Category: Basketball

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers nearly fumbled a 22-point fourth-quarter lead as they defeated the Brooklyn Nets 125-121 in their home opener.

Three stars of the game

First star: Michael Porter Jr.

28 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals

Being an off-ball scoring threat on an otherwise inept offense is difficult. Ideally, Porter would be creating looks through his movement and receiving passes from someone that actually requires defensive attention — say, Nikola Jokic. Instead, Porter has to work off Egor Demin and Julius Randle, which isn’t always the easiest task.

However, Porter made that look easy this game. He was disruptive off-ball, drawing the defense’s attention away from the play, and when he did get an opening, he made the most of it. This was on top of being an impactful defender.

Second star: Jarrett Allen

21 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal

Allen was limited to 27 minutes, presumably because of the knee injury he is playing through, but made the most of his time on the court. He was aggressive attacking in the pick-and-roll when the Nets blitzed the ball handler, and even threw in a three-point make from the top of the arc.

Aside from maybe the three-point attempt, this was exactly what you want to see from Allen. And the Cavs were once again better off because he was a meaningful part of the offensive attack.

Third star: Donovan Mitchell

22 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal

Mitchell’s scoring is in midseason form. There are things you could criticize him for in these first two games— particularly the turnovers — but scoring isn’t one of them.

The shotmaking has felt effortless at the start of the season. He’s doing a good job of creating space off the dribble, allowing him to score at all three levels. Interestingly enough, Mitchell isn’t hunting off-the-dribble threes as much as we’ve seen in the past. He’s only taken 10 triples through two games, with most of them being catch-and-shoot threes. The three-point volume is something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Dud of the game

Day’Ron Sharpe

7 points, 1 assist, 8 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 6 fouls

This was a tough game for Sharpe. Defensively, he struggled to contain Allen and Evan Mobley — who had a good game in his own right — and fouled James Harden twice on three-point attempts. This all led to him fouling out midway through the fourth quarter.

Offensively, he struggled to make much of an impact against Cleveland’s bigs. He went just 3-for-10 from the field while turning it over three times.

Cavalier who deserves a shoutout

Jaylon Tyson

15 points, 4 assists, 1 steal

Tyson provided a solid contribution off the bench. He played with energy, knocked down some threes, and did a good job finding open teammates as a connector. This was basically an ideal game for him.

Play of the game

James Harden: DROPPIN' DIMES.

This one to Jarrett Allen was around multiple defenders 😮 pic.twitter.com/OJ44yV05HG

— NBA (@NBA) October 24, 2026

Assists like this show why Harden is one of the best passers in NBA history. Few guards would’ve seen this angle, let alone been able to fit the ball into such a tight window.

This was a bright spot in what was an overall a poor showing from Harden.

Quote of the day

“This is a building block. It’s time spent. It’s adversity. I think Joe Mazzulla said something like everybody loves each other in training camp. But you understand, like hey, come December, come January, and we’re missing shots…who are we then? That all comes in the regular season.”

– Donovan Mitchell on the early season struggles

Stat of the game

The Cavs have been outscored 73-45 combined in the fourth quarter through two games.

Late game execution has left a lot to be desired.

This game will be remembered for the Cavaliers not learning their lesson from Thursday

The Cavs didn’t give up their 22-point fourth-quarter lead, but it didn’t stop them from trying. The Nets cut the deficit down to two by winning the fourth quarter in the closing minute before the Cavs iced the game at the free-throw line. Brooklyn won the final frame 41-29.

The Cavaliers spent the time since Thursday’s loss to the Sixers talking about how they need to do a better job of handling leads. They didn’t do that here. If they were playing a team that was slightly more competent than the Nets, they likely would’ve dropped this one as well.

The Cavs are clearly a work in progress. They’re incorporating new pieces into the rotation that will take some time. However, it’s impossible to feel great about what you’ve seen so far — particularly in their first two fourth quarters.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points, Jarrett Allen added 21 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their home opener, 125-121 over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night.

Evan Mobley added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who bounced back after blowing a 29-point lead in Thursday’s 114-106 season-opening loss at Philadelphia.

Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 28 points, Julius Randle scored 23 and Egor Demin 22, including 15 in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland was up by 17 with four minutes remaining before Brooklyn went on a 22-7 run to get within 123-121 with 8.1 seconds left on Porter’s fourth three-pointer of the night. Sam Merrill made a pair of free throws after Porter committed his sixth foul to put it out of reach.

A three-pointer by Jaylon Tyson gave the Cavaliers a 104-82 advantage with 9:29 remaining before the Nets started chipping away. Demin made three three-pointers during a 9-2 spurt over a 47-second span to get the Nets within 11 midway through the quarter.

The Cavaliers were 29 of 38 from the foul line, including 11 of 15 in the fourth quarter — and shot 50.6 percent from the floor. The Nets made only 40.2 percent of their shots from the field but were 23 of 27 from the line.

Cleveland was up 45-44 before taking control with a 23-9 during a five-minute span late in the second quarter behind five points apiece from Mobley, Allen and Proctor. Allen started the run with a three-pointer, only the 21st of his 10-year career.

Cleveland has won four of its last five home openers and extended its winning streak to eight games over Brooklyn.

Up next

Nets: Host the Indiana Pacers Sunday.

Cavaliers: Host the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers unfortunately had to stress down the stretch for a win in their home opener against the Brooklyn Nets.

Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Player of the game

Jarrett Allen

21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block

This was your standard Jarrett Allen game. A solid showing on both ends of the court that won’t always get the credit it deserves. Allen shot 7-for-8 and cleaned up a handful of plays in a game where every possession ended up mattering.

“I don’t know how many plays he made at the rim tonight that saved us,” said Kenny Atkinson after the game.

Grade: A-

Grades

Donovan Mitchell

22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers

Mitchell wasn’t as explosive at any point tonight as he was in the first half versus Philly, yet his presence was more evenly spread throughout this game. He is still working to avoid pressure, rather than fighting against the current. But old habits die hard.

Grade: C+

James Harden

12 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 turnovers

Harden didn’t shoot the ball particularly well in this game (1-8), but he played his old tricks in getting to the free-throw line on a four-point play — his only make of the first half.

Grade: D+

Evan Mobley

20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks

Mobley left a handful of scoring opportunities on the table by coming up blank at the rim. Still, his outside shooting (2-of-3 from deep) opened the floor in the first half. And good things happened any time he played with aggression.

This was a strong contender for player of the game. I gave Allen the nod only because of a few awkward possessions from Mobley down the stretch.

Grade: B+

Peyton Watson

11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers

Watson’s offensive fit in the starting five doesn’t look seamless, but it did feel better tonight than it did on Thursday. Hitting a pair of three-pointers in the first half helped in that regard — though he still has plenty of wrinkles to iron out.

His offensive foul late in the game was nearly a back-breaker.

Grade: C-

Jaylon Tyson

15 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers

Tyson’s outside shot has been a bit erratic to start the season. He airballed multiple three-pointers tonight, but still finished 3-for-7 from downtown.

His scoring off the bench was an overall positive, and he has budding chemistry with Hezonja. It still feels like there’s a more refined version of Tyson that’s waiting to emerge this season.

Grade: B–

Mario Hezonja

9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 turnovers

Hezonja is fitting right in with Cleveland. All of the ‘on-paper’ skills (size, playmaking, floor spacing and interior scoring) have become tangible right away.

That said, he does have to take better care of the ball. Cleveland is losing the possession battle, and 8 combined turnovers between Hezonja and Tyson aren’t going to cut it.

Grade: B

Sam Merrill

7 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds

It took Merrill 10 minutes of playing time before attempting a shot in this game. A rarity in the world of Money Merrill. But to absolutely no surprise, his first look was butter from the corner.

With that said, everyone involved has to make sure Merrill is attempting three-pointers at a far higher rate than this.

Grade: C-

Craig Porter Jr.

3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist

The Cavs will spend all season searching for a backup ball handler on their bench. Whether or not it’s a traditional point guard like Porter remains to be seen. His first few stints have yet to leave a lasting impact.

Grade: D+

Tyrese Proctor

5 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

This was the best game Proctor has played in the 2026-27 campaign (including preseason). It was a brief sign of life from a player who needs to make the most of the opportunity in front of him.

Grade: C+

The Cleveland Cavaliers built another big lead and nearly maintained it the whole way in a 125-121 win over the Brooklyn Nets. It wasn’t until the final few minutes that this game became tighter than it had any business being.

There’s much to point to. A lofty 23 turnovers are the starting point. Empty possessions when you have an opportunity to hammer the final nail in the coffin are another. Either way you cut it, the Cavs are off to a sloppy start this season.

Evan Mobley began the game strong with a pair of three-pointers and a smooth bucket in the paint during the opening quarter. Similar to opening night in Philly, Jarrett Allen joined Mobley for an eight-point quarter to begin tonight’s game. The Cavs have made it a point of emphasis to involve their bigs early.

Allen even hit his first three-pointer since December of 2025.

Cleveland enjoyed better three-point shooting overall. They shot just 7-for-29 in their season opener, but began tonight 10-of-17 from deep in the first. Things certainly feel better when the ball is going through the hoop.

The Cavs rode that hot shooting to a 14-point lead going into halftime. Mobley and Allen led the team in scoring with 13 points each.

As mentioned, the final minutes became helter-skelter. The Cavs allowed the Nets to creep back into the game by forcing turnovers and slowing Cleveland’s offense to a halt. The Cavaliers turned it over eight times in the quarter while Brooklyn nailed eight three-pointers.

Their 22-point lead was whittled to two points with under 10 seconds to play. It was a near disaster that, in all honesty, still has lingering effects despite the Cavs holding on.

The Nets were led in scoring by Michael Porter Jr. with 28 points, while Julius Randle and Egor Demin combined for 43 points.

Despite all that, the Cavs got their first win of the season and are now 1-1. They host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.

The Sixers passed their first test without LeBron James, holding on to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 127-116 Saturday night.

Joel Embiid had a big second half offensively, leading the Sixers with 28 points shooing 8-of-20 from the field and posting a triple-double with 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Jaylen Brown had a strong outing on his 30th birthday, going for 27 points and five assists on 9-of-19 shooting.

VJ Edgecombe finally got some three-balls to go down and made some big plays on the glass, finishing with 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting with 13 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey had his most modest night of the season with 26 points and four assists. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the Bucks with 21.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• The Sixers tried to get the new guy up to speed as quick as possible, finding Dean Wade open in the corner on the first possession of the night. He drilled the three for his first Sixers points. Embiid threw a behind-the-back bounce pass to Edgecombe who hit a much-needed three off his own as the Sixers got off to a 10-1 start. They seemed to be having fun early, even if Maxey’s lob attempt was too high for Edgecombe.
• Milwaukee’s dribble penetration got them started. They scored 12 of their first 13 points in the paint. The Sixers were finishing possessions fairly well, but Jaquez is always able to fly in there and grab a putback or two a quarter against this team.
• Edgecombe had played great complementary basketball so far, but he had only made one three-pointer over the first two games of the season. He hit three in the opening quarter — two of them were impressively made as he was still very much nursing a shot to the groin he took a few possessions earlier.

Joel Embiid with the behind-the-back dime to VJ Edgecombe for three! pic.twitter.com/AN2B1kghu8

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) October 24, 2026

• It wasn’t a huge shock Labaron Philon Jr. didn’t play in the Sixers first two games, but it was still good to see him check in early in this one. He got an open three for his first NBA shot attempt but the good look didn’t fall. His first 3:11 shift was pretty quiet with Maxey out there running the point and Brown getting into a groove of his own. Kyle Kuzma put Adem Bona on a nasty poster, but Maxey banking in a half court kept the Sixers up nine after one.

TYRESE MAXEY. BANK SHOT FROM THE LOGO. pic.twitter.com/w2CzY1U3j9

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) October 25, 2026

Second Quarter

• Two quick threes from the Bucks started a 15-2 run to take their first lead of the night. The Sixers missed some open jumpers during this stretch, but got swatted away on a couple attempts to drive to the basket. Bona had another rough stint, picking up two quick fouls while not stopping any of the Bucks’ challengers at the rim.
• Upon returning to the game Embiid earned a trip to the line and knocked down a midrange to stop the bleeding, but the offense felt like it was falling into stagnation. They made just two of their first 15 shots, with a lot of those looks inside the arc getting bottled up.
• Ironically, it was one of the better halves the Sixers have had so far shooting the three, making 10-of-24 attempts. It helped them hang around through shaky play because everything the Bucks were getting was coming from inside the arc.

top of the key for three: pic.twitter.com/ZAiAaZtBPT

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 25, 2026

• Coming out of a timeout, the Sixers forced a loose ball that made it’s way to Brown, who threw a gorgeous full-court bounce pass to Maxey to complete the fast break. Embiid was then able to steal the ball as the Bucks were trying to get out of the backcourt and made a nice find to a cutting Jabari Walker, who’s layup drew a foul.

TURNING DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE x2 pic.twitter.com/U79e3i5Q6b

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) October 25, 2026

• Brown drilled another three from the corner, but they surrendered a second-chance opportunity to Ryan Rollins and put Kel’el Ware at the line with five seconds left in the half. The Bucks had a 13-8 edge in second-chance points and a 19-5 advantage in fast break points, but they trailed the Sixers by four at the half.

Third Quarter

• Brown was able to draw Myles Turner’s fourth foul of the night on a drive to the basket, but Edgecombe picked up his fourth just as quickly trying to get around a screen and was subbed out. A couple baskets from Tyler Herro put the Bucks on the seesaw with the Sixers early in the half.
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was favoring his back after a play in the first quarter and did a bit again after drawing an offensive foul in the third. It will be worth keeping tabs on if that impacts his availability for the second half of this back-to-back.
• Giving the ball to one of their stars has already got the Sixers’ offense out of quite a few pinches already this season. All three of Embiid, Maxey and Brown were able to get themselves a bucket as they struggled to get separation. A couple quick threes and Ware stripping Embiid for a fast break bucket kept Milwaukee right on their tails.

Jaylen Brown is absolutely cooking tonight, leading the floor with 22 points on 7-13 FG, 2-4 3PT shooting so far (midway through Q3) 🔥 pic.twitter.com/cHUp1cUN7x

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) October 25, 2026

• The moments of ball movement they did get looked really good when it did happen. Embiid chucked a pass over his head to hit Brown in the corner, who swung it one more time to KCP who buried another three. Coming out of that timeout rookie Nate Ament missed a pair of free throws to give the fans free chicken for the second straight game.
• It’s worth nothing that after that timeout Nick Nurse went to Walker at the five instead of Bona. Walker seemed to tweak his ankle quickly into his shift. He was able to tough it out to split the pair at the line to remain eligible in the game, but subbed right out and went to the locker room. Maxey hit a beautiful stepback midrange to give the Sixers a 10-point lead after the third.

Fourth Quarter

• It seemed like the Sixers wanted to put this one away as quickly as they could. After another nice driving basket from Brayden Burries, Anfernee Simons drilled a three for his first field goal of the night, then Maxey got all the way to the cup, prompting a Bucks timeout. Edgecombe, back after having to sit most of the third, drilled his fourth three of the night coming out of the timeout.

👌👌 pic.twitter.com/Ks0GzUnry8

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 25, 2026

• After the home opener Nick Nurse made a mention of how much he’s like Embiid getting to loose balls this season, and it has been noticeable how many more 50/50 balls he’s getting to this season. He had four offensive rebounds in this one. An Embiid that’s focused on winning those possessions is just as important as his dynamic scoring ability, which was also on display through the middle of the fourth.
• Offensively the Sixers put themselves in a good position to pull away with the game, but their defense had begun to slip. So much so that they called a timeout when the Bucks cut it to an eight-point game with four minutes to go. They used that to bring Maxey back in but also had to use that time to steal Embiid a bit of rest on the bench.
• Nurse went small with Wade at the five to give Embiid that breather. Wade drew a foul shooting a three and didn’t seem to land comfortably at all. He went on to miss two of three at the line. Brown had a three that would have stopped the bleeding rim out halfway down. Embiid checked back into a six-point game with two and half to go with Jaquez drawing Edgecombe’s fifth foul of the game.
• Fumbling away an offensive rebound led to a Ware putback that drew Embiid’s fourth foul and cut it to a one-possession game. Edgecombe was able to grab the missed midrange by Embiid and Brown was able to knock down the open three this time. Edgecombe was also able to brush past Embiid picking up a cheap fifth foul by stealing the ball from Jaquez, pushing it up for a KCP three in transition and putting this one to bed.

A MASSIVE effort sequence from VJ Edgecombe who may have just secured the win for the Sixers.

On one end, a huge offensive board that leads to a triple. On the other, a steal that leads to a transition 3. pic.twitter.com/Ntre14E7Jd

— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) October 25, 2026

Darius Garland and the Los Angeles Clippers struggled to keep control of the ball throughout their crosstown rivalry game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Oct. 23.

The Lakers (2-0) capitalized on those mistakes by the Clippers (1-1) and earned a 125-117 victory at Crypto.com Arena.

The Clippers gave up 26 turnovers, including nine by Garland. It was a drastic increase from the 17 turnovers the team had in the 121-96 season-opening victory over the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 21.

The Clippers finished the first quarter against the Lakers with a 31-27 lead but had eight turnovers take place during that period.

The Clippers had only allowed nine total turnovers in the first half against the Kings.

Clippers crumbled vs Lakers

Lue’s team crumbled in the third quarter against the Lakers, giving up 10 turnovers and were outscored 39-26.

“We had to be better,” Lue said. “They did a couple things, but we got to take care of the basketball.

“You can’t play against a good team and turn it over 26 times and expect to win the game. We fought, we played hard, but we didn’t play smart.”

The Lakers scored 33 points off those turnovers.

The Clippers will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder, the toughest test for the team so far this season, on Sunday, Oct. 25.

Through the first two games of the season, the Thunder have proven to have players that could generate turnover opportunities.

The Thunder forced 13 turnovers, including three steals by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, during their NBA Finals rematch against the San Antonio Spurs to open the season.

The Thunder improved to 2-0 on the season after Ajay Mitchell and Cason Wallace combined for nine steals against the Denver Nuggets, who turned the ball over 22 times.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Clippers have glaring issue to fix before Thunder game, 'We didn’t play smart'

Let’s open the season at home on a much different note than that first game.

If you don’t have the SB Nation app, it comes in real handy for Game Threads. Just sayin’! You’ll see our team commenting more during the game now. Why? Because we have the app!

If you haven’t downloaded the SB Nation app yet, now is the time.

Game Threads are so much better in the app, and with Suns basketball back, you’re going to want to be there with us!

📱 iOS: https://t.co/rlWLl9wrHL

📱 Android: https://t.co/4XngVKJDjK

— Bright Side of the Sun (@BrightSideSun) October 5, 2026

The Lakers (2-0) head to Salt Lake City where they will face the Utah Jazz (1-1) on Sunday afternoon.

The purple and gold will take on a Jazz team that’s coming off a thrilling one-point over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz

When: 2 p.m. PT, Oct 25

Where: Delta Center

Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet

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Over the past few seasons, the Lakers and Jazz have built a strong working relationship on the trade market.

The trend started in 2022, when Los Angeles sought a point-of-attack defender and acquired Patrick Beverley for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson. That season — which was Westbrook’s second year with the Lakers — was such a disaster that, at the trade deadline in 2023, the Jazz stepped in to facilitate a three-team deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The trade sent Westbrook to Utah and brought D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to Los Angeles.

Importantly, the Jazz also played an instrumental role in bringing Luka Dončić to Los Angeles by being the third team that acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino and draft assets to help give the Lakers flexibility to do the trade. Apparently, current Jazz CEO Danny Ainge had no idea he was helping the Lakers acquire Dončić was which was incredibly hilarious.

It doesn’t stop there. In the offseason, the Jazz also helped the Lakers land their biggest offseason signing by trading Walker Kessler.

Suffice it to say, both teams have helped shape each other into what they are today.

Thank you for Walker, Utah!

Two games into the season, Kessler is showing why Dončić wanted to play with him. Not only has he quickly become the team’s defensive anchor but also the perfect big alongside Dončić and Austin offensively. While it’s too early to draw any firm conclusions, the Lakers’ willingness to give up a substantial package for the 25-year-old center is already looking more justified.

WALKER KESSLER DOES IT AGAIN 🚨

After going 12-12 from the field with 10 dunks (most by a Laker since Shaq) in his debut, @WalkerKessler13 delivered a dominant all-around performance to push LA to 2-0!

22 PTS | 10-14 FGM | 8 REB | 3 STL | 6 BLK pic.twitter.com/3wGnS6oG6V

— NBA (@NBA) October 24, 2026

On Sunday, Kessler returns to the city he called home for four years. There’s no doubt that Jazz head coach Will Hardy will know how to game plan against him best, so it’s going to be interesting to see how that goes.

Kessler’s return will for sure be the headline of the afternoon.

Utah will be L.A.’s toughest opponent yet

There’s something about a 2 p.m. tip-off in Utah that screams trap game. While it’s only right to expect this Lakers team to avoid the trap, they’ll still be presented with a challenge. Facing a Jazz team this early in the season — when they’re not exactly motivated to tank yet — will be tougher than facing the Golden State Warriors and L.A. Clippers.

Aside from George and Collier, the Jazz have this year’s second overall pick in Darryn Peterson and last year’s fifth overall pick in Ace Bailey. In the frontcourt, former Defensive Player of the Year awardee Jaren Jackson Jr. is off to a productive start this season. This Jazz team has promising young talent and a frontcourt that can create matchup problems for opponents.

That said, while the Jazz have plenty of offensive firepower, their defense remains a concern. They surrendered 123 points in their season opener against the Grizzlies, including 23 in transition alone. In their win over the Pelicans, they blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead. There are clear weaknesses the Lakers can exploit, and that’s where their superior talent should give them the edge.

Ideally, the Lakers enter this match with the same sense of urgency that they’ve had over the last two games. Dončić should be in line for a bounce-back outing while hopefully Reaves and Kessler carry their momentum into this matchup. L.A.‘s role players also have the talent advantage so that should be the case in this match.

Let’s see if the Lakers can secure their first road win of the season and make Kessler’s return to Utah a special one on Sunday.

Notes and Updates

• On Dončić and Reaves, both had a total of 17 turnovers in the win against the Clippers. Look for both team to improve on that versus the Jazz.
• For the Lakers’ injury report, Cameron Carr (right Oblique strain) and Adou Thiero (left knee effusion) remain out.
• Jake LaRavia, who was out last game due to a right ankle sprain, is no longer in it which means he’s cleared to play on Sunday.
• As for the Jazz, Jusuf Nurkic (right second plantar plate tear) is out.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

CLEVELAND — Surrendering a 29-point lead in the season opener to a conference rival wasn’t exactly how the Cleveland Cavaliers drew up the start of their season.

“It sucks, it’s frustrating,” Mario Hezonja said two days after the loss.

As maddening as that loss was for the Cavs — especially after how last season ended against the New York Knicks — being able to play with leads is a skill. And it’s a skill that is becoming more important to learn in a league that large comebacks are seemingly more common than ever. The Detroit Pistons erased a 22-point deficit to defeat the Boston Celtics on opening day. And the Knicks and Indiana Pacers had incredible success the last two postseasons due in part to their ability to overcome large deficits.

Practically speaking, there’s two reasons why we’re seeing teams surrender leads.

“Live-ball turnovers are up, and three-point variance,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said when asked why we’re seeing more comebacks.

“That’s the NBA. People shoot so many threes, so you got a lot of variance. You got the turnovers, and you got the rebounding. It all equals a possession game.”

Atkinson used Thursday’s game as an example of that. In the first half, the Philadelphia 76ers had eight more turnovers than the Cavs. In the second half, the Cavs had 13 more giveaways than the Sixers. “You lose the possession game, now they got more opportunities. Now a big lead can evaporate.”

There’s also a mental component to playing with a lead that the Cavs need to master.

“There’s a ton of a particular mental training that you have to have for that,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said when asked about playing with a lead. “I think when people look at leads, they automatically think you are the sole reason why a team is up big when in reality the other team is just as much a culprit of why they’re down 22 as to why you’re up 22. So I think it’s a dual relationship to a lead.”

The Cavs are trying to change how they view leads like this.

“Just because you have a 30, 20 point lead doesn’t mean anything really,” Hezonja said. “You got to treat it as a 10-point lead or no lead at all mentally.”

Another theory for why we’re seeing more blown leads could be tied to the stakes of the game as well. Playoff games and opening night mean more than your run-of-the-mill January game.

“I think when they’re meaningful games, you have to focus and really execute, and it’s just not an easy thing,” Brooklyn Nets head coach Fernández said.

Poor execution in the second half is to blame for the lost lead to the 76ers. Particularly when the Sixers increased pressure on the ball handler. The Cavs went away from what was working.

“They changed the matchups a little bit, and we should have exposed it and used it against them,” Hezonja said. “But it turned out that they slowed us down and we kind of went away from Evan [Mobley] and Jarett [Alen] paint touches.”

Atkinson summed up this problem in one sentence: “Pass to the open man.”

“Don’t fight pressure, go away from pressure,” Atkinson said. “Sometimes going away from pressure means throwing it to your buddy who’s wide open, and then you gain the advantage that way. But if you try to fight pressure, you can turn it over. So that was a big part of our film session — pass to the open man.”

The Cavs are hoping to use the frustrating opening-night loss as something they can grow from. This isn’t the only time they will have a big lead against a strong opponent in a high-leverage game. And they might not be able to afford a loss in that game like they were on Thursday.

“I’m glad that we got that out of the way because there’s things that we implemented in practice in the 36 hours since,” Peyton Watson said, “and we’re going to be better.”

The Hawks aim to kickstart their home schedule with a win over the Houston Rockets.

Hawks starting lineup:

G CJ McCollum

G Nickeil Alexander-Walker

F Dyson Daniels

F Jalen Johnson

C Onyeka Okongwu

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Start Time: 8:30 PM EDT

TV: Peachtree TV (WPCH), Atlanta News First (WANF)

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)

Streaming:Amazon Prime, NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)

The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to rebound as they host the Brooklyn Nets for their home opener.

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Only 22 1/2 hours after tipping off in Austin against the Houston Rockets, the Spurs have headed up IH-35 to face their other in-state rival, the Dallas Mavericks, while still in search of their elusive first win of the season. They won’t have any excuse not to get it tonight, with the Mavericks also coming off the second night of a back-to-back and sending out an extensive injury report that includes Cooper Flagg, Derek Lively and Santi Aldama as out and Spurs-killer Kyrie Irving and Zaccharie Risacher as questionable.

No new injuries were added for the Spurs, who should be hungry for win number 1 after getting embarrassed on opening night against the Thunder and suffering a heartbreaker at the buzzer last night when Amen Thompson blocked Victor Wembanyama’s game-tying attempt. The Spurs showed plenty of improvement in that game from game 1 but still ultimately shot themselves in the foot with poor free throw shooting.

Regardless of the two losses, it hasn’t felt like there has been any reason to panic since we already know what this team is capable of. Against the Thunder, it was a case of the Spurs just being extremely cold from three while the OKC could hardly have been hotter, while they simply needed to make the free throws to beat Houston and didn’t. A banged-up Mavs squad feels like the perfect opponent to get right and then go from there.

Game Prediction

De’Aaron Fox does NOT get in any kind of squirmish for the first time this season.

San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks
October 24, 2026 | 7:00 PM CT
Streaming: League Pass
TV: DAZN
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

Houston Rockets vs. Atlanta Hawks

October 24th, 2026

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta GA

Time: 7:30 PM CST

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790 / KLTN 102.9 (en español)

Probable Starters

Rockets: Reed Sheppard? Tari Eason? Bruce Thornton? Bog Bog?, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun

Hwaks: CJ “Gollum” McCollum, Nikeil Alexander-Crawler-Walker-Runner, Dyson “Sphere” Daniels, Jalen Jalenson, Onyeka Okongwuxia

UPDATE: Varun Shankar of the Chronicle reports that Marcus Smart is out tonight, Reed Sheppard is playing, and no one knows who will start at PG.

The Dallas Mavericks (1-1) play host to the somehow winless 2026 Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs (0-2) on Saturday night. Dallas is coming home after thumping the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. The Spurs are visiting Dallas after a painful loss to the Houston Rockets. Both teams are playing on the second end of a back-to-back. Here’s what else you need to know:

• WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs
• WHAT: The home opener for the 2026-27 season
• WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
• WHEN: 7:00 pm CST
• HOW: KFAA

The injury report is one very familiar to Dallas fans who suffered through last season. Cooper Flagg is likely to miss the next 4 games or more, including this one, after suffering an AC joint sprain when he was fouled from behind on Friday night. Kyrie Irving is also missing this one, likely part of planned rest as he’s returning from his 2024 ACL tear. Then on top of that, they’re missing Santi Aldama and Dereck Lively, but you probably could’ve assumed at least the first guy. Caleb Martin is out as is Tarik Biberovic. That leaves head coach Dusty May witha short bench. The Spurs are giving Tobias Harris the night off, but that’s all.

This one might be ugly. The Spurs lost last night in kind of embarassing fashion and the Mavericks are in front of San Antonio next. Look for Victor Wembanyama to go off. But on the flip side, this means we should get a long look at all the newer Mavericks, including Marcus Sasser, Sergio De Larrea, and Morez Johnson. Don’t let this one get you down and who knows, maybe Dallas will surprise us!

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