. And the on-field leader, Wild Bill, picked up a big hit and a fancy new piece of hardware.
Yes. The Brewers did it. They won the World Series.
In one of the big storylines of the game, Tampa Bay went with their ace, Drew Rasmussen, on just three days rest. He looked good in the first inning, as he struck out Jackson Chourio and Jake Bauers before he got Christian Yelich to ground out. In the bottom of the inning, Misiorowski — pitching to contact tonight, as we have seen through this postseason — got the first two Rays on flyouts before Junior Caminero, after the first of several pauses to work on the mound tonight, extended the inning with a single. Liam Hicks, though, hit a soft little pop fly to Brice Turang at second base, and both pitchers had scoreless first innings.
In the second, Turang scorched a line drive past shortstop Taylor Walls and into the gap for a one-out double. Sal Frelick followed with his second hit-by-pitch of the World Series, which brought up the world’s hottest hitter, Cooper Pratt. Pratt, who got hits in his last four plate appearances on Tuesday, went after the first pitch he saw on Wednesday and lined a single into center, scoring Turang from second. The Rays lucked into the second out when Pratt was thrown out on the bases — pretty excusable, all things considered, as he was aggressively trying to take second on a throw to third, but Caminero made a smart play to get him caught in a rundown. But with that out, the Brewers had Frelick at third with two outs instead of runners on the corners and one out, and Garrett Mitchell struck out to end the inning. The Brewers, though, had an early lead for their ace.
Misiorowski picked up a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the second with three more balls in the air. In the bottom of the inning, Rasmussen matched that when David Hamilton failed to reach first on a bunt-for-hit attempt, Chourio struck out, and Bauers popped out. In the bottom of the third, after a defensive gem from Jake Bauers robbed Ryan Vilade of a hit, Misiorowski walked Yandy Díaz with two outs, though Díaz tweaked his hamstring on a swing and miss during the at-bat and was clearly uncomfortable; he was checked on by the trainer before the end of the at-bat and again at first a couple of pitches later. Díaz was able to stay in the game, and didn’t have to test his leg when Jonathan Aranda flew out to right.
The Brewers again went down in order against Rasmussen in the fourth, but with a near-miss: Turang, with two outs, blasted a ball 412 feet and 105 mph but hit it to straightaway center, where it was caught on the warning track. Caminero led off the bottom of the inning with a warning-track shot of his own, this one down the line to right, but Frelick made the catch. The Rays then put some pressure on Misiorowski for the first time in the game: Hicks was hit by a pitch, and after a Jonny DeLuca strikeout, Chandler Simpson singled to right and advanced to second when Frelick bobbled the ball. That put runners on second and third with two outs, but Misiorowski got Ben Williamson to ground out to third — a play on which Bauers made his second really good defensive play of the night by bailing out Hamilton on a high throw.
Rasmussen, whose workload tonight was always going to be limited given that he was pitching three days after throwing 89 pitches on Saturday, was done after four — he left in position for a loss, but pitched pretty well all things considered. Kevin Kelly was the first man out of the bullpen, and the Brewer offense grew into the game as soon as Rasmussen was out. With one out in the top of the fifth, Pratt picked up another single, his sixth straight hit going back to yesterday’s game, setting a record for a rookie in the World Series. Mitchell followed that by slicing another single into left, putting runners on the corners with one out. That brought up Hamilton, and with the Rays defense drawn in, he knocked a single past Williamson and into right field for a run-scoring single.
Kelly managed to strike out Chourio, and he was then replaced by Garrett Cleavinger, who struck out Bauers to strand Mitchell and Hamilton, but the Brewers’ lead was now 2-0. Misiorowski had an easy bottom of the fifth, and then the Brewers struck again in the top of the sixth. Yelich got things started by taking a Cleavinger sinker to the side, and the Rays chose to leave Cleavinger in the precarious position of facing Contreras with a platoon disadvantage. They should not have let him do that. Contreras hit one deep into the left-field corner that bounced in front of the wall; Yelich scored from first, and Contreras had a double.
Cleavinger then had a matchup advantage against Turang, but Turang won that battle too and singled on a fly ball down the left-field line. Contreras had to hold at third, as it wasn’t immediately clear that Simpson wouldn’t make the catch. Cleavinger was pulled in favor of Tyler Wells, who was able to strike out Frelick for the first out, though Turang stole second base during the at-bat. Pratt, the human flamethrower, was up next, and while he didn’t make it seven straight at-bats with a hit, he did hit a sacrifice fly into foul territory down the right-field line, on which Contreras scored from third. After a Mitchell walk, the Rays moved to Steven Matz, who got Hamilton to fly out to end the inning. But the Brewers now had a cautiously comfortable four-run lead.
Misiorowski was also cruising, as he approached 80 pitches in the bottom of the sixth; aside from the one stressful inning in the fourth, he’d been in control all night despite lacking strikeout stuff. That continued for two outs in the sixth as Aranda grounded out and, for the second time in the game, Caminero flew out to Frelick on the warning track. During Hicks’ at-bat, though, an old foe conquered Misiorowski: leg cramps. After the first pitch to Hicks, Misiorowski pulled up, and after a conversation on the mound, he was removed in favor of JoJo Romero, who finished off Hicks for the third out.
It wasn’t how Misiorowski would’ve liked his night to end, and he surely had eyes on the seventh inning, but he was able to be extremely effective tonight despite just two strikeoutsfor the guy who led the majors in Ks and K/9 this season. He allowed just two hits and walked only one batter, and completed 5 2/3 huge scoreless innings for a team whose bullpen was in somewhat rough shape after Tuesday night’s 12-inning game.
Chourio led off the seventh with a sharp single to center off of Matz, but Bauers hit into a tough-luck double play when a 99-mph ground ball down the line was snagged by Aranda, who stepped on first and then threw to second, where Chourio was tagged out. Yelich flew out to center for the third out.
Romero continued in the bottom of the seventh and struck out DeLuca looking. He should’ve retired Simpson, too, but bad throws continued to plague the Brewers this postseason: Simpson hit a dribbler in front of the plate, but Contreras, when throwing to first, airmailed it. Simpson reached second, and with that, Romero was removed in favor of Abner Uribe. On Uribe’s first pitch, pinch-hitter Richie Palacios hit a harmless ground ball to first. Simpson moved to third, but there were two outs. Another pinch-hitter, Victor Mesa Jr., came to the plate in place of Vilade. Uribe, being careful with Mesa Jr., fell behind 3-0. He worked it back full, and Mesa hit three two-strike foul balls, but on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, he grounded out. The error did not come back to bite them.
Rays closer Bryan Baker was in for the top of the eighth, a night after throwing two innings. Contreras scalded the second pitch of the inning but had nothing to show for it except a 108.5-mph groundout. Baker retired Turang and Frelick with less trouble, and the lead remained 4-0 going to the bottom of the eighth.
The Brewer pitcher in that frame was Trevor Megill. The leadoff hitter Walls made surprisingly good contact on a 2-1 fastball right down the middle and sliced it down the left field line, but Chourio made a great play on which he had to go down to a slide. A pitch later, Díaz hit another ball to the warning track in right — he clearly thought he got a little more of it than he did — and Frelick had it for the second out. After Aranda struck out on a check swing, the inning was over, and the Brewers were three outs away.
Ian Seymour pitched the top of the ninth for the Rays, and for the first time in a long time, Pratt made a routine out. Seymour struck out Mitchell and Hamilton, and the Brewers would have a four-run lead to work with in the bottom of the ninth.
Megill, back out for his second inning of work, got off to a great start by striking out Caminero looking. It looked like he’d have an easy second out, too, when Hicks hit a weak ground ball toward Bauers at first. But the ball hit the base and caromed way off down the right-field line. Hicks ended up at second. Megill got another strikeout against DeLuca, which brought Simpson to the plate. As he has all series, Simpson fought for the Rays and lined a double into right that put the Rays on the board. But the Rays’ rally didn’t go any further: Palacios hit a weak grounder to Turang at second, he calmly threw over to Bauers at first, and the Brewers won the World Series.
This was as comfortable a win as a win like this one is going to feel. The Brewers got out to an early lead and built on it in the middle innings, and their pitching staff — first Misiorowski, followed by Romero, Uribe, and Megill — had the Rays offense on lockdown. Before the fluke Hicks double in the ninth, the Rays had no runs on just two hits, and Milwaukee pitchers had walked only one batter.
On the offensive side, Pratt’s World Series heater extended long enough to get a couple more hits and knock in a couple more runs. Turang hit a big double and scored a big run. Contreras had a big RBI double and also scored a run. In the end, it was Contreras who hoisted the Willie Mays World Series MVP trophy, a fitting end for the guy who not only finished the series with eight hits in 23 at-bats (.381) and four RBIs but led a dominant pitching staff through five games while limiting Tampa Bay’s dangerous running game and doing a shockingly great job with ABS challenges. For the entire postseason, Contreras hit .373/.448/.588 in 13 games with three homers and nine RBIs.
The award belonged to Contreras, but it could easily have gone to Chourio, Pratt, or even Aaron Ashby. Chourio finished the series with 11 hits in 24 at-bats (.458), two doubles, and two RBIs. Pratt, by going 6-for-8 over the last two games, finished 8-for-19 (.421) with a homer, two doubles, and seven RBIs. Ashby didn’t pitch in the clincher, but he capped his historic postseason by allowing just one hit with nine strikeouts in 5 2/3 scoreless innings across three World Series appearances, including a save in Game 2.
For Brewers fans, this was a magical ending to a beautiful season. For those fans who’ve been around since the beginning in 1970, for those who were around to see the last World Series winner in Milwaukee in 1957. For those, like me, who grew up with the dreadful teams of the late 1990s and the early 2000s and didn’t even consider winning the World Series a possibility. For those younger fans who have only known success, but who hadn’t gotten to the top of the mountain. For all Brewers fans! We won the World Series!
Plenty more to come. I don’t think you need me to tell you to soak this one in.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 28: William Contreras #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates while being presented the Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player award after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2026 World Series at Tropicana Field on October 28, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Milwaukee Brewers closed out the Tampa Bay Rays Wednesday night to capture their first World Series championship in franchise history. Catcher William Contreras was named World Series MVP thanks to an all around effort at the plate and behind it.
Contreras hit .381/.435/.429 in the series and drove in four runs. His finest work came behind the plate where he successfully led a dominant pitching performance by the Milwaukee’s pitching staff. This was the first World Series to feature the Automatic Ball-Strike system and Contreras took full advantage. He challenged 12 calls behind the plate and had nine overturned successfully. Zoom out to the entire postseason and Contreras hit .373 with three home runs and was successful on 21 of 32 ABS challenges. Contreras was the 27th player in Major League history to have multiple hits in his first three World Series games. He is the first catcher to earn series MVP honors since Salvador Perez in 2015 for the Kansas City Royals.
The Brewers had several worthy candidates in the MVP discussion. Jackson Chourio was 11-for-24 in the series with three stolen bases and four runs scored. His 11 hits are tied for the second-most all-time in the first five games of a World Series. Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt had hits in six consecutive at-bats which was one hit shy of the record. Pratt had eight hits in the series and drove in seven runs. Aaron Ashby was a workhorse out of the bullpen for Milwaukee for the entire postseason. He made three scoreless appearances in the World Series where he struck out nine in 5 2/3 innings. Ashby didn’t allow a run in 18 postseason innings.
Well the 2026 MLB season came to a close, as the Brewers were crowned champions in dominant fashion over the Rays, complicating the competitive balance narrative as we enter the most consequential CBA negotiation in decades for the sport. The end of the World Series also brings with it the advent of an offseason, as we expect an early flurry of moves ahead of an all-but-certain lockout with an extremely uncertain end-date and outcome. The Braves have some pressure to make some real moves this offseason, so their approach before the lockout will be interesting to track. Keep it right here at Battery Power for coverage of all the news.
Oct 28, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) celebrates his three-point basket in the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers coasted through the first half, fell down by double digits, and then turned it on down the stretch to grab their 17th straight win against the Washington Wizards with a final score of 121-111.
Three stars of the game
First star: Evan Mobley
24 points on 8-of-12 shooting, 12 rebounds, 2 assists
The Cavs ceiling changes if Mobley becomes a consistent and lethal three-point shooter. We saw that in Wednesday’s game as he went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc. This wasn’t just a one-off performance. Through four games, Mobley is 12-for-18 (66.7%) from three.
“There’s a shift in his demeanor,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “There’s a confidence to him now. … The jumper looks quicker to me. It’s not just that he’s making them. I think last year he kind of made threes [when he had] time and space. I feel like this year he’s getting it off quicker. He’s making them with harder contests.”
The Wizards had to change their defense to account for this. They didn’t give him the same time and space in the second half, which allowed the rest of the offense to flourish.
On top of that, Mobley, along with Jarrett Allen, made it difficult for the Wizards to finish inside in the second half. Washington attempted just 13 shots in the paint in the second half after taking 31 there in the first.
This was a solid and complete game from Mobley
Second star: Peyton Watson
22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
This was the first time we got a real taste of how helpful Watson can be for Cleveland. He was impactful attacking off the dribble, and more importantly, in creating out of the short roll when running pick-and-rolls with the starting backcourt. That was incredibly useful considering how the Wizards — and most of the other teams before them — were trapping Cleveland’s guards on high pick-and-rolls.
“I loved the offensive part,” Atkinson said. “Getting in the pocket, making plays, driving [against] mismatches. He goes hard to the rim.
Watson also made a difference as an offensive rebounder by creating five extra chances. Three of those opportunities directly led to points. Atkinson has consistently talked about wanting his team to do a better job on the offensive glass. Watson may be the answer here with his height and athleticism.
Watson has a well-rounded and intriguing skill set that the Cavs are still figuring out how to best use. The early results are interesting. Watson provides a different dimension to how this team can play. It’ll be interesting to see how the Cavs fine-tune his role as the season progresses.
Sarr was helpful for Washington on both ends. Offensively, he picked his spots well and finished looks that Trae Young and Kyshawn George created for him. Defensively, he had active hands in passing lanes and deterred shots at the rim. It was a solid game for a young player that is steadily coming into his own.
Harden had a tough time finding a scoring rhythm. He led the Cavs in shots (18) but completed just 27.8% of them. This included missing a couple of point-blank floaters he normally converts.
It’s unfair to blame Cleveland’s poor defensive start on one person, but Harden left a lot to be desired on that end in the first half. He lost his assignment repeatedly off-ball in the first half, which led to easy baskets.
To his credit, Harden was good down the stretch. He got the Cavs into their offense and protected the ball in the second half. It wasn’t an outright awful game — just one where he could’ve been better.
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Wednesday’s performance wasn’t as noteworthy as his debut earlier this week, but it was a strong showing nonetheless.
Thomas has found a nice balance on the defensive end. He’s not afraid to jump passing lanes and force the action, but this hasn’t come at the expense of losing his man or being out of position. It’s not uncommon for a rookie to be an active defender; it is uncommon for them to consistently be in the right place when they’re away from the play. So far, Thomas’s defensive positioning has been impressive.
Offensively, he did a good job of slotting into more of an off-ball role. He was helpful attacking in transition and provided some scoring punch in the half-court.
At this point, there isn’t a strong case for either Craig Porter Jr. or Tyrese Proctor getting minutes over Thomas. The rookie just adds too much as an offensive threat and active defender.
“We found a guy that can really help us,” Atkinson said.
The Cavs are at their best when they’re regularly turning defense into easy opportunities the other end. That was a hallmark of the 2024-25 regular-season team that turned in 64 wins.
We haven’t consistently seen that version of this team through four games, but little moments like this serve as a reminder that they may still get there.
Quote of the day
“The first few went in, so I just kept shooting them.”
– Evan Mobley on going 5-for-6 from three
Stat of the game
The Cavs won the offensive rebounding battle 15-5, which led to them outscoring Washington 19-8 in second-chance points.
The Cavs thoroughly controlled the glass and the overall possession battle. They outrebounded Washington 58-33. Cleveland won’t lose many games when they rebound like this.
What this game will be remembered for Mobley’s breakout three-point performance
A hot shooting week doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. The high variance of the shot can lead to drastic results in small sample sizes. This, however, tends to even out over time. From that perspective, Mobley hitting 11 of his last 14 threes might now mean much.
At the same time, everything about the Cavs changes if he can develop a more consistent outside shot. Only time will tell whether this start is real.
“We’re going to be really hard to stop,” Atkinson said when asked about how Mobley’s shooting can transform the offense. “If he can do that, hit threes and still be the great defender that he is and should be, then that could be our next jump.”
