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The Utah Jazz fall to the Houston Rockets 125-118 for their twelfth loss of the season, and second NBA Cup game loss.

The Jazz got off to a solid start in the first quarter with respectable defense and ball movement. Although no one could stop Alpren Sengun, who was getting everything he wanted all night long (including every foul call), Jaxon Hayes and Mo Bamba punished his poor drop coverage on the other end by catching lobs.

After the first quarter, the game was tied up at 27 a piece. Jaxon Hayes came out of the game with an injury (the Jazz can’t catch a break with the frontcourt injuries!). Like every other game this season, the bench came in and immediately started turning the ball over and giving up easy baskets, putting the Jazz in a 10-point deficit going into the second half.

Then it got exciting. Darryn Peterson and Keyonte George took over the game, attacking the rim, spraying out the 3-point shooters, and getting stops on the other end. Ace Bailey was hitting his 3s, Keyonte had an amazing 4-point play, and Darryn was controling the game and getting any shot he wanted. Before long, the 10-point deficit became a 10-point lead. Utah’s offense was looking as good as it had all season. Darryn Peterson scored 12 points in the first 6 minutes of the third quarter.

But apparently Will Hardy wanted to change things. Enter: Isaiah Collier and Brice Sensabaugh. Instead of going with what was clearly working, Isaiah Collier pounded the air out of the ball as the lead was erased almost as quickly as it was built.

It was about to get ugly again, but Keyonte George came alive, scoring 23 points in the second half. He was aggressive, attacking the basket and creating contact, but the refs decided only the Rockets were allowed to shoot free throws this game.

Bamba wasn’t doing anything to stop Sengun, who scored pretty much every time he touched the basketball within 15 feet of the rim. Tony Bradley also played 12 minutes, but didn’t do much to stop him either.

However, despite the bench, the refs, and Sengun, the Jazz were still in it. After a beautiful jumper at the elbow from Peterson, the Jazz were down one with 2:40 to go. Amen Thompson scored to put Houston up three, and Keyonte had a terrible turnover, trying to dump the ball down to Bamba. After George’s turnover, Sensabaugh bricked an offbalance lay, and Sengun scored on the other end.

With 11 seconds left in the game, the Jazz were down 5. Any reasonable person would have assumed a play would be drawn up for Darryn to score. But no. Not only did that not happen, but he was benched for none of than Svi Mykhailiuk.

Sensabaugh got the ball and did nothing other than jump out of bounds and try to get a foul call.

And that was the game.

Another heartbreaking loss in a very winnable game. The bench is horrendous and Will Hardy continues to make mind boggling decisions with the game on the line. Why did we tank all year for Peterson if we are just going to play Brice and Svi at the end of games!?!?

The young core of the Jazz played great, but it wasn’t enough. Keyonte, Ace, and Darryn have very bright futures.

Alpren Sengun had 43 points and 12 rebounds.

Kevin Durant did what he does, scoring 22 points without hardly breaking a sweat.

Darryn Peterson finished with 28 points and 7 rebounds for his fifth straight 20-point game. This season has been rough, but at least we have Darryn Peterson.

The Utah Jazz fall to the Houston Rockets 125-118 for their twelfth loss of the season, and second NBA Cup game loss.

The Jazz got off to a solid start in the first quarter with respectable defense and ball movement. Although no one could stop Alpren Sengun, who was getting everything he wanted all night long (including every foul call), Jaxon Hayes and Mo Bamba punished his poor drop coverage on the other end by catching lobs.

After the first quarter, the game was tied up at 27 a piece. Jaxon Hayes came out of the game with an injury (the Jazz can’t catch a break with the frontcourt injuries!). Like every other game this season, the bench came in and immediately started turning the ball over and giving up easy baskets, putting the Jazz in a 10-point deficit going into the second half.

Then it got exciting. Darryn Peterson and Keyonte George took over the game, attacking the rim, spraying out the 3-point shooters, and getting stops on the other end. Ace Bailey was hitting his 3s, Keyonte had an amazing 4-point play, and Darryn was controling the game and getting any shot he wanted. Before long, the 10-point deficit became a 10-point lead. Utah’s offense was looking as good as it had all season. Darryn Peterson scored 12 points in the first 6 minutes of the third quarter.

But apparently Will Hardy wanted to change things. Enter: Isaiah Collier and Brice Sensabaugh. Instead of going with what was clearly working, Isaiah Collier pounded the air out of the ball as the lead was erased almost as quickly as it was built.

It was about to get ugly again, but Keyonte George came alive, scoring 23 points in the second half. He was aggressive, attacking the basket and creating contact, but the refs decided only the Rockets were allowed to shoot free throws this game.

Bamba wasn’t doing anything to stop Sengun, who scored pretty much every time he touched the basketball within 15 feet of the rim. Tony Bradley also played 12 minutes, but didn’t do much to stop him either.

However, despite the bench, the refs, and Sengun, the Jazz were still in it. After a beautiful jumper at the elbow from Peterson, the Jazz were down one with 2:40 to go. Amen Thompson scored to put Houston up three, and Keyonte had a terrible turnover, trying to dump the ball down to Bamba. After George’s turnover, Sensabaugh bricked an offbalance lay, and Sengun scored on the other end.

With 11 seconds left in the game, the Jazz were down 5. Any reasonable person would have assumed a play would be drawn up for Darryn to score. But no. Not only did that not happen, but he was benched for none of than Svi Mykhailiuk.

Sensabaugh got the ball and did nothing other than jump out of bounds and try to get a foul call.

And that was the game.

Another heartbreaking loss in a very winnable game. The bench is horrendous and Will Hardy continues to make mind boggling decisions with the game on the line. Why did we tank all year for Peterson if we are just going to play Brice and Svi at the end of games!?!?

The young core of the Jazz played great, but it wasn’t enough. Keyonte, Ace, and Darryn have very bright futures.

Alpren Sengun had 43 points and 12 rebounds.

Kevin Durant did what he does, scoring 22 points without hardly breaking a sweat.

Darryn Peterson finished with 28 points and 7 rebounds for his fifth straight 20-point game. This season has been rough, but at least we have Darryn Peterson.

The Miami Heat know a thing or two about dynamic duos.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo each scored 37 points in a 133-121 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, Nov. 13. Antetokounmpo added nine rebounds and Adebayo notched 14 boards for a double-double in the NBA Cup matchup at the Kaseya Center.

According to the NBA, the two stars join LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as the only other duo in franchise history to score more than 35 points each in the same game.

James and Wade did so twice after James joined Wade on the Heat via "The Decision" in 2010. On March 14, 2012, Wade scored 36 points and James added 35 in a loss to the Chicago Bulls. They also reached the mark on Feb. 26, 2013 when James had 40 points and Wade tossed in 39 in a double-overtime win over the Sacramento Kings. The two won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.

On Friday, Davion Mitchell added 22 points and 17 assists for Miami in the winning effort. Mitchell's 17 assists matched his career high.

DAVION MITCHELL TIED HIS CAREER-HIGH WITH 17 ASSISTS 🤯

🏀 22 PTS
🏀 17 AST
🏀 @MiamiHEAT East Group B win pic.twitter.com/skrptzMyxQ

— NBA (@NBA) November 14, 2026

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 25 points, seven assists and four rebounds.

This is Antetokounmpo's first season in Miami after a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Bucks that included Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakučionis. The No. 15 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft spent his entire career up to this point with the Bucks and decided he wanted a fresh start. He won two league MVPs, was named an All-Star 10 times and won the 2021 NBA Finals in Milwaukee, when he was named Finals MVP.

He will face his former team for the first time on Nov. 18 when the Heat host "A Night in Vice City" to promote the highly-anticipated "Grand Theft Auto 6" video game.

Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game this season. Adebayo, who is in his 10th NBA season, all with the Heat, is posting 17.8 points, 8.4 boards, 3.3 assists and a career-high 2.2 steals per outing so far this year. In March, he scored 83 points in a game, the second-most in NBA history.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giannis, Bam join LeBron, Wade in exclusive Miami Heat club

Friday was always going to be an incredibly difficult game for the Golden State Warriors. They were on the road, taking on a San Antonio Spurs team that had won 10 consecutive games. Just on strength of opponent, it was the hardest game of the year for the Dubs.

And then “hard” turned into “impossible” when Steph Curry was injured during Wednesday’s loss to the Houston Rockets. With Curry sidelined, the Warriors were, essentially, without hope in this game.

Still, about once a year the Warriors — like most teams — are good for a shocking upset bid when undermanned. Could this be the night where they’re competitive against all odds?

It only took a few possessions for the answer to be an emphatic “no.” Steve Kerr opted for a small starting lineup — De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Draymond Green — hoping to outrun a team that they would be catastrophically undersized against, regardless of who they started.

And boy howdy, that — like everything the team tried — did not work. The opening possessions went exactly the way you would expect: the Warriors could not find an inch of space, while the Spurs broke them down. It felt like a team of seven-footers was playing a team of five-footers … it seemed like every Warriors pass was deflected, and every shot was blocked or contested. In the time it took you to figure out how to get this Prime Video game on your TV, San Antonio had taken a 7-0 lead.

They were getting everything they wanted on offense, using the gravity and playmaking of Victor Wembanyama to fully break down a helpless Warriors defense. Kerr called his first timeout less than three minutes into the game, with the Spurs leading 12-0. That timeout helped Golden State’s defense a tiny bit, but it did nothing for their offense. 12-0 became 14-0 became 16-0 became 18-0, the best start to a game in San Antonio’s history.

Finally, more than halfway through the quarter, the Warriors — who started the game 0-for-11 from the field — got on the board, when Gui Santos absorbed some contact for a tough and-one.

But even that play was emblematic of the struggles, as Santos missed the free throw, and just a few seconds later, the Spurs converted it into a three.

Santos’ bucket did not break any dam. Offense was still borderline impossible for the Dubs to come by, though they finally found a few buckets when Wembanyama took a rest. San Antonio’s offense, on the other hand, didn’t change at all with their superstar sidelined, as Stephon Castle took it upon him to thoroughly feast on Warriors defenders. That, combined with the Spurs making it rain from deep, led to a 38-14 San Antonio advantage after the first quarter. With no Curry, it was clear that the game was already over.

Golden State played much better defense in the second quarter, and the Spurs’ offense got a little discombobulated. But that did nothing for the Warriors’ offense, which was still stuck on life support. Every bucket was hard to come by — though LJ Cryer had some nice bursts to give fans something to cheer for — and Golden State could do nothing to cut into the deficit. A bad foul on a De’Aaron Fox three with less than a second remaining punctuated an awful half, and the Spurs went to the locker rooms leading 66-33.

The Warriors opened the third quarter with a pair of threes, and then, for all intents and purposes, they walked off the court and called it a night. San Antonio was taller, longer, stronger, more athletic, faster, and happy to flex all of those advantages in every area of the game. The second half was window dressing, and the Spurs weren’t even incentivized to take their foot off the gas, since it was an NBA Cup game, and thus, point differential mattered. The lead ballooned to 43 points for the Spurs, before coming back to an ever-so-slightly less-disrespectful 38 by the final buzzer, with San Antonio winning 123-85.

Cryer was the Warriors’ lone bright spot, as he scored a career-high 20 points with six assists (and no turnovers!), while shooting 6-for-11 from three-point range. Charles Bassey, who had 11 points and five rebounds, was the only other Golden State player in double figures.

With Curry out, the Dubs are going to rely on Lendeborg and Podziemski to carry the offense, but neither could do so against the ranginess of San Antonio’s excellent defense. Lendeborg had far and away the worst game of his young career, as he shot 1-for-13 from the field for three points, seven rebounds, one assist, and three turnovers. Podz wasn’t much better, as he had eight points on 2-for-10 shooting. As a team, the Warriors shot a paltry 33.3% (31-for-93) from the field. The Spurs’ length gave the Dubs fits, as they shot significantly worse inside the arc than beyond it … they shot 15-for-41 (36.6%) on threes, but just 16-for-52 (30.8%) on twos, while only earning 11 free throws.

Castle led San Antonio with a brilliant game, finishing with 32 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Wembanyama only played 21 minutes, but that was enough for him to have 12 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, one steal, and two blocks.

The Dubs now get the weekend off, before facing the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.

Friday was always going to be an incredibly difficult game for the Golden State Warriors. They were on the road, taking on a San Antonio Spurs team that had won 10 consecutive games. Just on strength of opponent, it was the hardest game of the year for the Dubs.

And then “hard” turned into “impossible” when Steph Curry was injured during Wednesday’s loss to the Houston Rockets. With Curry sidelined, the Warriors were, essentially, without hope in this game.

Still, about once a year the Warriors — like most teams — are good for a shocking upset bid when undermanned. Could this be the night where they’re competitive against all odds?

It only took a few possessions for the answer to be an emphatic “no.” Steve Kerr opted for a small starting lineup — De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Draymond Green — hoping to outrun a team that they would be catastrophically undersized against, regardless of who they started.

And boy howdy, that — like everything the team tried — did not work. The opening possessions went exactly the way you would expect: the Warriors could not find an inch of space, while the Spurs broke them down. It felt like a team of seven-footers was playing a team of five-footers … it seemed like every Warriors pass was deflected, and every shot was blocked or contested. In the time it took you to figure out how to get this Prime Video game on your TV, San Antonio had taken a 7-0 lead.

They were getting everything they wanted on offense, using the gravity and playmaking of Victor Wembanyama to fully break down a helpless Warriors defense. Kerr called his first timeout less than three minutes into the game, with the Spurs leading 12-0. That timeout helped Golden State’s defense a tiny bit, but it did nothing for their offense. 12-0 became 14-0 became 16-0 became 18-0, the best start to a game in San Antonio’s history.

Finally, more than halfway through the quarter, the Warriors — who started the game 0-for-11 from the field — got on the board, when Gui Santos absorbed some contact for a tough and-one.

But even that play was emblematic of the struggles, as Santos missed the free throw, and just a few seconds later, the Spurs converted it into a three.

Santos’ bucket did not break any dam. Offense was still borderline impossible for the Dubs to come by, though they finally found a few buckets when Wembanyama took a rest. San Antonio’s offense, on the other hand, didn’t change at all with their superstar sidelined, as Stephon Castle took it upon him to thoroughly feast on Warriors defenders. That, combined with the Spurs making it rain from deep, led to a 38-14 San Antonio advantage after the first quarter. With no Curry, it was clear that the game was already over.

Golden State played much better defense in the second quarter, and the Spurs’ offense got a little discombobulated. But that did nothing for the Warriors’ offense, which was still stuck on life support. Every bucket was hard to come by — though LJ Cryer had some nice bursts to give fans something to cheer for — and Golden State could do nothing to cut into the deficit. A bad foul on a De’Aaron Fox three with less than a second remaining punctuated an awful half, and the Spurs went to the locker rooms leading 66-33.

The Warriors opened the third quarter with a pair of threes, and then, for all intents and purposes, they walked off the court and called it a night. San Antonio was taller, longer, stronger, more athletic, faster, and happy to flex all of those advantages in every area of the game. The second half was window dressing, and the Spurs weren’t even incentivized to take their foot off the gas, since it was an NBA Cup game, and thus, point differential mattered. The lead ballooned to 43 points for the Spurs, before coming back to an ever-so-slightly less-disrespectful 38 by the final buzzer, with San Antonio winning 123-85.

Cryer was the Warriors’ lone bright spot, as he scored a career-high 20 points with six assists (and no turnovers!), while shooting 6-for-11 from three-point range. Charles Bassey, who had 11 points and five rebounds, was the only other Golden State player in double figures.

With Curry out, the Dubs are going to rely on Lendeborg and Podziemski to carry the offense, but neither could do so against the ranginess of San Antonio’s excellent defense. Lendeborg had far and away the worst game of his young career, as he shot 1-for-13 from the field for three points, seven rebounds, one assist, and three turnovers. Podz wasn’t much better, as he had eight points on 2-for-10 shooting. As a team, the Warriors shot a paltry 33.3% (31-for-93) from the field. The Spurs’ length gave the Dubs fits, as they shot significantly worse inside the arc than beyond it … they shot 15-for-41 (36.6%) on threes, but just 16-for-52 (30.8%) on twos, while only earning 11 free throws.

Castle led San Antonio with a brilliant game, finishing with 32 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Wembanyama only played 21 minutes, but that was enough for him to have 12 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, one steal, and two blocks.

The Dubs now get the weekend off, before facing the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Day’Ron Sharpe is making the jump from backup bruiser to full-time starter and complete player. 

And so far, the transition has been going well. 

Sharpe has an impressive plus-16.7 net rating swing for Brooklyn entering Saturday’s game in Memphis. Essentially meaning they are an aggregate 16.7 points per 100 possessions better — offensively and defensively — with the big man on the floor. 

That’s the fourth-best rating in the entire league among all qualified centers. 

“Yeah, he’s embracing the new role, and he’s adjusting,” Nets coach Jordi Fernández said of Sharpe. “He’s adjusting with playing bigger minutes. … It comes with, its a lot. And I think he’s doing a great job. He is being very diligent with his routine, his body, taking care of himself, his treatment, what he eats. And right now, you can see that he can perform in longer stints and for more minutes. 

“So, very proud of him, and I think he’s impacting the group also. We’re playing well and, at times, very well because of him. And what he brings, like yesterday or two days ago, he had huge winning plays at the rim and verticalities and then his passing, rebounding so forth. So I’m very happy and he’s got to keep taking steps, keep working.” 

Over Sharpe’s last six games, he’s averaged 9.5 points, seven rebounds and 6.5 assists to just 2.2 turnovers — almost a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio — as he’s unlocked his playmaking in dribble handoffs DHOs with Michael Porter Jr. His four straight games with at least five assists are a Nets franchise record for a center. 

But more importantly, Sharpe — always a powerful rebounder in shorter stints — has provided rim protection, with his career-high tying four blocks in New Orleans giving him 10 over his last five games. 

“I’d just say for me, just trusting the work that I always preach, just being patient when I get the ball and just playing hard usual, just trying to make as many winning plays as I can,” said Sharpe. “Like I said before the season started, I feel like I’m trying to be one of the best when it comes to the small details of the game. Extra plays, saving plays, it’s all about the position game to me. So as many possessions as I can help our team win, that’s what matters.” 

Point guard Nolan Traore (right calf soreness) is listed as questionable for Saturday at the Grizzlies after missing the win in New Orleans. Rookie Mikel Brown Jr. is questionable with the illness that also cost him the last game. 

“Nolan just practiced with the group; see how he feels after,” said Fernández. “And then Mikel hasn’t practiced, he’s not here. See how he feels (Saturday).” 

Point guard Ben Saraf was not called up. He’s still on G-League assignment along with Joshua Jefferson, Tyler Bilodeau and Grant Nelson.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Day’Ron Sharpe is making the jump from backup bruiser to full-time starter and complete player. 

And so far, the transition has been going well. 

Sharpe has an impressive plus-16.7 net rating swing for Brooklyn entering Saturday’s game in Memphis. Essentially meaning they are an aggregate 16.7 points per 100 possessions better — offensively and defensively — with the big man on the floor. 

That’s the fourth-best rating in the entire league among all qualified centers. 

“Yeah, he’s embracing the new role, and he’s adjusting,” Nets coach Jordi Fernández said of Sharpe. “He’s adjusting with playing bigger minutes. … It comes with, its a lot. And I think he’s doing a great job. He is being very diligent with his routine, his body, taking care of himself, his treatment, what he eats. And right now, you can see that he can perform in longer stints and for more minutes. 

“So, very proud of him, and I think he’s impacting the group also. We’re playing well and, at times, very well because of him. And what he brings, like yesterday or two days ago, he had huge winning plays at the rim and verticalities and then his passing, rebounding so forth. So I’m very happy and he’s got to keep taking steps, keep working.” 

Over Sharpe’s last six games, he’s averaged 9.5 points, seven rebounds and 6.5 assists to just 2.2 turnovers — almost a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio — as he’s unlocked his playmaking in dribble handoffs DHOs with Michael Porter Jr. His four straight games with at least five assists are a Nets franchise record for a center. 

But more importantly, Sharpe — always a powerful rebounder in shorter stints — has provided rim protection, with his career-high tying four blocks in New Orleans giving him 10 over his last five games. 

“I’d just say for me, just trusting the work that I always preach, just being patient when I get the ball and just playing hard usual, just trying to make as many winning plays as I can,” said Sharpe. “Like I said before the season started, I feel like I’m trying to be one of the best when it comes to the small details of the game. Extra plays, saving plays, it’s all about the position game to me. So as many possessions as I can help our team win, that’s what matters.” 

Point guard Nolan Traore (right calf soreness) is listed as questionable for Saturday at the Grizzlies after missing the win in New Orleans. Rookie Mikel Brown Jr. is questionable with the illness that also cost him the last game. 

“Nolan just practiced with the group; see how he feels after,” said Fernández. “And then Mikel hasn’t practiced, he’s not here. See how he feels (Saturday).” 

Point guard Ben Saraf was not called up. He’s still on G-League assignment along with Joshua Jefferson, Tyler Bilodeau and Grant Nelson.

The Spurs blew out the Warriors in the most lopsided game of the year. Without the services of Steph Curry, Golden State had to depend on super rookie Yaxel Lendeborg to provide firepower, and Spurs defense simply shut him down, holding him to 3 points on 1-13 shooting. Two way player LJ Cryer led the scoring for the visitors with 20.

The entire roster got into the action as Luke Kornet had one of his best defensive efforts of the season with a couple of blocks and most importantly, giving Victor Wembanyama plenty of comfortable minutes on the bench resting, playing 20 minutes. Stephon Castle broke out of his mini-slump with 32 points in 25 minutes. Carter Bryant continued his progression to becoming a rotation player with a solid effort on both ends of the court. Tarris Reed played almost the entire fourth quarter. I can’t find anything to complain about the Spurs’ performance in this game. It was just about perfect. And the team keeps getting better. It’s good to be a Spurs fan.

Observations:

• Blake Griffin really seemed kind of like a conceited jerk when he was a player, but as an announcer, he’s insightful and has a good connection to his colleagues in the studio and asks really good questions of the guests and players. I don’t know if I was wrong in my initial assessment of his character, but I kind of like this Blake.
• Draymond is the career leader for the NBA in technical fouls with 166. However many he’s had, he’s earned a lot more. He has a real talent for getting away with an incredible amount of complaining and questionable plays, and he only gets called for a small fraction of them.
• It annoys me when the announcers called the Warriors’ rookie Yaxel LendeNborg. Where did the extra ‘N’ come from? It’s Lendeborg, thank you.
• Congratulations to the Pacers who held off a furious last minute rally from the Knicks to win 106-104 in the lead-game on Prime. I thought that game was going to go to overtime.
• The Spurs started the game on a red-hot 12-0 run, causing an early Steve Kerr timeout. That didn’t help as the Silver and Black kept pouring it on and the Warriors were colder than interstellar space. They didn’t score a single point for the first half of the quarter, finally getting a bucket from Gui Santos just after the midpoint after the Spurs 18-0 start. Luke replaced Victor in the lineup, and the Spurs defense was just good instead of being impenetrable, and Golden State scored an impressive 14 points in the rest of the quarter, trailing 38-14 after one quarter, with two-way player LJ Cryer doing a lot of the damage.
• Lendeborg pretty much believes that he never commits a foul. I think that’s part of the Warriors’ character.
• Victor fell awkwardly early in the second quarter, and it was a little scary when he took some time to get up. Amazingly, he seemed fine after a minute or two. His resilience is unreal.
• Draymond threw Victor the floor a few plays after that, which was clearly not a basketball play, and it was called a flagrant 1 foul, but it should have been an ejection in my opinion. He pushed Vic so hard that he injured his elbow and had to go to the locker room, so there was some poetic justice in the incident. Draymond did return to the game in the third quarter, though.
• The Warriors were more physical in the second quarter, while the Spurs kept their foot on the gas, and led 63-33 going into the locker room. A 30 point lead seems pretty safe, except for that one time that they led by 29 and … it’s just too painful.
• Golden State had a little renaissance at the beginning of the third quarter, as their shot found the hoop and the Spurs went a little cold for a few minutes while the broadcast team of Tobey and Elliott was talking about fried chicken. The visitors were only able to shave the Spurs lead to 24 when they came back with a vengeance and Castle, Wembanyama, and Vassell ballooned the lead back to 33, 35, 40 and more. The Warriors renaissance was over in the blink of an eye.
• I’m happy for Charles Bassey. He’s found a home in Golden State, and he’s really blossoming as a player.
• Jordan McLaughlin entered the game with a couple of minutes left in the third, which is usually a good sign that Mitch is feeling comfortable that the game is under control.
• Tarris Reed got into the game with 11 minutes left, and played all 11 of them, looking like a monster on the boards. Or maybe some kind of bear.

For the opponents’ frame of mind, visit Golden State of Mind. I haven’t read them recently, but I expect to see a lot of Wemby isn’t fair comments on the game thread. I feel bad for them missing their best player, hopefully he won’t miss a lot of the season.

The Spurs play again on Sunday afternoon in Utah against the Jazz. The Jazz are one of three teams in the league who only have one win, and need I say TRAP GAME!?

The Spurs blew out the Warriors in the most lopsided game of the year. Without the services of Steph Curry, Golden State had to depend on super rookie Yaxel Lendeborg to provide firepower, and Spurs defense simply shut him down, holding him to 3 points on 1-13 shooting. Two way player LJ Cryer led the scoring for the visitors with 20.

The entire roster got into the action as Luke Kornet had one of his best defensive efforts of the season with a couple of blocks and most importantly, giving Victor Wembanyama plenty of comfortable minutes on the bench resting, playing 20 minutes. Stephon Castle broke out of his mini-slump with 32 points in 25 minutes. Carter Bryant continued his progression to becoming a rotation player with a solid effort on both ends of the court. Tarris Reed played almost the entire fourth quarter. I can’t find anything to complain about the Spurs’ performance in this game. It was just about perfect. And the team keeps getting better. It’s good to be a Spurs fan.

Observations:

• Blake Griffin really seemed kind of like a conceited jerk when he was a player, but as an announcer, he’s insightful and has a good connection to his colleagues in the studio and asks really good questions of the guests and players. I don’t know if I was wrong in my initial assessment of his character, but I kind of like this Blake.
• Draymond is the career leader for the NBA in technical fouls with 166. However many he’s had, he’s earned a lot more. He has a real talent for getting away with an incredible amount of complaining and questionable plays, and he only gets called for a small fraction of them.
• It annoys me when the announcers called the Warriors’ rookie Yaxel LendeNborg. Where did the extra ‘N’ come from? It’s Lendeborg, thank you.
• Congratulations to the Pacers who held off a furious last minute rally from the Knicks to win 106-104 in the lead-game on Prime. I thought that game was going to go to overtime.
• The Spurs started the game on a red-hot 12-0 run, causing an early Steve Kerr timeout. That didn’t help as the Silver and Black kept pouring it on and the Warriors were colder than interstellar space. They didn’t score a single point for the first half of the quarter, finally getting a bucket from Gui Santos just after the midpoint after the Spurs 18-0 start. Luke replaced Victor in the lineup, and the Spurs defense was just good instead of being impenetrable, and Golden State scored an impressive 14 points in the rest of the quarter, trailing 38-14 after one quarter, with two-way player LJ Cryer doing a lot of the damage.
• Lendeborg pretty much believes that he never commits a foul. I think that’s part of the Warriors’ character.
• Victor fell awkwardly early in the second quarter, and it was a little scary when he took some time to get up. Amazingly, he seemed fine after a minute or two. His resilience is unreal.
• Draymond threw Victor the floor a few plays after that, which was clearly not a basketball play, and it was called a flagrant 1 foul, but it should have been an ejection in my opinion. He pushed Vic so hard that he injured his elbow and had to go to the locker room, so there was some poetic justice in the incident. Draymond did return to the game in the third quarter, though.
• The Warriors were more physical in the second quarter, while the Spurs kept their foot on the gas, and led 63-33 going into the locker room. A 30 point lead seems pretty safe, except for that one time that they led by 29 and … it’s just too painful.
• Golden State had a little renaissance at the beginning of the third quarter, as their shot found the hoop and the Spurs went a little cold for a few minutes while the broadcast team of Tobey and Elliott was talking about fried chicken. The visitors were only able to shave the Spurs lead to 24 when they came back with a vengeance and Castle, Wembanyama, and Vassell ballooned the lead back to 33, 35, 40 and more. The Warriors renaissance was over in the blink of an eye.
• I’m happy for Charles Bassey. He’s found a home in Golden State, and he’s really blossoming as a player.
• Jordan McLaughlin entered the game with a couple of minutes left in the third, which is usually a good sign that Mitch is feeling comfortable that the game is under control.
• Tarris Reed got into the game with 11 minutes left, and played all 11 of them, looking like a monster on the boards. Or maybe some kind of bear.

For the opponents’ frame of mind, visit Golden State of Mind. I haven’t read them recently, but I expect to see a lot of Wemby isn’t fair comments on the game thread. I feel bad for them missing their best player, hopefully he won’t miss a lot of the season.

The Spurs play again on Sunday afternoon in Utah against the Jazz. The Jazz are one of three teams in the league who only have one win, and need I say TRAP GAME!?