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10,000ft Overview

As soon as the game tipped off, one thing was very clear: This was a completely different level of basketball compared to Monday night’s game. Unique matchups (LaMelo Ball on Jabari Smith!), shot-making, and game plan discipline meant that the first half was full of back-and-forth, high-quality hoops.

Ayo Dosunmu was such a blue tsunami in transition that even Steve Kornaki had to pause what he was doing and just say, “Wow”.

Dosunmu went a perfect 6/6 at the rim on his way to twelve first-half points. On the other side of the floor, Jonathan Kuminga was fantastic on Amen Thompson, playing a brand of athletic and physical basketball that the Wolves haven’t been able to do before against Thompson.

The physicality was of note, as he did get a flagrant one after Sengun’s face invaded his personal space. Ultimately, it may have been worth it for the repeated over-the-top crowd reaction to the replay, which was genuinely funny.

And finally, the first half story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Jaylen Clark, the certified stuff doer. He had two steals, two offensive rebounds, and a drawn offensive foul. Luckily for the Rockets, the Wolves decided they wanted to keep the game close by shooting free throws with their opposite hands, hitting on just 5/10 as the teams went into halftime tied.

The good basketball continued into the second half, though the third quarter did leave me with a pressing existential question like: “What exactly is a moving screen?” and “Why don’t defensive players just run into the screener and fall down every time?”

Outside of that Marcus Smart-inspired existential crisis, both teams essentially played each other even as they headed into the final quarter with the Rockets up two.

LAMELO BALL was PERFECT from the floor in the 4Q!

🐺 12 PTS
🐺 4/4 FGM
🐺 8 MIN

He finished the game with 20 PTS as the @Timberwolves secure the victory in Houston! pic.twitter.com/K1HBnnWDdC

— NBA (@NBA) November 5, 2026

As you can see, the start of the fourth quarter was something!

LaMelo Ball committed three fouls in about 30 seconds and put the Rockets in the bonus. But then goes out and totally redeems himself with eight straight points, part of his twelve-point fourth-quarter effort. The back-and-forth affair continued until Jonathan Kuminga drained two huge threes, which, paired with dive-on-the-floor defense and excellent ball movement on offense, would be enough to push the Wolves over the top for the 117-107 victory in Houston.

Two Stats that defined the game:

1. 53%: Timberwolves Free Throw Precentage
   • Let’s just get this one out of the way. If the Wolves had lost this game, this would have been the lament in Timberwolves land. They went 10-for-19 from the line, and missing free throws has absolutely been an epidemic for this team. It didn’t cost them the game tonight, but they have way too many good shooters for these 1-2 trips to the line.
2. +14: Points Off Turnover Advantage for the Wolves
   • Hello defense! From the get-go, I loved the way the Wolves matched up with the Rockets by putting Ayo on Van Fleet, McDaniels on KD, Kuminga on Amen Thompson (more on this soon), and letting LaMelo guard Jabari Smith Jr, a matchup that would force them out of a lot of their offensive sets if they wanted to take advantage of it. This all led to eighteen turnovers for the Rockets and forced them into hitting a lot of tough shots all night.

Award Ceremony

The Big Ticket Award: LaMelo Ball

Just when we are all ready to be mad at you for three fouls in thirty seconds, you go out there and totally redeem yourself! LaMelo takes home this award for being fantastic in the fourth quarter. He had the perfect balance of finding his own shot, creating offense for others, and forcing Houston to bring double teams that he broke, and helped lead the Wolves to their first clutch-time victory of the season.

The seven turnovers are a reminder it wasn’t perfect, but his +15 team high with 20 points, six assists, and four – count ‘em, four – stocks show a player that filled the stat sheet and played winning basketball.

The Straight to Jail Award: Jonathan Kuminga

One of the most encouraging aspects of the first nine games of the season for the Wolves has been Jonathan Kuminga’s defense. It’s one of those things that, if it stays at this level, could be a difference maker come April. In past seasons, Amen Thompson’s elite athleticism has been a matchup issue for the Wolves, but Kuminga was all over him tonight, forcing a 3-for-9 night from the field with three turnovers and a team-worst -11.

Jonathan Kuminga clutch corner 3 pic.twitter.com/FQUBUeHcsF

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) November 5, 2026

Straight to jail for Amen Thompson tonight!

The And I Helped! Award: Ayo Dosunmo, Bones Hyland, Jaylen Clark

Too many good games tonight to not single out more than three players in the awards segment. If not for LaMelo’s big fourth quarter, the Big Ticket was Ayo’s. He was relentless in attacking downhill when he got the matchup he wanted, had a 6-0 AST/TO ratio, and was our main source of offense for most of the first half.

Bones Hyland is just a bucket. Scoring 19 points in just 16 minutes is a needed injection of life into an offense that is missing its high-volume scorer.

Already mentioned it earlier, but it deserves to be said again: Jaylen Clark is a certified stuff doer. He finishes the night with 10 points on 4/6 shooting (including two of three from deep!), three rebounds, two steals, and a drawn offensive foul. But the biggest sign of encouragement? He played 25 minutes!

Clearly, Chris Finch loved what he saw.

Empty the Notebook

• Rudy Gobert had one of his better defensive games against Sengun, but my goodness he needs to finish better. It is not a good sign that my confidence needle in his ability to finish a contested layup has moved into the tossup range with his ability to make a three
• Another solid outing from Joan Beringer! By my count, he’s now stacked four-to-give good performances in a row
• Trey Lyles is the last player hasn’t been mentioned, but he was also solid too! He’s becoming a very valuable role player that knows what he does best and stays in that zone.

Game Highlights

Up Next

The second game in the group play round of the NBA Cup! On Friday, November 6th, the Minnesota Timberwolves will travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans. The game tips off at 7:00 PM CT on DAZN-MIN and KARE 11.

Call Charles Barkley unimpressed with the brouhaha in one of the NBA’s marquee games on Wednesday night. 

The 76ers’ Joel Embiid and the Pistons’ Tolu Smith III got into it under the basket with 1:25 left to play in the first half in Detroit. The two big men were battling hard for position in the paint as Philly’s Jaylen Brown drove to the basket. 

Brown was fouled, but Embiid jumped to collect the missed shot.

Smith then decided to knock the ball out of Embiid’s hands, and it sparked a light shoving match before their respective teammates and coaches came onto the court to pull them apart and keep things from escalating.

The action did little for the “Inside the NBA” crew after Shaquille O’Neal joked he’d “Call the cops” on them. Barkley quickly shot back, feeling the “police presence” O’Neal was calling for wasn’t needed in this case. 

Chuck: "I've been kissed harder."

Kenny: "Stop telling us about your love life." pic.twitter.com/3CiiECLO99

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 5, 2026

“I’ve been kissed harder,” Barkley responded. 

Kenny Smith saw an opening to rag on his colleague a bit and took it.

“Stop telling us about your love life,” Smith replied.

Barkley, Smith and O’Neal played a much more physical era of basketball than today’s game, so it’s understandable why that fight was underwhelming to them. 

Embiid, who was given a technical foul for initiating the altercation, was involved in another odd incident earlier in the game when he faked a shot and it appeared his leg hit Cade Cunningham low as he passed the ball.  

The veteran Embiid had a monster game in the 112-106 win that moved the SIxers to 8-1, scoring 26 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.

Brown had 30 points, and LeBron James chipped in 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The new-look 76ers have the most wins in the NBA.

The Knicks’ pecking order at backup point guard is fluid.

It was Tyler Kolek, not Jose Alvarado, who was the first point guard off the bench to replace Jalen Brunson during the second quarter of the Knicks’ 135-105 rout of the Bulls on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Kolek played six minutes in that second quarter as the Knicks increased their lead from 22 points to 29.

And Kolek — not Alvarado — returned in the third quarter as well. Alvarado did not play until garbage time in the fourth quarter.

Kolek filled in well when Alvarado missed four games due to a sprained ankle.

But coach Mike Brown, before Alvarado returned Monday against the Nets, said that he would remain the backup point guard and not be punished in the rotation for being injured.

Now, though, the pendulum has swung back to Kolek.

“I said this before, every position coming off the bench is a competition, all the time,” Brown said. “Nobody’s minutes are set in stone. … Jose had the first opportunity in our last game. And then I gave Tyler an opportunity in the second half [against the Nets] and Tyler played well. So I’m gonna go with Tyler. And if I think I need to make a change because Tyler’s not getting it done in my eyes, then I’ll go back to Jose.”

Kolek did not score — and did not attempt a shot — Wednesday but had five assists and no turnovers. Alvarado missed all four shots he took and had two turnovers.

“Both those guys helped us win at a high level [last year],” Brown said. “Tyler helped us win the NBA Cup against San Antonio in Vegas. And Jose helped us win the Finals. So either one of those guys, we feel, can help us in a lot of good ways at any time so they just have to both stay ready.”

---

A 30-point shellacking paved the way for Dalton Knecht to make his Knicks debut.

With Josh Hart missing Wednesday’s game due to right ankle soreness, Knecht was called up from the Westchester Knicks and recorded 10 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes against the Bulls. A second-quarter putback dunk and third-quarter chase-down block drew loud reactions from the MSG crowd.

“He’s a scorer. He’s not just a shooter. A lot of people think he’s a shooter because he’s white,” Brown joked. “I said it for you, I hope I don’t get in trouble. He can go get it.”

Knecht had been playing in the G-League since the Knicks signed him to a two-way deal last month.

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Brown said he is “not concerned” when asked about Hart’s injury outlook.

Hart missed the team’s preseason finale against the Raptors due to right ankle soreness and missed time last year due to the same issue.

The Toronto Raptors continue an up-and-down start to the season without Kawhi Leonard after losing 128-109 to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

With the loss, Toronto falls to 4-4 on the season and 2-4 without Leonard.

Here are four takeaways from the game:

Signs of life from three

Toronto is a poor three-point shooting team. Entering the contest, the Raptors averaged 31.5 per cent from beyond the arc, which ranks 27th in the NBA.

While the perimeter shooting couldn’t sustain itself (Toronto finished at 35 per cent), the opening quarter featured a Raptors team that felt dangerous from three. Toronto went an impressive 6-for-12 from the arc. For context, the Raptors averaged 11.5 triples per game.

The opening 12 minutes were a breath of fresh air, especially after the team’s abysmal 8-for-29 performance against the Los Angeles Clippers. This season, the league average from three is currently at 34.8 per cent. Toronto has shot better than 34.8 per cent three times in eight games.

Unfortunately, the Raptors shot 6-for-22 the rest of the way.

Quick start, uneventful finish

It should be made clear: tonight’s loss was not on Immanuel Quickley.

But it was pointed out on the TSN broadcast that Quickley needs to have a consistent impact through all four quarters. Quickley was brilliant in the opening 12 minutes, finishing with 10 points and six assists while shooting 50 per cent from three. He also added two steals.

By the end of the game, Quickly finished with 13 points and seven assists. The point guard also shot 25 per cent from the perimeter and didn’t record another steal.

The Joker’s wild

While we suggested that the Raptors could overwhelm Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, specifically by leveraging their strengths on the offensive glass, it turns out that the game goes well beyond the battle of the boards. The future Hall of Famer finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists while pummelling the Raptors into submission.

Jokic emerged from halftime ready to shift into another gear. While in the Denver air, Toronto didn’t stand a chance. Jokic had already safely recorded his triple-double by the end of the third quarter. In the same period, he tied the entire Raptors team in points with 15.

Referencing the Colorado air might also be doing Jokic a disservice. The big man was ultimately responsible for 26 of the Nuggets’ 33 points in the first quarter.

What happens when the breaks aren’t there?

The Nuggets had limited the Raptors to seven fast-break points with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Stopping Toronto in transition was likely a focal point for Denver head coach David Adelman and his staff. The Raptors entered the game second in transition points at 19.7 per game.

For the Raptors to salvage their four-game road trip, they’ll need to either get back to what they do best on the breaks or find ways to score in the half-court. Their next opponent, the Milwaukee Bucks, is 11th in fastbreak points allowed per game at 13.3

A sloppy start cost the Cleveland Cavaliers in their 124-116 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’ve now dropped five straight games to OKC.

Three stars of the game

First star: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

42 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds

It was another day in the office for the reigning back-to-back MVP. SGA got to his spots on the floor, no matter how many defenders they threw his way. This allowed him to score over 40 points for the second time this week against the Cavs.

There was simply nothing Cleveland could do to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander, or really, even make it challenging.

Second star: Ajay Mitchell

23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists

Ajay Mitchell provided timely baskets whenever it seemed like the Cavs were getting any kind of momentum. He served as the offensive engine when SGA was off the court, and as the counterpunch when he was.

Third star: Donovan Mitchell

27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal

Mitchell’s stat line is a little deceiving. He was an incredibly efficient scorer, but he didn’t make a constant impact throughout all four quarters.

The Cavs needed something to wake them up in the first half, but Mitchell couldn’t do it. He was a non-factor, as he had just six points in a half the Cavs only had 44.

Something flipped in the second half, particularly down the stretch. Mitchell put up 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with four assists in the final frame alone. Unfortunately for Cleveland, that all came after the game was effectively decided.

Dud of the game

Meleek Thomas

9 points, 0 assists, 1 rebound, 2 turnovers, 6 fouls

Thomas looked like a rookie for one of the first times this season. He struggled to make an impact on the scoreboard and was picked on defensively — particularly by the reigning MVP when he got an opportunity to do so. This led to Thomas fouling out in just 18 minutes.

Cavaliers who deserve shoutouts

Mario Hezonja

12 points on 5-for-10 shooting, 8 rebounds

The Cavs need someone to provide tertiary ball-handling, rebounding, and who thinks the game at a high level. Hezonja has consistently supplied that and did so again in Oklahoma City.

I’m not sure why Hezonja doesn’t get more minutes than he does, or see the floor in closing situations — especially in a game Jarrett Allen left with an injury. In this one, head coach Kenny Atkinson went with Tyrese Proctor (until he left with an injury) and then with Craig Porter Jr. Having a third guard makes sense for a team that struggles with ball pressure, but can’t Hezonja help with that in addition to supplying extra rebounding and shooting? I just don’t get it.

Tyrese Proctor

11 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal

Proctor performed well in his second career start. He provided some off-ball shooting and held his own defensively. That’s what you want to see from a second-year player who’s thrown into the starting lineup.

Tristan Enaruna

4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

An injury to Allen forced Enaruna into his first-ever rotation minutes, and he performed admirably. His size and energy on the defensive end were much needed on an evening the Cavs were severely lacking wing defenders due to injuries — even if he wasn’t necessarily perfect on that end.

The offensive numbers weren’t necessarily impressive. Enaruna went just 2-for-7 from the field, which included going 0-for-3 from distance. However, a couple of those threes went halfway down before popping back out.

Getting serviceable minutes from two-way players is more necessary than ever. Pace, offensive rebounding, and where defenders are picking up their offensive assignments are higher than ever. This has created more injuries. Throw in the second-apron restrictions, and it’s almost a necessity for teams to have two-way players (whose salaries don’t count against the cap) that can provide fill-in rotation minutes when needed.

This performance doesn’t mean Enaruna will be a mainstay in the rotation or anything like that, but it did show that he can provide playable minutes when called upon.

Play of the game

A steal and score for Donovan. pic.twitter.com/gIy58vgZfD

— RealCavsFans.com (@realcavsfans) November 5, 2026

Mitchell was awesome down the stretch, it just came too little too late.

Quote of the day

“Dissapointed in our first quarter. Three quarers [were] really solid play, and you have one quarter where you’re not up to par. Like I said, the turnoves, the live-ball turnovers, they just get the other team going, and you know, it kind of snow balls.”

– Kenny Atkinson

The Cavs have struggled to stop the bleeding so far this year. There’s been one quarter, or extended stretch of play in each of their losses where they let go of the rope. That happened in the first quarter here, when they were beaten 37-20. Cleveland outscored Oklahoma City for each of the next three quarters, but that doesn’t matter much when you have a start like this.

Stat of the game

Only 20 of Cleveland’s 93 shots came at the rim (16th percentile).

The Cavs’ three-point volume and accuracy allowed them to have a slightly above league-average offensive output in this game. However, it’s nearly impossible to have a truly effective offense if you aren’t getting to the rim well. If you aren’t getting to the basket, you likely aren’t getting to the line either, which was an issue for the Cavs.

My takeaway from this game: The Cavs need the James Harden we saw in the second and third quarters

This game turned around when Harden did. There was a stretch from the end of the second quarter to the start of the third where Harden looked like the best version of himself for one of the few times this season.

Harden was up to his old tricks during that run. He was able to establish the three-point shot midway through the second quarter, which opened up the rest of his game. The threat of that shot caused defenders to bite too hard on step-backs and made them a step slow when he drove inside. This allowed Harden to be an effective playmaker at all three levels, which isn’t something he’s been able to do on command so far this campaign. He scored or assisted on 16 points during the Cavs’ 18-3 run at the start of the third quarter that allowed Cleveland to make this a moderately competitive game.

The Cavs’ success this year hinges on Harden’s, which is why things have been so rocky at the start. Harden has posted his career-worst free-throw rate and has struggled to hit anything inside 14 feet. This has handicapped his effectiveness and left him mostly an outside shooter.

Cleveland desperately needs the version of Harden we got a glimpse of here if they want to succeed against high-level teams. Or at the very least, they need that iteration if they’re going to be this isolation-heavy with both guards.

The entire offense is predicated on the guards drawing extra defenders to them. If they can do that, the kick-out threes open up, as do windows to get their bigs involved. Conversely, when they aren’t getting inside, the ball and player movement can stagnate. This leads to turnovers and settling for contested jump shots — as we’ve seen during Cleveland’s worst stretches.

Relying this heavily on a 37-year-old isn’t ideal, but it’s where the Cavs find themselves. And they will continue to be at this spot unless they drastically alter their offensive process.

The Knicks broke out of their early-game slump in historic fashion.

They erupted for 84 points in the first half of their 135-105 rout of the Bulls on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. It tied a franchise record set on Nov. 18, 1988, against the 76ers.

But the Knicks actually lost that game, 137-135.

Wednesday, on the other hand, represented the Knicks’ best and by far most complete showing of the season.

The 84 points were also the most the Knicks have ever scored in any half at the current Madison Square Garden.

“I really liked how we started out,” coach Mike Brown said. “Spacing the floor well, touching the paint, and then re-spacing too. Our re-spacing was really quick and really decisive. We had some great, great looks early on. And everybody played well offensively.

“Our pace was pretty good, it’s something we’ve been talking about. Our offensive rebounding, for shooting a high percentage, was pretty good. Just a lot of good things.”

Entering Wednesday, the Knicks were averaging just 51.6 points in first halves — the third-worst mark in the NBA and better than only the Bucks and Nets. They were shooting a paltry 39.2 percent from the field in first halves — worst in the NBA.

It led to constant deficits they had to fight back from.

But they shot 62.5 percent (25-for-40) from the field and 50 percent (10-for-20) from 3-point range during Wednesday’s first half and led by 32 at the break.

Jalen Brunson had 26 of those 84 first-half points, going a red-hot 8-for-11 from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point range. OG Anunoby added 18 first-half points.

“Obviously, making 3s, but I think making our two-pointers are really important as well,” Brunson said. “… When you have it going, it feels good. Just trying to play off that and use your gravity to make plays. I feel like it really started on the defensive side of the ball, we were able to get stops and get out in transition.”

It also helped that the Knicks took a staggering 26 free throws in the first half — making 24 of them. Anunoby was 11-for-12 from the line in the first half, relentlessly attacking the rim.

The Bulls took just six first-half free throws, making five.

The historic start allowed for plenty of late-game rest at a time the Knicks have talked about dealing with physical fatigue given their short offseason. All five starters sat the entire fourth quarter.

A nice luxury thanks to an electric start.

“It was a really good half,” Brown said, “in terms of doing what we believe we should be doing offensively as our staples. Everybody was really good in those areas.”

The Phoenix Suns began their seven-game homestand by hosting the team that obliterated them on opening night. And while the final 132-119 score wasn’t nearly as embarrassing as that initial beatdown, the result was another decisive victory for Portland, which improved to 6-1 on the season and a perfect 5-0 on the road. Meanwhile, the Suns dropped to 1-5.

Devin Booker put together a solid performance, scoring 33 points, with much of his damage coming at the free-throw line, where he went a perfect 13-of-13. However, he finished with only two assists against two turnovers and struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 2-of-8. Jalen Green added 22 points, 12 of which came in the fourth quarter, although he also shot 2-of-8 from deep. Miles Bridges contributed 18 points and seven rebounds, while Dillon Brooks finished with 15 points and six rebounds.

For Portland, Donovan Clingan dominated the interior, recording 24 points and 10 rebounds on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting. Damian Lillard added 25 points, while Deni Avdija chipped in 21.

It was one of those nights when all the little things added up, and unfortunately for Phoenix, they added up to another loss. Portland won the battle in the paint, outscoring Phoenix 56-46. The Blazers controlled the second-chance points battle 17-11, dominated fast-break scoring 19-9, and received a significant advantage from their bench, which outscored the Suns’ reserves 42-25. Then there was the three-point shooting. Portland connected on 14 threes at a 35.9% clip, while Phoenix managed only 10 makes on 27.8% shooting.

Across the board, the Blazers consistently found ways to win the margins that matter. When you lose that many battles within a game, it’s awfully difficult to win the war.

Game Flow

First Half

It was a much more stable start to the game than when these teams first met on October 21. If you recall, and I’m sure you do, the Suns trailed 21–0 in that one. This time around, it took only a minute for Devin Booker to knock down an 18-foot jumper and get the scoring started for Phoenix.

The first challenge of the evening came with 8:56 remaining in the opening quarter, when Deni Avdija appeared to charge into Dillon Brooks, but a blocking foul was called on Brooks. The Suns successfully challenged the call, negating what would have been Brooks’ second foul early in the game.

Phoenix looked considerably more connected on both ends of the floor throughout the first half of the opening quarter. Outside of Khaman Maluach, every starter had scored at least four points within the first six minutes, a welcome sight for a team that has struggled to find any semblance of offensive consistency.

Defensively, there were still some issues navigating the pick-and-roll, particularly with Donovan Clingan finding opportunities to score on the interior. But outside of those breakdowns, the Suns looked much more connected, communicating and rotating with a level of cohesion that had been noticeably absent in their previous meeting with Portland.

OSOO pic.twitter.com/N1gSF4Elgf

— Cage (@ridiculouscage) November 5, 2026

Phoenix put together a 9–2 run after the second unit entered the game, overcoming an initially choppy stretch marked by careless turnovers. Their effort on the glass was clearly a point of emphasis, and they were executing well, outrebounding Portland 13–10 in the opening quarter.

Booker came out on a heater, shooting 4-of-6 from the field for 12 first-quarter points, which is always an encouraging sign. Dillon Brooks added eight points, two rebounds, and a steal as the Suns shot 56.5% from the field while holding the Blazers to 3-of-11 from beyond the arc. The result was a 34–29 Phoenix lead heading into the second quarter.

The Trail Blazers opened the second quarter on an 11-5 run, fueled once again by Donovan Clingan, who continued attacking the interior and creating mismatches for Phoenix. Damian Lillard did his part as well, helping Portland put together an 8-0 run that further shifted the momentum.

By the midway point of the quarter, the pressure Portland was putting on Phoenix had become increasingly difficult to overcome. The Blazers were shooting 8-of-9 from the field while simultaneously drawing multiple fouls on the Suns. The offensive avalanche Phoenix had managed to avoid in the first quarter finally arrived in the second.

Portland outscored Phoenix 43-25 in the quarter, shooting 14-of-19 from the field, a ridiculous 74%, while connecting on 6-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc.

Phoenix shot 1-of-7 from deep and had 5 turnovers to the Blazers 0. Defensively, however, they reverted to the same troubling habits we’ve seen throughout the early portion of the season, collapsing into the paint whenever Portland attacked and leaving shooters wide open on the perimeter. And the Blazers made them pay. Jrue Holiday went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc for nine points in the quarter, Lillard added nine of his own, and Clingan chipped in eight.

Meanwhile, Booker scored seven points in the period, bringing his total to 19 at halftime. Phoenix continued to hold the advantage on the glass, but that becomes a moot point when the opposing team seemingly can’t miss a shot. After experiencing an entire game’s worth of shooting variance in the season opener against Portland, the Suns were treated to a quarter’s worth this time around.

Portland had its outlier game against Phoenix in the season opener. Now it’s delivered an outlier quarter.

43 points on 73.7% shooting.

6-of-11 from three.
8-of-8 from two.
9-of-13 from the line.

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) November 5, 2026

Second Half

The Suns opened the third quarter with an offensive push, outscoring Portland 12–6 behind eight points from Devin Booker, who went 2-of-2 from the field, including a three-pointer, and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. Portland was considerably sloppier than it had been in the second quarter, committing three turnovers as Phoenix trimmed its deficit to seven points.

In what has become a nightly tradition, Dillon Brooks found himself in a shouting match, this time with Damian Lillard, following a turnover in which Brooks stepped out of bounds in transition while attempting a three-pointer. No technicals were assessed during the exchange, but the drama wasn’t finished. On Portland’s ensuing possession, Brooks attempted to box out Donovan Clingan, who grabbed him by the jersey and pulled him to the floor. Officials reviewed the play for a potential hostile act, ultimately assessing Clingan a technical foul.

Donovan Clingan assessed a technical foul for pulling Dillon Brooks to the floor by his jersey. pic.twitter.com/N4vvq1a6I8

— Mark McClune (@MarkMcClune) November 5, 2026

Jrue Holiday continued to be a menace, as the Suns repeatedly left him wide open on the perimeter, and he continued to make them pay, knocking down another pair of threes in the third quarter.

Moments later, Deni Avdija found himself under review for a potential hostile act after appearing to deliver a flying knee to Dillon Brooks’ groin area. Officials ultimately ruled the contact incidental.

All those whistles started to become an issue in the third quarter, as Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, and Jalen Green each found themselves with four fouls and four and a half minutes still remaining in the period.

Booker eventually headed to the locker room after driving to the basket and taking a shot to the head from Robert Williams. What made the sequence particularly frustrating was the inconsistency of the officiating. After spending much of the quarter calling every ticky-tack bit of contact imaginable, the officials somehow swallowed their whistles when Booker got smacked in the head. No foul. Nothing.

Devin Booker clearly shaken up by Rob Williams.

He heads back to the locker room.

Season from hell. pic.twitter.com/kRlWZKJdGa

— Erik Ruby (@ErikRuby) November 5, 2026

The lengthy third quarter mercifully came to an end, with the Suns getting outscored 32-26. Chalk up seven more fouls against Phoenix, which struggled offensively, shooting 7-of-20 from the field and a miserable 3-of-12 from two-point range. And the rebounding? That became a problem once again, as Portland dominated the glass 13–6 while scoring 18 of its 32 points in the paint.

Booker continued to lead the charge for Phoenix, pouring in 14 points in the quarter, but he finished the period in the locker room after taking that shot to the head. The Suns trailed 104-85 entering the fourth.

Devin Booker returned with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the Suns trailing by 18 points.

With Robert Williams on the floor, Phoenix simply didn’t have anyone capable of matching his size and physicality. Duop Reath was getting absolutely destroyed on the interior, as Williams grabbed four offensive rebounds in the first two minutes of the quarter alone.

We also saw Jalen Green become considerably more aggressive in the fourth, attacking the basket with a level of purpose that had been missing earlier in the game. After scoring 12 points through the first three quarters, Green shifted into attack mode, repeatedly getting downhill and creating opportunities at the free-throw line. And this time, he actually made his free throws. Miles Bridges was more engaged in the fourth quarter as well, although much like Green’s performance, it felt like too little, too late.

Phoenix kept its offense humming, and there were moments when it felt like the Suns were on the verge of making a meaningful dent in Portland’s lead. One sustained run could have put them within striking distance with a couple of minutes remaining. But every time Phoenix threatened to make things interesting, Portland had an answer. There was always a response. Always a reaction to the action.

With 2:51 remaining, Devin Booker fouled out for the second consecutive game, and at that point, the Suns emptied their bench. Ball game.

---

Up Next

We are right back here tomorrow night as the Suns host the Orlando Magic, who are currently 2-5 and last played in a loss against the Wizards. We shall see you then!

Through Bronny James’ three-year career in the NBA, he’s been under scrutiny and criticism.

Wednesday was no different.

Former Los Angeles Lakers big man Kwame Brown said: “It’s mind-blowing how somebody lost a job to that.”

Kwame Brown, often labeled an NBA bust himself, says Bronny took another player’s NBA opportunity and people only accept it because he is LeBron’s son

“It’s mind-blowing how somebody lost a job to that.”

“Some kid that worked their butt off that really feel like they could have… pic.twitter.com/qaAidCfsOT

— katsu (@katsuxbt) November 4, 2026

Brown was likely referring to the Lakers’ decision to keep James over former 2024 first-round pick Dalton Knecht.

A day before the Lakers excused the two of them from attending practice on October 19.

James has since spent most of the season on the Lakers bench, playing in four games and averaging 2.8 minutes, and has scored only one point this season.

The rest of his career hasn’t fared much better as he’s averaging 2.6 points in an average of 7.8 minutes.

“Some kid that worked their butt off that really feels like they could have made the NBA, lost their job to that,” Brown said. “The only reason why everybody’s okay with it is because of his father.”

Brown went on to say what he’s seen from James is a shame.

“Call it hate, call it whatever you want. To me, it’s a shame,” Brown said.

James is playing his first season in the NBA without his father LeBron James.

Playing as a backup, Bronny James is part of a Lakers bench that nearly blew a 14-point lead with 1:43 left in the game against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.

“I won’t make that mistake again,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said after the game to Khobi Price of The California Post. “I’ll leave the guys in. You gotta play to the final buzzer, and if guys are not ready to play, then I just won’t put them in.”

Wednesday’s game was the perfect chance for head coach Mike Brown to have Dalton Knecht make his Knicks debut.

After being waived by the Los Angeles Lakers, New York signed Knecht to a two-way contract nearly two weeks ago and the 25-year-old had been playing with the Westchester Knicks in the NBA G League to learn the team’s systems and get consistent playing time.

With the Knicks facing the 1-6 Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, the team decided to make Knecht active to possibly get him into the game. So when the small forward checked in for Andre Drummond with 3:20 left in the second quarter and New York up 70-39, he was ready.

“I wasn’t surprised, I just came in ready to go,” Knecht said after the game. “The coaches said you’re active so that just means be ready.”

Knecht got off to a great start less than a minute into his Knicks debut by following a three-point miss by Landry Shamet, grabbing the offensive rebound and slamming it home for a putback dunk that got the MSG crowd buzzing.

“It was great. Honestly I didn’t hear much just because I’m so locked in, but it was good,” Knecht said about his nifty play. “Pretty much my first play was a putback dunk so it’s cool, it’s great.”

Along with his high-flying highlight, Knecht had 10 points on 4-for-6 from the field, including two threes, and grabbed seven boards in just 16 minutes. He also had an assist and a block, looking good and reminding everybody why he was the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

“I think I just go out there and impact the game on all three levels,” Knecht said. “And I just wanna show on the other side of the ball, getting the ball pressure and stuff like that and going in and grabbing defensive rebounds.”

It’s hard to glean too much from Knecht’s performance with it coming in a blowout against the hapless Bulls, but it’s still good to see the talent is there. After all, in his rookie season, Knecht averaged 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game before taking a step back last season.

It’s unclear how Brown plans to utilize Knecht this season, but as he gets more comfortable with his new team and teammates, he could be a good option for a team always looking for bench depth.

Regardless, Knecht is staying ready to make the most out of his fresh start.

“Be ready so you don’t have to get ready,” he said. “Just watching on the bench and talking to my teammates is really helpful and it was easy to get in there and play confident. All the guys out there gave me a good look.”

In the darkest, inner circle of the inferno, the Jazz had fallen into, all Jazz fans wanted was a sign of life that this team was still alive and kicking.

Missing Jusuf Nurkic and Jaren Jackson Jr. with an uncertain timetable, a 1-7 start would be detrimental. They’ve battled against top dogs like the Spurs, Blazers and Grizzlies, meaning this was one of the few chances to bounce back as the worst team in the West. Utah had already taken down the Pelicans in their home opener, marking their first and only win on the season.

New Orleans had been on their own soul-searching journey in their 2026-27 campaign. They lost their first four games on the calendar, three of them coming up short in the clutch. But now, their record stands at 3-4; they handed Memphis their first loss of the year while taking down the Mavs and Kings on the side.

But unfortunately, that well-sought victory was not today. It was certainly the most alive the Jazz have looked all week, but ultimately they still fell into the same lapses that have plagued them all season. The Pelicans stole this one out of the Jazz’s hands, 120-113.

The pace was all over the place in the first quarter. There was even a 2-minute scoring drought for both teams midway through the early going, an early indicator that Utah was going to start yet another game ice-cold from the floor. There are times when you just have to sigh at the Jazz’s attempt to run an offense — using traditional big men as playmaking hubs, force-feeding players when they don’t have the hot hand, and just the lack of team synergy that leads to a possession ending with a shot-chuck at the buzzer. Fortunately, at the hand of Keyonte George, the Jazz answered back to erase an 8-point deficit. They switched away from the three-point line to score 18 of their first 20 points inside the paint.

Nice action to start the game for the Jazz, getting Markkanen free going towards the rim pic.twitter.com/HIZA6OFhcA

— Eric Spyropoulos (@EricSpyroNBA) November 5, 2026

Then, it was Saddiq Bey’s second quarter. He scored eight consecutive points for New Orleans to give the Pelicans a crescive 9-point lead. Utah missed seven consecutive shots to open up that quarter. It was another ugly one; the lackadaisical passes destroyed any rhythm the Jazz could build. Really, one of the bigger silver linings was holding Zion scoreless in the first half. 2-20 from three. 3-8 from the charity stripe. 13 turnovers. A big energy shift was needed.

And a shift it was. The dynamic went nearly completely in Utah’s favor, turning around what was a tight deficit into a 10-point advantage. George jumpstarted the engine of the offense, pushing his game total to 29. Led by Mo Bamba’s intimidating presence off the bench, the Jazz dominated he glass. Utah out-rebounded New Orleans 38 to 31 up until that point, dropping the Pelicans’ second-chance points to 5 in the third quarter.

19 points (!!) and 3 assists for Keyonte George in the third quarter alone.

He's got 29 points & 7 assists in total pic.twitter.com/OhBZar1iH7

— Eric Spyropoulos (@EricSpyroNBA) November 5, 2026

But I’d be lying if I said the Jazz could sit back and ride out a confident double-digit victory. New Orleans instantly opened on a 16-2 run to erase Utah’s advantage. Hardy called a timeout about three possessions too late, fuelling the fire for the Pelicans. The two teams battled neck and neck over the next few minutes. A Keyonte floater. Zion free throws. Keyonte and-1. Derik Queen drive. Jaxson Hayes two. The Jazz held a nailbiting 102-102 lead with the final play, then:

KEYONTE GEORGE ALMOST HAD THE GAME-WINNER FOR UTAH 🤯

We are headed to overtime in New Orleans! pic.twitter.com/dpBrkinAGn

— NBA (@NBA) November 5, 2026

The cruel joke played on the Jazz was that George let go of the ball 0.1 seconds too late. We’re headed to OT.

That seemed to light a fire in him, as Keyonte nailed the first two buckets in the overtime period off tough three-point looks. The Pelicans responded with six unanswered points; the Jazz stood no chance against the physicality of Zion and Bey. There were some serious moments in this stretch that questioned whether Will Hardy’s job was on the line (which seems to be the consensus).

The Jazz are firmly positioned in their last spot in the Western Conference, falling well into the lottery delegation zone; their pick was traded to the Grizzlies in the Jackson Jr. trade. While the losses are looming, the competetive nature of the fourth quarter is a fight we needed. Whether the rest will come is still under debate.

Keyonte George: A one man army

It was a rough two-game stretch for Keyonte, resulting in consecutive blowouts, but he had success tonight by dealing most of his damage inside, using his speed to attack the paint and finish with contact at the rim. He was highly disruptive on the defensive end too, chipping in four steals and an unexpected block.

It’s nearly an undeniable fact that Keyonte has had to be ‘the man’ nearly every single night among his peers’ shooting droughts. He’s taken a noticable leap forward as a lead scorer and a focal point of the offense when others have missed time with injury. He looks much more confident creating his own shot and initiating the offense compared to last year.

To float in the Western Conference, this team desperately needs a second initiator/scorer. Wins won’t come off Keyonte alone.

The Jazz came up short in OT, but Keyonte George put on a SHOW 🍿

🏀 39 PTS
🏀 9 AST
🏀 4 STL pic.twitter.com/GHYH2X6fo2

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 5, 2026

Ace Bailey still contributes when all else fails

There was no other way to describe Ace on the scoring end in this one other than an unfortunate shooting night. While he played relatively well inside the arc, he spent all game searching for his rhythm from deep, having missed all 8 of his 9 of his three-point attempts. He got the looks he wanted, but couldn’t take advantage. Ace finished with 15 points, 5 boards and a block on 6-for-14 shooting.

Though it’s not all doom and gloom. Beyond the box score, Ace’s physical presence showed in his off-ball activity. The team used him frequently to absorb switches on the perimeter and cut off driving angles for the monster of muscle, otherwise known as Zion Williamson.

A point of growth in his game has been managing his eagerness to jump at ball fakes. Tonight, he displayed a more grounded, disciplined stance and relied on his standing reach to contest shots without overcommitting. The motor is awesome to watch, no matter how he’s playing on the other end of the floor.

Ace Bailey goes OFF THE GLASS for the bucket 🪣pic.twitter.com/Xx9duvZ8Xq

— Jazz Nation (@JazzNationCP) November 5, 2026

Up Next

Utah drops to 1-7 with this loss and lines up their next matchup in Dallas on Friday night.