The Golden State Warriors were already without one star. Now they’ll be without their Most Valuable Player candidate, Stephen Curry, for the short-term future, too.

The Warriors announced Thursday, Nov. 12 that an MRI confirmed Curry suffered an oblique abdominal tear and added that he would be reevaluated in two weeks. The injury took place Wednesday, Nov. 11 in an eventual 115-108 loss against the Houston Rockets.

Curry walked off the floor midway through the first quarter, clearly grimacing and favoring his right side.

The sequence took place just 5:35 into the game. Curry had scored 3 points on 1-of-3 shooting by that point. He did not return to the floor for the rest of the first quarter, and he was not back at the bench area to start the second period.

ANALYSIS: What does Curry injury mean for Warriors? Can they weather the storm?

The Warriors announced minutes into the second quarter that Curry would not return for the rest of the game with right abdominal soreness.

After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that Curry said he “tweaked something in his abdominal area,” which Curry told Kerr he had never done before. Kerr added that “concern is high” though he reiterated that he had no idea of the extent of the injury.

During the game, Curry did have a collision with Rockets forward Amen Thompson earlier in the game, when Curry had driven to the hoop on an attempted layup. Then, Curry had been fighting off a screen against Rockets center Alperen Şengün. As soon as that sequence ended, Curry once again grabbed his side.

Finally, just moments before he left the game, Curry curled around a screen and put up a 3-point shot. As soon as he landed and stepped backwards, he grabbed at his right side, near his hip.

Curry had been in the midst of a renaissance and had been elevating the play of the Warriors, who entered Wednesday night 8-3, which was tied for the third best record in the Western Conference.

Prior to suffering the injury, Curry was averaging 30.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in nine appearances. He was converting 3-pointers at a blistering 45.7%, which would mark a career-high. His scoring total entering Wednesday night had ranked second in the NBA, behind only Luka Dončić’s historic 39.3 points per game, for all players with at least five games played.

The Warriors were already without Jimmy Butler, who has missed the start of the season as he rehabs the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in January 2026.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors reveal Stephen Curry injury diagnosis after MRI on abdomen

CJ McCollum hit the game-winning shot in the Atlanta Hawks' Game 3 victory over the New York Knicks in the first round of last year's playoffs.

Not only does he remember that shot, but he remembers enjoying being a guest on Prime Video's "NBA Nightcap" postgame show where he appeared in his pajamas and the hosts joked he put the Knicks "to sleep." They all laughed about his role of villain as his son popped in to say hello.

The party doesn't have to stop there as NBA on Prime announced on Thursday, Nov. 12 that the 14-year veteran guard will be a player commentator for several programs this season starting with "NBA Nightcap" on Friday, Nov. 13.

"The conversation and team analysis that night was really fun," he told USA TODAY Sports of the postgame memories, "and I thought the chemistry was there, and I felt like it made a lot of sense (for me to join the Prime team). And I have a great appreciation for what NBA on Prime is doing, what the crew is doing, and how they educate and share authentic analysis."

McCollum, 35, majored in journalism at Lehigh University and has experience hosting his own podcast with "The CJ McCollum Show" and "Pull Up with CJ McCollum."

Among Prime's All-Star team of talent that he is joining is a mix of longtime broadcasters, including Kevin Harlan, and basketball greats like Udonis Haslem, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Candace Parker. McCollum said the team is "a really cool atmosphere, really great environment of people that I respect and admire."

"They're very honest. They watch the game. They're students of the game. They’re people who appreciate the game and they do a great job of describing why certain things are happening," he continued. "... When you have that group of professionals who have played the game, have talked the game, have lived the game, have been around it and seen it for so long, you get various impactful moments where viewers are able to really get a glimpse of what's actually happening, why it's happening, in an insightful way that they can digest."

McCollum appreciates the craft of journalism and how showing the human element of any story brings people together. As journalism continues to face industry challenges, the 2016 Most Improved Player has hope.

"Storytelling is vital. I think it makes the world a better place," he said. "Being able to hear people's stories, being able to see people's journeys not just in the sports world but in life, I think is something that we all can appreciate.

"And journalism isn't dying. It's just evolving. But I think the people who move with integrity, who do things the right way and really appreciate the craft are continuing to thrive for sure."

McCollum shared with USA TODAY Sports some thoughts about various NBA topics as a sneak peek of what fans can expect from him as a guest commentator on Prime Video.

CJ McCollum on Hawks' season so far, scoring 17k points, Jalen Johnson's success

McCollum re-signed with the Hawks this summer after joining the team from the Washington Wizards last season in the Trae Young trade. He remains a veteran leader even as he is coming off the bench and reached the 17,000 points mark when he scored 21 in Atlanta's loss on Monday, Nov. 9 to the Los Angeles Lakers.

"It means a lot," he said of reaching the scoring mark. "It's a sign of longevity, being able to be around for a long time and play at a high level. It’s a sign of hard work and appreciation for the sport. But it’s also a sign of playing with good teammates, good coaching staff, people that have been able to help me get the best out of my talent and utilize a lot of the resources that we have around us and turn that into some success on the court."

Jalen Johnson is a rising star for Atlanta who helped the Hawks get to a four-game winning streak before the loss. On Saturday, Nov. 7, the 24-year-old scored 30 points in his return from an ankle injury to help with a comeback win over the Brooklyn Nets.

"Obviously, the scoring speaks for itself," McCollum said. "His vision, I think, could be one of his best traits. He's a great passer, leading transition, elite on the break, great paint finisher, and a guy who rebounds at a high level as well. And I think he's a guy that really appreciates the game, is a student of the game, studies it, lives it, and I think the sky is the limit for him."

Atlanta was on full display last month when the Atlanta Dream made it to the WNBA Finals. Angel Reese and company lost the championship to the Golden State Valkyries, but made headlines with performances from Quavo, Big Boi and a heartwarming national anthem from T.I.'s daughter, Heiress Harris.

McCollum pointed out that, at the time of the interview, the Usher and Chris Brown tour was in town and the Atlanta Falcons were in the middle of the NFL season as extra reason that the city was the place to be.

"The energy is always high in Atlanta," he said. "... Atlanta's in a really great place. It's obviously a place of its own, where you have food, you have culture, you have people from different walks of life."

CJ McCollum on Damian Lillard's comeback

Something this season that NBA fans were anticipating was the return of Damian Lillard. McCollum was teammates with the nine-time All-Star on the Portland Trail Blazers, where they both started their careers. McCollum was there for eight seasons before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans midway though the 2021-22 season.

Lillard tore his Achilles tendon in the 2025 playoffs with the Milwaukee Bucks and missed the entirety of last season after going back to Portland. In his comeback this fall, he's averaging 20 points per game, had two 25-point efforts and his jumpshot still looks like water.

McCollum was not surprised "at all."

"I think there was uncertainty from the outside. But for people that knew Dame, know his work ethic, his diligence, his approach to things, we knew he was going to have this type of comeback," he said. "He's worked extremely hard, and I'm thankful and happy to be his friend and have played with him for so long. And to see him be able to overcome something like this is not surprising at all.

"I've seen how he's worked. (We’ve) been in contact with each other consistently. That's my guy, spent some time together in Oregon when I was out there in the summer, and this is a guy who takes his craft very seriously. He’s a pro’s pro, takes care of his body, takes care of his mind, and he's in a great space being home again and being back in Oregon, where it all started, that I think is a match made in heaven for him, and I'm happy to see him thriving."

CJ McCollum on NBA apron conversation, Fred VanVleet as new NBPA president

Another hot topic of conversation in the NBA is the second apron, which was established in the 2023 collective bargaining agreement when McCollum was president of the NBPA. The rule creates what can be compared to a hard salary cap that has firm penalties if exceeded.

"The conception of this years ago was more about creating parity," McCollum said, "owners, teams, the union coming to an agreement that there needed to be some changes within the systems of how to strengthen some of the lower tier markets."

The second apron has been criticized for doing too much to squash superteams and breaking up championship rosters. Bruce Brown specifically said that he had trouble in free agency and teams were using the second apron as a reason not to sign him. Karl-Anthony Towns, who won the NBA Finals with the Knicks last season, also said he's had difficulties getting a contract he thinks he's worthy of.

McCollum said that only three years into the new CBA, it's too early to determine if a rule like the second apron is working.

"When you're creating something, you don't necessarily know how it's going to turn out, obviously," he continued. "And as you kind of go through something, you kind of figure out the amendments that need to take place, make sure that teams aren't being punished for drafting well.

"... We're only a few years into it. There's more things that need to be evaluated. It's hard to project what types of impacts something like an apron is going to have on the actual management and construction of a roster and how that affects contracts in the long run. But I think you need more data, more information to truly judge whether or not you're heading in the right direction."

Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet became NBPA president in 2025 and McCollum applauded his successor's handling of the role.

"He's doing a phenomenal job," he said. "A guy who's very mature, has continued to figure out ways to help build the business of basketball, collaborating with the NBA from a partnership standpoint. I think he's doing an excellent job. I think his leadership, obviously, on the basketball court, but his leadership off the court is something that people respect, his peers respect, and excited to see what he continues to do for not only our players but also for the league."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CJ McCollum joins NBA on Prime crew, discusses role on Hawks, Damian Lillard's comeback

There’s this popular belief known as the Law of Averages. While it’s not a recognized theorem in the mathematical world, it’s a common saying that refers to the idea that if something happens more or less often than it should, logic says things will eventually balance back out and return to normal. It’s a fallacy in the gambling world; if you keep flipping a coin and it keeps landing on tails, that doesn’t mean the odds are better it will land on heads the next time because each individual flip is a separate event with no relationship to another. The same applies if you keep starting a card game over with a full or new deck — your odds of winning don’t improve just because it’s been a while since you last won, because this hand has no relationship to the last.

However, one place where averages and the “laws” that go with them do often apply is basketball. While still technically a mathematical fallacy, one thing about sports is more than anything, it comes down to talent, and across a large sample size, the numbers do in fact tell a story. Sure, each individual game is a separate event from each other, but it’s the same players with the same skillset going through the same motions, so there is in fact a relationship across the separate events, and more often than not, they will do close to what the numbers say they will.

Of course, there are always outliers and unexpected events — sports wouldn’t be any fun if everything always went as expected — and that’s exactly what happened last night in the first half between the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls. The Spurs were on a nine-game winning against what we can all probably admit is not the most difficult stretch of schedule ever, but they were walking into a potential trap game considering it was against a team on a seven-game losing streak, and the Law of Averages says one of those streaks is getting closer to ending, right? It was also the end of a four-game road trip, things have been too easy on said-trip, and they may have been looking ahead to Friday’s Cup match against the Warriors (which may have lost some luster if Steph Curry is out after appearing to injure his abdomen last night night against the Rockets).

Other than a flurry from three and a hot start from De’Aaron Fox briefly keeping them in it, the Spurs quickly found themselves falling behind while the Bulls were insanely hot through the first 18 minutes of the game. They shot 17-20 (or 85%) from the field in the first quarter and at one point were shooting 83% from both the field AND three in the second. While the Spurs’ effort wasn’t what you’d call admirable, I was never too worried during the first half because I knew the Law of Averages would eventually take over.

No team, not even the Warriors of a decade ago, can keep up those types of numbers for an entire game, let alone a team as bad as these Bulls. They got the lead as high as 22 in the first half, but the Spurs weathered the storm and waited for their numbers to start averaging back to the mean while knowing they had a another gear they could turn on. They used a run before halftime to cut the deficit to a very manageable 14 points while the Bulls’ numbers starting dropping (they were “only” shooting 67% by the midway mark), took their presumed licking from Mitch Johnson in the locker room, then came out firing in the second half.

As the Spurs returned to their normal selves, the Bulls were understandably overwhelmed, knowing they had already given their best shot and the Law of Averages had now taken its hold. Victor Wembanyama went back to demoralizing teams with an unstoppable presence at the rim, balanced out by taking (and making) timely jumpers within the flow of the offense. By the end of the game, everything was as it should be: the Spurs won while shooting 50% from the field (38% from three), and while the Bulls still ended with impressive final numbers (58% and 52%, respectively) thanks to their otherworldly first half, they made five fewer field goals thanks in part to coughing the ball up 19 times compared to the Spurs’ 6. The Law of Averages was alive and well for the Spurs 10th straight victory.

Or, you know, maybe that had nothing to do with it at all and there was just something off with the Bulls’ court. You could have watched that game and simply concluded that, based on the massive swings in shooting each team took from half-to-half, “Right rim good, left rim bad.”

Takeaways

• “Oh, Wemby had 32 points on 13-18 shooting, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks? Ho hum, just another day at the office.” Yes, we have reached that point with him. His numbers have been so outlandish and even historical lately that I hardly even noticed him last night. And while it’s fun to see opposing fans oohing and awing, we’re just like, “He dunked from the free throw line? Nothing new.”
• You know how else you know someone has arrived at greatness? When the haters start hating. “He’s 7’7”, he should have a post game to be great!” Wemby starts dominating in the paint: “So what? He’s just tall!” The funniest “rage” tweet I saw recently was one dude complaining that he can “only” handle 25 minutes per game, so he must not be in good shape. No bro, that’s just a result of all the blowouts and him not needing any more minutes. And if he was playing into extended garbage time, you’d just accuse him of stat padding. As the old saying goes, “Haters gonna hate, Spurs gonna win”.
• I think it’s officially time that we put Fox’s poor finals performance behind us. We all know he was playing on one leg, and while he had a couple of massive gaffes, he wasn’t the only one who messed up or cost them the series; it was a team effort. (I even pointed out in a comment on a Feed post yesterday that had the Finals gone any further, Wemby would have a Draymond Green mark on his legacy because he more than likely would have been suspended for Game 6 for flagrant accumulation — and that was after he was lucky to avoid it after Game 3. The league wasn’t going to bail him out twice.) But back to Fox, he has been a tremendous steadying present for this still-young squad, with Stephon Castle in a bit of a funk right now and Dylan Harper playing very well overall but still streaky from quarter to quarter. It’s time we get back to remembering and appreciating the good Fox brings, which far outweighs a couple of bad plays on a bum ankle.
• The strength of schedule of the Spurs’ start to the season may not be the strongest, but it has been exhausting, at least for me. Three back-to-backs in the first 10 games, 12 of the first 20 with tip-off times at 8:00 or later — it’s been brutal for my sleep schedule. That’s why last night’s 7:00 tip-off time was the most amazing feeling ever. I watched, it ended, then I went to bed at my normal time (or what now feels early), and I’m relatively fresh for a Thursday morning. The good news is after game 20 — 8:30 against the Lakers on Black Friday — the Spurs won’t have another game with a tip-off time later than 7 until #42 on January 20: their first game back from the Europe trip.

I distinctly remember the 2022-23 Utah Jazz, the first season for current Head Coach Will Hardy, starting out the season 10-3, with Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson leading the recently blown-up roster that, for the first time in half a decade, did not feature Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert. There were conversations in NBA media — on podcasts, in blogs, in my college dining hall (NBA media is everywhere) — about if the Jazz would be able to tank properly, as they clearly had planned to coming into the season. Maybe Hardy was just too good a coach; maybe this would be a mid-2010s Celtics situation with Brad Stevens and that weird Jeff Green and Avery Bradley team, when it became clear that they had to compete because tanking was just off the table. Danny Ainge ran that team, and Danny Ainge runs this team. It was all lining up.

Nope! They figured out how to tank just fine. Hardy got his ducks in a row, and successfully tanked not just for the rest of 2022-23, but for 2024, 2025 and 2026, making the Jazz, by my calculation, the only team other than The Process 76ers that has unapologetically tanked for four consecutive seasons. And they get one-fifth the hate they deserve for it.

But they might be getting all the karma. The 2026-27 Jazz have kicked off their first USDA-certified “not tanking” campaign by going 1-11 in their first 12 games. Their single win was a one-point home victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, a disasterclass in their own right, and have since ripped off 10 straight losses despite finally putting out a roster that looks like it could do something other than intentionally lose. 

Maybe they’re just tanking again. Maybe Will Hardy, who coached zero winning seasons on his first contract but still signed a contract extension through 2031, will coach through all nine years of both contracts and maintain his illustrious .326 career winning percentage. Has all this tanking been for nothing? Has all this glorious “development” wrought by a half-decade so disgusting that the NBA had to change its lottery rules resulted in … this? Is the team really just injured? Are they actually tanking again? Or do they just suck?

Their main “hey we’re actually trying now” acquisition was Jaren Jackson Jr., who promptly tore his MCL and will be out 6-8 weeks from October 27, but the team isn’t bad enough on paper for that to fully explain what’s going on. Their roster has lots of premium talent … on paper, but that talent simply hasn’t translated to wins at any point in the last four years or in the first 10 games of this season. Their efficiency is horrendous, 28th in team shooting percentage, but look closer: they’re 29th in offensive rating, 29th in true shooting percentage and 29th in effective field goal percentage. Don’t know (or don’t care) what any of that means? Also fine! Their team point differential is currently -11.5, which is WORSE THAN LAST YEAR when it was -8.4. They were 22-60 last year.

Are any of these first-round picks actually going to pan out? Thus far, I have no clue if Keyonte George can put up numbers on any kind of good team, and top-10 picks Cody Williams and Taylor Hendricks never returned on their draft slots, the latter perhaps due to a horrific injury before his career ever got off the ground that wasn’t anybody’s fault. But you don’t get infinite shots at this, and Ace Bailey and Darryn Peterson must be elite players if the Jazz want to be anything more than a mediocre home for 90-second, not-even-that-cool Lauri Markkanan/Keyonte George highlight videos.

Perhaps Utah is just the NBA example of my rookie quarterback theory in the NFL of “you either have it or you don’t,” in that I don’t really care if a guy sits behind some veteran starter for a year or if he starts immediately; those who advocate for QBs sitting a year are simply hiding behind an undefeatable Catch-22, in which (stay with me now) successful QBs that sit must have succeeded because they sat … and unsuccessful QBs who didn’t sit should have sat … while unsuccessful QBs who sat were just always going to be bad. I reject this notion, and declare that all good QBs were always going to be good and all bad QBs were always going to be bad. Maybe the four years of horrendous Utah Jazz basketball were just evidence that they were always going to be bad.

Because truly, we had no evidence in the last four seasons that a Lauri Markkanan-captained team was a winning basketball team. He’s a fine player, but he’s inefficient and a big man who doesn’t really rebound or protect the rim or rebound while his 3-point numbers have deteriorated the last two seasons. And none of the basketball he’s played in his entire career has mattered. Ever. You’ll struggle to find the “playoffs” tab on his basketball reference page, because it doesn’t exist. Not in Chicago, nor Cleveland nor Utah — Markkanan has never appeared in a playoff game.

Institutionalized losing does things to players. It torpedoed an entire generation of 76ers draft picks, teaching them that playing was optional and winning was not the goal. Building was the goal, like they were simulating through an NBA2K MyLeague and could just keep getting better forever until they win the NBA Finals because the game’s code says they should. That’s not how the real world works. I’m worried the Jazz have four popped tires, a busted-up engine and no tail lights; they don’t even realize it, and just merged onto the highway. 

I wanted this team to be good. I loved Peterson in the draft and would have taken him number one, but this team is awful. Legitimately awful, and somebody better yank the steering wheel and course-correct soon. Otherwise … uh, they’ll have officially tanked for longer than The Process 76ers. Not a record you want to have.

Welcome to the Fawning or Warning?, a fortnightly feature where I muse on all things Milwaukee Bucks, however explicitly or tangentially related, and determine if they’re worth fawning over or if they’re a warning sign of something going awry.

NBA Lowlights

Just a few weeks ago—and for as long as I can remember—NBA.com enabled fans to see specific clips of every game’s action via its play-by-play section. You could even download these clips—it’s how so many content creators did their thing. Heck, it’s how we’ve been able to add footage to complement our writing. In a press conference following the NBA Board of Governors meeting in 2025, Adam Silver seemed to embrace it too:

There’s a huge amount of our content that people can essentially consume for free. This is very much a highlights-based sport. So, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter — you name it — any service, the New York Times, for that matter, your content is not behind a paid firewall. There’s an enormous amount of content out there — YouTube — another example, that is advertising-based, that consumers can consume.

Now, it seems, things have changed. Play-by-plays are no longer hyperlinked and other avenues, including accessing players’ “Video and Shot Charts,” like this one of Tyler Herro’s against the Indiana Pacers, are now strictly shot charts (and other data). Why the NBA has chosen this route is unclear. If it’s simply a matter of copyright, that’s completely fair. But that doesn’t explain the sudden change. If it’s a technical issue—the league rebuilding how it stores clips (or something similar)—why do it now, at the start of the season?

Either way, it’s the fan who suffers. Once again.

Verdict: Warning.

Veteran Privilege and Big Problems

Through the season’s first few weeks, Taylor Jenkins has leaned on his veterans as starters. Before the Lakers game, and excluding absences due to injury or rest, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kyle Kuzma, and Myles Turner had started every game—the only players on the team to do so. They also occupy the top four spots in minutes per game, averaging four more per night than the next closest Buck (Ryan Rollins). On the one hand, this is understandable. As the team’s most tested players, they are positioned to fare better against other teams’ best players. Moreover, as the team’s elder statesmen, they are best equipped to demonstrate the on-court skill, intelligence, and habits you want the impressionable younger players to develop. That is, to lead.

At least, they should be.

So far, Herro and Jaquez get a pass. But Turner and Kuzma have been anything but consistently productive starters. Turner has regressed from last season’s lows, shooting just 32.9% from the field and 25.5% from three, and has been far more noticeable for what he’s not doing than what he is. To put it bluntly, he’s labouring out there—and not in the “hard work” kind of way. I won’t even get started on his rebounding. Kuzma has had his moments, including his recent 27-point explosion against the Boston Celtics, but even that was more fool’s gold than anything sustainable—and it didn’t take long before the quality shots that went in became heat checks that didn’t (and cost the team dearly on the other end). Against the New York Knicks, things only got worse; against the Lakers, he shot 2/8, had more turnovers than assists and rebounds combined, and “led” the team in plus/minus at -22.

Compounding the issue, it seems there are rules for some and not for others. Rollins was pulled after his poor play to start the year, moving to a bench role and seeing his court time drastically reduce: 26.0 MPG as a starter versus 18.8 MPG off the bench. Turner and Kuzma, however, have seen steady minutes regardless of how they’ve played. Regarding the latter, with Nate Ament impressing and Ousmane Dieng barely playing (just 75 total minutes in the first ten games)—and both of these guys inarguably a more significant part of Milwaukee’s long-term plans—you’ve got to ask, “Why?” Even with Jenkins’ changeup against the Lakers, it was the younger Jaquez who was shifted to the bench and not Kuzma.

In Turner’s case, the answer is a lot more complicated. His backup, Kel’el Ware, has been just as poor, posting similarly awful shooting splits (.392/.187/.800) and generally looking quite lost out there. Like Turner, who (mind the pun) turns it over 3.6 times per 100 possessions (fourth-worst on the team, per Basketball-Reference), Ware is also turning it over far too often—4.3 times per 100 possessions. Disaster meet disaster. Still, is this reason for Turner to have played 108 more minutes when both have been available?

Maybe the thinking is to showcase Turner for a trade? That’s certainly not working, and I’ve never bought that notion anyway—teams know who and what a 10-year veteran is. Maybe it’s a case of old dogs being unable to learn new tricks but young dogs having that ability (and therefore not getting rewarded until they’ve mastered it)? Certainly, that teaches a lesson. But is it the right one?

Verdict: Warning (alarms blaring).

The Little Things

Close your eyes and breathe—the full inhale/exhale cycle. Three times. Just to release the tension. Then go to your happy place. Is it the same as mine, watching Bucks’ rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament? Is Bango there too?

Amidst all the warnings, it’s imperative to find pleasure in the little things. Watching Burries sky for rebounds has been a joy, even if the juxtaposition between his and Turner’s effort on the glass is jarring. Seeing him find confidence in the mid-range against the Celtics was a thing of beauty too. But his positivity isn’t limited to on-court action. Watch closely and you’ll see Burries standing, waving the towel from the bench, celebrating others’ success—even when down 20. Culture building stuff.

Ament’s growth has also been a pleasure. Where he looked timid and uncertain to begin Summer League play, he now looks confident, nailing threes without hesitation—even in the Pat Connaughton variety! He’s also showing growth physically, attacking defenders—like he did against Jayson Tatum and Derrick White (even if the call was overturned)—and, more impressively, using his quicks and length to stay in front of and contest a whole range of offensive players. Like Burries, Ament has also shown signs of the good stuff. After nailing one of those Planet P threes in the second quarter against the Knicks, he pushed Kasparas Jakučionis to Miles McBride to ensure the matchups were right. I’d show you the clip, but…

Verdict: Fawning.

The Cavaliers did on Wednesday what they do best: win meaningless, regular-season games.

The Knicks, meanwhile, handed out a dub and ate a loss on purpose on their way to find their best-working lineups for when winning, you know, actually matters.

Here’s the latest from MSG on a rare off day.

Mike Brown was asked about starting Landry Shamet over Mikal Bridges

"Mikal has a proven track record of playing at a pretty high level as a starter in this league. For me to make a "panic decision" and change it right now, I'm not feeling it" pic.twitter.com/M128YSZKnk

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 12, 2026

Mike Brown

On Wednesday’s loss:

“We’ll learn from this game, and keep it moving.”

On why Bridges remains a starter despite his shooting slump:

“Mikal is a starter. And so it’s not a question of that. He’s like a lot of players: They’ve had their good moments and their not so good moments. And Mikal has a proven track record of playing at a pretty high level as a starter in this league.

“So, for me to make a quote-unquote ‘panic decision’ and change it right now — we’re 10 games in or whatever we are. I’m not feeling it. So I’m good.”

On the Knicks’ defensive physicality and ability to defend without fouling:

“Just our level of physicality. Our level of physicality without fouling. Because you can be over the top, grabbing and pushing and holding, but our guys, they’re doing their work early. They’re doing their work early and they’re being real physical about it without putting their hands on guys. When you do that and you do that for close to 48 minutes, you usually get good results. And our guys are doing it.”

On the defensive intensity of Landry Shamet and Miles McBride:

“I think our physicality on the defensive end of the floor is at a pretty high level. And they [are doing] it the right way. They’re doing it without fouling, which is a lot of fun to watch. The point of attack with Landry and Deuce, especially, on the ball, is unbelievable.”

On Josh Hart’s perimeter defense and the importance of his return:

“He’s tremendous on the ball. In pick-and-roll situations, we always want our point of confrontation, especially against guys that shoot the ball at the 3-point line, Josh is really good at that. He’s really good at leading with his chest. And he’s strong. He’s a strong guy that knows the league, he knows the players very well.

“His impact when it comes to guarding the ball, on the perimeter especially, is something that you always miss.”

On the Knicks’ defensive communication, rebounding and improved pick-and-roll coverage:

“Their level of communication is high. Their ability to box out is high. Their ability to get back in transition is high. We were hurting in the pick-and-roll game defensively, but we’ve done a better job because the point of attack has been good and our guy guarding the screener has been great, too.”

On Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart losing minutes to Shamet and McBride:

“It’s gonna be hard to find minutes at times for Mikal. And maybe even at times for Josh. Because those two guys [McBride and Shamet] are playing at a pretty high level.

“Part of it is we got two guys that are playing really well in Landry and Deuce. And so it’s hard. It’s going to be hard to find minutes at times for Mikal — and maybe even at times for Josh, because those two guys are playing at a pretty high level, and not just on the offense of the floor but defensively, too.”

On the Knicks’ defensive struggles against Cleveland and his decision to keep playing Shamet and McBride:

“I mean, this is one of our worst defensive games overall that we’ve had. In the past five or six games we’ve been playing really well at that end of the floor, but they got loose tonight.

“And Landry and Deuce have been a big part of what we’ve done defensively. So if they’re playing at a high level, I’ve? got to keep trying to find ways to get those guys on the floor.”

On taking responsibility for keeping the Knicks in their defensive blitz against Donovan Mitchell too long:

“We blitzed Donovan in the second half and that fourth quarter. Give Donovan credit, he did a nice job making the right play out of it. … I kept us in the blitz a little too long, and I should have taken us out of the blitz. That part is on me.

“I kept us in the blitz a little too long. I should have taken us out of the blitz. So that part is on me and I gotta be better helping our group in that area.”

On the Knicks’ curious lack of free-throw attempts:

“[Cleveland] had 14 more free-throw attempts than us, four more offensive rebounds than us and two less turnovers. When that happens versus a good team, it’s gonna be hard to win the game.

“At one time, the free-throw advantage was 18-3. That’s not why we lost the game, but you just hope to get a little bit better whistle when you’re playing a good team like that, because it’s already hard enough to go win a game.”

On Brunson receiving no free-throw attempts despite playing nearly 35 minutes:

“Jalen plays 34 minutes or almost 35 minutes and he has zero free-throw attempts. That’s pretty alarming. I’m not sure how or why it’s that way. I know at one time, the free throw advantage was 18-3. That’s not why we lost the game, but you just hope to get a little bit better whistle when you’re playing a good team like that, because it’s already hard enough to go win a game. That was part of the reason why we lost the possession game. … James Harden had a great game as well. James shot as many free throws as our whole team.”

On Andre Drummond helping replace Mitchell Robinson’s offensive rebounding:

“Andre’s done a fantastic job in that area, as an individual. He’s not Mitch, nobody would compare him to Mitch, but he’s brought a dimension to the table that we really like. He’s always been a great offensive rebounder, and he’s showing it now as an individual.”

On the Knicks’ assistant coaches emphasizing offensive rebounding and transition defense:

“They’re handling the offensive duties and they’ve been emphasizing the crash areas. And they’ve done a great job — a fantastic job — of coaching our group, in that area. So our guys have a really good understanding of when to go and when not to go and how to go so we don’t get beat in transition.”

Jalen Brunson on Mikal Bridges' start to the season:

"No matter what's going on with what people are saying, the people in this room have his back night in and night out. We see the work he puts into his game. That's our brother, we're going to keep it that way" pic.twitter.com/H10qGtAnj0

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 12, 2026

Jalen Brunson

On the Knicks failing to execute in crucial moments against Cleveland:

“We were in it. But just timely stops and timely buckets were needed.”

On Cleveland’s defensive adjustments and his failure to respond quickly enough:

“You gotta give them a lot of credit. It’s something I’ll be a little more prepared for. I just didn’t adjust in-game as fast as I wanted to. I was still able to make plays, but not enough to win.”

On needing to be more aggressive even if it means making mistakes:

“From how we started the game to how we finished it, just from my end, I can’t be hesitant. I can’t be a little stagnant at times. It puts my team at a disadvantage, so I just have to be more aggressive in my mistakes, if I’m making any. I just need to have a little more aggression.”

On supporting Mikal Bridges despite his struggles and criticism from outside the team:

“No matter what’s going on, with what people are saying or anything, the people in this room have his back night in and night out. We see the work he puts into his game. We see the time that he puts in. When you’re doing the right things day in and day out, things will eventually fall in your favor. So just giving him support, giving him confidence every single day, regardless of what the noise is on the outside. That’s our brother, and we’re going to keep it that way.”

On controlling what he can after receiving no free-throw attempts against Cleveland:

“I just gotta control what I can control, and keep it at that.”

NBA champions Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson join @malika_andrews to discuss the Knicks team dynamic and the league 🏀 pic.twitter.com/L508aeFeIB

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 11, 2026

Karl-Anthony Towns

On taking greater rebounding responsibility following Mitchell Robinson’s departure:

“When you lose a great offensive rebounder like Mitchell Robinson, you got to pick up the slack. Of course, we have one of the best rebounders of the generation in Andre Drummond. But I want to do my part, and one of the ways I can impact winning and help our team tremendously on a nightly basis is make sure they don’t get second-chance points and also we get second-chance points.”

WHAT A BLOCK!

Peyton Watson wins it with the DEFENSIVE EFFORT!

Watch the #NBA on ESPN on Disney+ pic.twitter.com/i4YMOvVblG

— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) November 12, 2026

Miles McBride

On the difficulty of defending James Harden after his 32-point performance:

“MVP, scoring champ. He’s a tough matchup for anybody in this league. You gotta tip your hat to him.”

On the uncalled goaltending on Peyton Watson’s block:

“I thought it was a goaltend. The guys behind the bench said that as well.”

Landry Shamet talks about his improved defense throughout his career

"Once you've had a number of reps, you have a feel for the rhythm and you can let your instincts go. It's definitely something that's grown because it was a weak point in my draft card coming out of college" pic.twitter.com/RIeN9L0dSa

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 12, 2026

Landry Shamet

On James Harden and Donovan Mitchell adjusting to the Knicks’ defensive blitz:

“James has been doing this a long time. Donovan’s been doing this a long time. They probably got a little comfortable. At the end of the day, it was a one-possession game, and we could have shored up a few things, probably, that would have helped us keep it a little tighter and given us a chance to win. But give them credit, because they knew what we were doing and took advantage of it.”

Jordan Clarkson

On his offensive rebounding prowess:

“I just got a knack for it.”

On the Knicks collectively replacing Mitchell Robinson’s offensive rebounding contributions:

“I think a lot of that is effort. And just doing it. A lot of us are crashing. You see guys like Deuce going in for those plays. Everybody, honestly. Picking up where we left off last year. We had a guy (Robinson) who was able to grab a lot of offensive boards, get us extra possessions. So all of us had to kind of step up and do that. But Dre has been doing a great job of rebounding, getting us extra possessions. Kicking it out and finding his way.”

Shump really struck a nerve over the winner vs. loser label 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9ITP04RyeY

— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) November 11, 2026

The Milwaukee Bucks competed for much closer to 48 minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers but again couldn’t get over the line, losing 123-112. The main storyline was Taylor Jenkins’s rotational adjustments: inserting Nate Ament into the starting lineup, sending Jaime Jaquez Jr. to the bench, and removing others from the rotation entirely. All told, I’d say the returns were positive, even if they didn’t result in a win. Those adjustments will definitely be something to monitor moving forward. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.

Player Grades

Ryan Rollins

23 minutes, 8 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers, 3/10 FG, 2/6 3P, -12

Rollins seems to be getting smothered more by taller, longer defenders this season than last. Just couldn’t get many good looks and was stripped/coaxed into throwing bad passes. I will say that Rollins made an impact, generating extra shots, with three of his seven rebounds being O-boards.

Grade: D+

Tyler Herro

34 minutes, 27 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 8/16 FG, 2/7 3P, 9/10 FT, -17

It was great to see Herro back out there to give the team direction. Even though his three wasn’t dropping, he still made a major impact with his in-between game and at the free throw line. I also feel like guys are getting in Herro’s way a bit as he’s trying to penetrate; you know, cutting in front of him and the like.

Grade: B

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

30 minutes, 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 7/16 FG, 2/7 3P, 9/9 FT, -13

Jaquez was fantastic. This felt like a matchup where he finally had an advantage over the long-but-skinny Laker defenders. I also loved how Jaquez kept leading by example, especially on defence, as the game wore on. I noticed multiple times when Jaquez was bodying up his man in the backcourt—even before the ball was thrown in—and it seemed to force others to follow suit.

Grade: A-

Kyle Kuzma

23 minutes, 9 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 6 PF, 2/8 FG, 1/6 3P, 4/4 FT, -22

Look, Kuzma was tasked with guarding Doncic, and he was about the only guy who had the length and height to at least make Doncic think when he drove and shot. That said, I didn’t think he played a particularly smart defensive game, as shown by him fouling out in 23 minutes. I understand keeping Luka off the free throw line is much easier said than done, but Kuzma made several ill-advised closeouts and was way too close to Doncic as he probed and snaked pick-and-rolls, which meant the Lakers superstar could jump backwards and draw fouls with ease. On offence, it was another brickfest for Kuz, who took a heap of ill-advised threes and had no impact elsewhere.

Grade: D-

Kel’el Ware

22 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 1 turnover, 3/8 FG, 0/2 3P, -16

Eh, Ware was… fine? I mean, he still can’t seem to get much offence going (and he generally looks a little uncomfortable trying to score), but he did make an impact beyond the scoreboard. Funny stat: only one of his five rebounds came on the defensive glass. Plus, you take three blocks from your starting centre any day of the week. Plus, in an improvement on recent games, Ware was more a-ware of his positioning in the drop defence, and even broke up a lob in the first half.

Grade: C

Brayden Burries

23 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3/7 FG, 1/2 3P, -12

I don’t know if Burries played poorly; it was more that he looked a bit directionless. Part of me feels like he’s being asked to do things he’s not quite ready for in terms of initiating offence and handling the ball, and that’s getting him into some uncomfortable spots. Still, three offensive rebounds is very Brayden Burries.

Grade: C-

Nate Ament

22 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1/3 FG, 0/1 3P, -20

Other than his electrifying dunk in transition, Ament’s first start didn’t go great. It wasn’t like he was just shot chucking out there, but he made some really bad mistakes. First, Ament telegraphed a cross-court pass right to the Lakers defender; he also tried to take Walker Kessler one-on-one with a healthy shot clock, only to have the ball ripped away. That mentality won’t earn Ament minutes; he needs a better understanding of who he is and what he does well at this point in his career (hint: it’s not creation). Also, Ament had some atrocious possessions as an off-ball defender.

Grade: D+

Ousmane Dieng

18 minutes, 9 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 6 PF, 3/5 FG, 2/3 3P, +13

I don’t blame Dieng for fouling out; he was the other primary Doncic defender and, unlike Kuzma, I thought his defence was about as disciplined as it could get, and he got a few rough calls. Overall, Dieng was one of the Bucks’ best; his early-season shooting struggles seem to be behind him. Solid minutes with minimal mistakes.

Grade: B

Jericho Sims

18 minutes, 0 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 block, 0/1 FG, -5

Sims was fine. Had some decent possesions as a switch defender.

Grade: C

Taylor Jenkins

Jenkins flagged that change was coming after the Knicks loss, and he followed through. Jenkins’ major change was tinkering with the lineup to balance the first and second units. He started Ament and sent Jaquez to the bench. As was confirmed postgame (see Bonus Bucks Bits), this was no “demotion.” It felt like the starting unit could use a more complementary piece (Ament), while the second unit needed another creator (Jaquez). Now, Jaquez played well, so obviously people are going to say it “worked,” but even just conceptually, I like the idea. The other changes Jenkins made were to trim the rotation, excising Jakucionis and Green, while upping the minutes of Herro, Rollins, and Burries, which is also something fans had been calling for. Overall, we need more data, but I would say the early returns were promising.

Grade: B-

Garbage Time: AJ Green, Bogoljub Markovic, Kasparas Jakucionis, Pete Nance, Gary Trent Jr.

DNP-CD: Caris LeVert

Inactive: Kam Jones, Cormac Ryan, Myles Turner

What We Learnt

Jenkins is willing to experiment until he gets the desired result. I think there were steps taken towards that in this one.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• Alright, it’s time to bring a bit of levity to the season. So if I have time—and the situation suits—I might make a Bucks-themed meme here and there. Here is the first!

• I think the NBA actually hates the Bucks with this schedule. Per the broadcast, Milwaukee has the hardest schedule in November of all 30 teams. Thanks, Adam Silver. Really looking out for the little guy here.
• The Bucks actually did OK in the paint battle, considering how many easy buckets Luka Doncic can generate at the rim, only losing 48-40. Milwaukee also got 58 points off their bench.
• After not watching Doncic yet this season, I forgot how much of a drag the constant trips to the free throw line for breathing on him can be. Not that he wasn’t drawing some legit fouls, but some of those calls seem to be reserved for a select few NBA players.
• Even though it was a rough night for Nate Ament, Jenkins’ postgame answer about how he’s seen the rook’s defensive growth this year was really enlightening. I remain very intrigued by the archetype of player they are trying to mould him into.

here's more from jenkins on nate ament's defensive growth early in the season

"when I sat down with him early on in our time, i said, ‘what are gonna be ways that you’re gonna impact?’ he said, ‘i know it’s gotta be defense coach.’ i’ve held him to that" https://t.co/E6gzbfJylQpic.twitter.com/krh4NbxmPM

— jack maloney (@jackmaloneycbs) November 12, 2026

Jaime Jaquez Jr. on his move to the Bucks' bench: "Coach told me he felt like… we needed some help on the bench and he thought I could fit there." Tyler Herro said Jaquez and Ryan Rollins balance the bench, and with Myles Turner back, "that's a good second unit."

— NBA Wire (@nbapresserwire) November 12, 2026

Up Next

The Bucks head back on the road to take on the Orlando Magic on Friday night. Catch the game at 6:00 p.m. CST on MY24.

It was a tale of two halves in the San Antonio Spurs’ 124-119 win over the Chicago Bulls. The Spurs found themselves down 20 against Chicago in the first half, allowing the Bulls to shoot 66% from the field. But San Antonio completely flipped the script in the second half, outscoring the Bulls 68-49.

The Spurs couldn’t get much of anything going offensively in the first half. De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama were the lone bright spots, carrying the offensive load.

.@swipathefox in attack mode early 🦊

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/rdRgAyWp7f

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 12, 2026

Fox scored 11 of his 17 points in the first quarter. He started by nailing a pair of threes. Then he began to attack the rim, getting into the paint and making plays for the Silver and Black.

off to a hot start 🔥@swipathefox: 11 PTS | 4-4 FGM pic.twitter.com/jj9QSDPW1L

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 12, 2026

Fox is shooting just 33% from deep this season. He’s shot his best when the defense sags off him into the paint. That wasn’t the case against Chicago, as he hit tough shots in the Bulls’ defenders’ faces.

W3MBY 👌

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/P39byZ4Reb

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 12, 2026

Wembanyama continued his 30+ points-per-game scoring streak with a 32-point performance on Wednesday. Wemby had it going from deep, hitting two of his six deep shots. This is exactly the type of three-point shot you want to see the big man taking – within the flow of the offense with a clean look at the rim.

Protecting the paint 🚫

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/Og0Fy8R5dq

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 12, 2026

Wembanyama did it on both ends, with 5 blocks. His rim protection was particularly helpful in the third quarter when San Antonio went on its big run.

VIC COMING THRU 👽😤

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/kGEI1fITFZ

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 12, 2026

Most of the third quarter was defined by turning the Bulls over and getting out in transition. The Spurs forced 16 steals, and Chicago turned the ball over 19 times, leading to 22 points for San Antonio. This big dunk was an example of how easy it was for the Spurs to score in transition. Josh Giddey just ducks out of the way to avoid a Wembanyama poster.

KJ LOB TO WEMBY 🔥

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/WAe5Eggq7w

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 12, 2026

San Antonio found Wembanyama on plenty of lobs, too. Keldon Johnson’s passing was particularly impressive as he had 4 assists to go along with his 1o points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. When he’s getting downhill, he draws a lot of defensive attention, freeing up plays like this to get Wembanyama an easy dunk.

SHEEEESH CB 😤 pic.twitter.com/H0yHWe1uaa

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 12, 2026

KJ found Carter Bryant for a dunk through two Bulls defenders late in the game as the team tried to seal the win. Bryant finished the game with 10 points, including two three-pointers.

SLASH BROS OOP LET'S GOOO ‼️

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/a6mh7bHdNy

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 12, 2026

Dylan Harper had a big third quarter on his way to a double-double. Harper had 18 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals in the win. He did a ton of damage on the break, including this lob to Stephon Castle for the emphatic dunk.

After winning its 10th straight game, the Spurs now have the longest active win streak in the NBA. They’ll look to extend it to 11 games in a Friday NBA Cup matchup with the Golden State Warriors.

As sports fans, our teams give us plenty to think about and then some. They give us stuff to bicker, to complain, to ramble about. We follow their every move meticulously, we break down the potential of prospective grocery baggers and hail them as the next coming. We love to read or listen to others doing the same, even or especially if we do not agree with their viewpoints. Lucky fanatics get something to cheer about every once in a while – consider that box checked by our beloved New York Knickerbockers lately.

Understandably, that focus on one team, that love for one franchise can lead to kind of a narrow view on things at times. Nothing wrong with that; fandom doesn’t have to be rational, it doesn’t have to explain itself. And it does not necessarily have to involve the other team’s perspective or, frankly, the other team at all. At times though, that group in the different colored jerseys is the biggest answer to the question you have regarding your own squad’s performance.

Last night felt exactly like that kind of game where the Knicks did a lot of stuff well, but in the end the Cleveland Cavaliers just did most of it a little bit better. And when the Knicks didn’t do something as well, it was also the Cavaliers who had a hand in that. From the opening tip, it was obvious that the Cavs wanted this one – analytically and this time around actually in reality, too. They remembered last Saturday when New York rained on their Rocket Arena parade on the second night of a back-to-back; they surely remembered the last time they visited Madison Square Garden. And it looked like they were tired of the narrative that had them as the soft wannabes that can’t keep up when the orange and blue drivers push the pedals to the metal.

Cavaliers put an end to Knicks’ winning streak

Donovan Mitchell lived in the lane for most of the night; every high slip screen was an automatic downhill and kick opportunity for the team from Ohio, and their old and new length bothered the smaller Knicks for long stretches of the game. Peyton Watson might not be able to hit the water from the Verrazzano Bridge right now, but he sure can impact a game defensively. A lot of the Ohioans were feeling good about themselves; Tyrese Proctor and Meleek Thomas gave youthful, quality energy off the bench. And then, of course, there was James Harden. That guy who is a poster child for a lot of ugly wrongs in the modern game, the one who has been awful all year long so far but decided to show up for this one and give his team a vintage performance in the very building he crapped the postseason bed in just half a year ago.

So even if, at least in Harden’s case, it’s hard to stomach, let’s follow Knicks Fan in Jerusalem’s proposal from the Postgame Thread that gave this text its headline. Let’s credit the Cavaliers for a game well played, for shots hit, for storms weathered. But as the headline and our friend in Israel suggested, there’s another side to the story, a “but”. Tipping our collective cap to the Cavs sure doesn’t mean the Knicks can’t do a lot of things better in the future. Jalen Brunson had a good scoring game yet failed to deliver any rhythm to the offense. Too many times the ball just stuck on the perimeter (a particular problem for OG Anunoby right now), and there wasn’t nearly enough off-ball movement to stretch a much bigger defense that wants you to finish over their size.

Mike Brown talked about the balance of minutes between Mikal Bridges, Landry Shamet & Deuce McBride

"It's going to be hard to find minutes at time for Mikal, and maybe at times for Josh [Hart]" pic.twitter.com/TNkgtLJCQ4

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 12, 2026

That size played quite a role in yesterday’s contest, be it on the boards or in the passing lanes. Unfortunately, the Knicks won’t get any taller, that’s for sure. Mike Brown tried to counter Cleveland’s length by going to Mohamed Diawara early in the absence of Jordan Clarkson. Mo had a nice drive and, in theory, could be a solution for physical matchup problems like this one, but clearly isn’t there yet. The young Frenchman seems unsure about himself, plays hesitantly, and is missing the wide-open shots he knocked down in his sleep last season. His defense mostly looks good but not good enough to warrant a bigger role yet.

So, what’s happening with Mikal Bridges?

Aside from plenty of mental lapses, missing open shots was a problem for Josh Hart last night as well, but we excuse the veteran as he clearly had to shake off some rust after his injury break. That doesn’t change the fact that his lack of consistent outside shooting can become an issue at times, especially against good teams that willingly put roaming defenders on him. Normally, he adds so many other intangibles that you can live with it in the bigger picture more often than not. In Mikal Bridges’ case, though, well, what’s there right now? Hounding defense? Don’t see it consistently. A presence off the ball? Nope. Secondary scoring? Corner threes? Emotion? Desperation? Anything?

Bridges once again played an uneventful, meager 17 minutes in this one. Plenty of the other guards – Deuce McBride, Landry Shamet, and Tyler Kolek – currently do everything Bridges is paid for and actually a bit more. The longer this situation drags on, the louder Mike Brown will hear the question: When will you make a change to the starting lineup? It’s easy to understand why he’s reluctant; he sure doesn’t want to create an internal problem by benching someone who did his part in winning a championship last year. But what if the problem is creating itself? There’s a tipping point to everything.

For the Knicks, this game won’t be one, and it shouldn’t be. There might be some stuff to think about, though, going forward. Just like we want to have it as fans.

Despite sitting at a highly respectable 9-3 and featuring the star-studded starting five that had everyone doing backflips over the offseason, concerns are emanating around the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s amazing what getting smacked around for the final quarter and a half against the Celtics will do to a team’s vibes. Tuesday night also marked the Sixers’ second 20-plus-point loss in their last three games, which doesn’t overly inspire confidence.

I think it’s important to remember for those suddenly down on the Sixers or ready to crown Boston that nothing is won in early November. Still, there are areas for improvement on both ends of the court for Philadelphia. The offense has struggled, sitting just 20th in the league in offensive rating as of this writing, taking on far too much of an iso-heavy look for my liking. It would also help for Joel Embiid to rediscover his shooting stroke, currently shooting just 37.0 percent from the field on the season. However, both Embiid (plantar fasciitis) and LeBron James (lower back) are listed as questionable on the injury report for tonight’s contest against the Toronto Raptors. It’s worrisome that those guys are listed as questionable when it’s not even a back-to-back for the Sixers. Already without Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow (and Ariel Hukporti out for the season), the Sixers could be dangerously thin in the front court.

On the other side of the ball, the Sixers have been better than most expected on that side of the ball (8th in the league in defensive rating). The consistent failure to identify and close out on open shooters against Boston certainly raised some eyebrows, however. The rebounding has also been an issue when Embiid is on the bench, which could be a big problem if he’s unable to go tonight.

By and large, though, they should have an easier time of things against Toronto, who have been around a league-average team thus far this season, but are at a schedule disadvantage after hosting Boston last night, a close 98-93 defeat in which the Raptors’ offense went cold in the fourth quarter. While the Sixers’ injury report could definitely be better, the Raptors are dealing with their own injury concerns. Kawhi Leonard is currently out while undergoing the reconditioning process for his knee. Scottie Barnes hasn’t played since November 4 due to a groin injury. Reserve forward Trayce Jackson-Davis missed last night’s game due to illness. In the absence of the two big stars, six Raptors scored between 11 and 17 points last night.

Tonight is unquestionably a good spot for the Sixers, facing a team traveling on the tail end of a back-to-back and missing their best two players. Still, if Philadelphia does end up missing two key starters of their own, victory will be far from assured. The remaining stars will need to pick up the scoring slack, most notably Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown. Key reserves like Dean Wade and Jabari Walker will have to assume more of the burden on the boards in expanded roles. On the other hand, perhaps the starters are all able to suit up and the Sixers are able to earn that elusive comfortable win this season. Tune in tonight to find out.

Game Details

When: Thursday, November 12, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow:@LibertyBallers

1. Incredible Comeback

At the 5:24 mark of the second quarter, the Boston Celtics were down 22 points to the Toronto Raptors and this looked like it was going to be a long night. The Celtics had every excuse to just roll over and die after going down big. It was the last game of a four-game road trip, the second half of a back-to-back where the first game was an emotionally draining battle against the Philadelphia 76ers, and Paul George was ruled out with an illness.

The Celtics could have chalked this game up as a loss but decided to fight, going on a ridiculous 34-8 run from the 5:10 mark of the second quarter to the 3:43 mark of the third quarter. This is the second biggest comeback in the Joe Mazzulla Era of the Celtics, with the only bigger one being a 26-point comeback against the 76ers on February 2nd last year.

This was some incredible determination by Boston and a big win going into a three-day break. Boston is now 10-2 for the first time since the 2024 season when they won the championship. Ironically, the 10th win of that season was also on the road against the Toronto Raptors.

22-POINT COMEBACK ROAD WIN FOR BOSTON!

5 STRAIGHT WINS FOR THE EAST #1 CELTICS ☘️ pic.twitter.com/2PCTHRWIG4

— NBA (@NBA) November 12, 2026

2. Jayson Tatum Ignited The Fight

The biggest reason why the Boston Celtics were able to get back into this game was because of an incredible performance by Jayson Tatum. If you look at the box score and see Tatum finished shooting 6-21 from the field and 2-11 from three, you might think it was a bad game. However, it was the 24 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks as a +9 that spoke the loudest and they were the difference maker in this game.

The second quarter was the biggest impact made on the team, finishing with 11 points that all came on a personal 11-0 run. It was at this point where he single handedly told the team that they were not going to roll over.

Tatum came back into the game at the 7:28 mark of the second quarter when Boston was down 50-35. He started his run two minutes later with a three, 2 free throws and a monster slam to force Toronto into a timeout. That didn’t stop Tatum, as he hit an and-1 three with a flagrant foul free throw and then found Baylor Scheierman for a three that capped off a ridiculous 7-point possession.

Jayson Tatum taking over! 4 point play opportunity pic.twitter.com/kwvGknAtHQ

— Danielle H. (@DanielleHobeika) November 12, 2026

This run of play was followed by an ice cold stretch of 8 straight misses for Tatum, including an 0-5 third quarter, but his presence on the court kept Boston in the game. When it was clutch time in the fourth quarter however, Tatum did what he did best, hitting a huge mid range jumper over RJ Barrett to give the Celtics a one point lead with 1:55 to go.

This was not necessarily the best game that Tatum has ever played, saying postgame, “I played like sh*t all game, especially in the second half. So I just kind of wanted to do my part.” But a win is a win, and Boston wouldn’t have made this comeback without the impressive play of Jayson Tatum.

Fadeaway Jay 🫡 pic.twitter.com/vs3adQIRfY

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 12, 2026

3. Raptors Magnet Ball Cooled Off

The biggest reason why the Toronto Raptors were able to get out to a 22-point lead so quickly was the fact they started the game on fire from beyond the arc. In the first quarter, they shot 10-18 from three, tying a franchise record for threes to open up a game. By the 9:39 mark of the second quarter, Toronto hit their 12th three of the game and started to pull away. However, this would be the last three Toronto would hit until the 2:53 mark of the third quarter. The Raptors missed 11 straight threes in this time and finished the game shooting 16-43 (37.2%).

This is why the comeback Boston made was so incredible. They saw Toronto got off to a blistering start and didn’t blink in the face of adversity.

4. Neemias Queta Heroic Performance

Neemias Queta, for the second year in a row, is one of the most underrated players in the entire NBA. On the season he is now averaging 9.2 points and 6.7 rebounds on 55.6% shooting from the field and 75% from three-point range. In this game, he finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 2-4 shooting and a team high +27. It’s crazy to think that a guy is +27 in 31 minutes in a game where the Celtics were down by 22 points at one point, but that’s how good Queta was.

With under a minute to go in the fourth quarter, Queta made up for a turnover on the play before with a dunk to cut the Celtics deficit to 1. After Tatum hit two free throws, Queta played some incredible defense on RJ Barrett who went up for a layup, deterring the shot and hitting two clutch free throws to give the Celtics a 3-point lead. He picked up another block at the final buzzer, capping off one of the best wins of the Celtics season. Queta has continued to impress for the Celtics this season and is creeping his way up the ladder of the best centers in the NBA.

Barrett goes and a tremendous play by Neemias Queta getting the block and rebound

Can hear barking from the bench – Queta made both free throws on the other end pic.twitter.com/Zv0VtIQqQ0

— Nik Land | NikNBA🏀 (@NIKNBAYT) November 12, 2026

5. Best Derrick White Game of the Season

Entering this game, Derrick White was having a similar season to last year where the defense was elite but the three-point shooting wasn’t there, only shooting 32.1% from beyond the arc. However, White played arguably the best game of his season against the Raptors, finishing with 19 points, 7 assists, and 4 blocks while shooting 7-15 from the field, 3-7 from three, and finishing as a +18 on the night.

The biggest difference between White’s performance in this game versus the rest of the season was the fact that he looked incredibly confident in his shot again. White had 10 of his points in the second half including 7 points in the third quarter and a big three in the fourth quarter that kept the Celtics in the game while Tatum was on the bench.

Derrick White knocks down a much needed stepback three, he has 19 points pic.twitter.com/3bosCg4L4a

— Danielle H. (@DanielleHobeika) November 12, 2026

White’s defense was just as impressive. Entering this game, he had 5 blocks on the season as a whole and almost matched that total in one game. It was incredible seeing him show flashes of his Celtics prime again and I hope this can start a stretch of games where White can shoot the ball with confidence. Boston is already an elite offense but if they can get White shooting it at an elite clip again, it’s going to be scary for the league.

6. Boston Block Party

One of the best parts about the Celtics comeback in this game was the incredible defense Boston played in this game. The Celtics were incredible when it came to protecting the paint, finishing the game with an insane 10 blocks as a team. White had 4, Queta had 3, Tatum had 2, and Scheierman had 1 but this was a testament to how great the Celtics were at not allowing the Raptors to get to the basket. Inside the painted area, Toronto shot 13-34 (38.2%) while at the basket specifically they shot 8-19 (42.1%). When Toronto stopped shooting like the best team of all time, the paint protection allowed Boston to get back into the game and eventually take the win.

7. Non-Tatum Minute Adventures

The last time the Celtics played a game without Paul George was when they lost to the Houston Rockets on November 2nd. That game was also on the back end of a back-to-back and one of the biggest reasons they lost that game was the fact Boston wasn’t able to compete in the minutes when Tatum was on the bench. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White had poor games and with George out, the game got completely out of hand at the start of the fourth quarter, leading to Boston’s loss.

In this matchup against the Raptors however, it was a different story. In the minutes when Tatum was on the bench to begin the fourth quarter, the Celtics scored 8 points on 3-5 shooting from the field and 2-3 shooting from three. They were able to outscore Toronto in these minutes but it wasn’t all perfect, as they turned the ball over 4 times leading to some wide open shots that the Raptors just didn’t knock down. It wasn’t a perfect showing from the bench by any means, however I thought they looked a lot more comfortable than they did in Houston. I would still like to see Pritchard and White take over a little more in these scenarios, but it was a fine showing.

Celtics in the non-Tatum 4Q minutes:
8 Points
3-5 FG
2-3 3PM
4 Turnovers

— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) November 12, 2026

8. Baylor Scheierman Game Changer

Another guy that doesn’t get talked about enough for the Celtics is Baylor Scheierman. He got the start in this game and played pretty well, finishing with 11 points and 5 rebounds on 4-9 shooting from the field and 3-6 shooting from three. One thing he does that is different from the rest of the young group of wings the Celtics have is that he is a legitimate threat on the offensive side of the ball alongside his good defense.

This was seen in the Celtics second quarter run after Jayson Tatum drew a flagrant foul. Tatum received the ball on the inbounds pass on the block and found Scheierman on a cross-court pass for a no-dip three. Derrick White then got a steal, leading to a fast break where Tatum threw a behind the back pass to Scheierman who then found a cutting White for the layup. This one sequence shows why Scheierman is so important to Boston. I honestly think he should continue running with lineups alongside Jayson Tatum since Boston has a net rating of +12.2 when the two of them share the court. Scheierman’s contributions might not show up in the final box score, but he has a feel for the game that is unmatched and I can’t wait to see how he performs if given more minutes to show it.

"It's Celtics basketball! A thing of beauty!" – Drew
Baylor Scheierman three, Derrick White steal, a Jayson Tatum behind the back pass, and Derrick White finishes the possession off with a layup pic.twitter.com/Teut450E6x

— Danielle H. (@DanielleHobeika) November 12, 2026

9. Sam Hauser Came Up Clutch

Although Queta and Tatum had the big plays to end the game for the Celtics, one play that shouldn’t get overlooked is the steal by Sam Hauser that gave Boston a chance to put the game out of reach. In a 96-93 game with 15.1 seconds to go, the Raptors threw an inbound pass across the court. Much like a defensive back, Hauser anticipated this pass from the jump, intercepting it and getting fouled, leading to him shooting and making his first two free throws of the season.

Hauser’s impact on this game was big, finishing with 8 points and grabbing 9 rebounds alongside 2 steals. He was fighting on the boards with 3 offensive rebounds that gave the Celtics second chances on offense. I wanted to highlight this play because I feel like it will get lost in the shuffle and it is almost a highlight on Hauser’s role with the Celtics this season. Sam Hauser has continued to be the steady hand for the Boston Celtics off the bench this season and has looked a lot better than last season when he had a noticeable back injury.

Man the Raptors run a great design but Sam Hauser with the recognition

Seamless switch and interception to close the game pic.twitter.com/0IZziz1kbl

— Nik Land | NikNBA🏀 (@NIKNBAYT) November 12, 2026

10. NBA Schedule Rant

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to the NBA is the fact that the schedule makers try their hardest to make the least sense possible. I’m not sure if they had ChatGPT make the schedule this year or something, but it has been awful.

The Celtics are coming off playing one of the most highly anticipated games of the season against the 76ers in Philadelphia. Not only should that game have been in Boston, but what is the reasoning for scheduling a game in Toronto right after? The worst part is, after this game, the Celtics don’t play again until Sunday night against the Dallas Mavericks. It doesn’t end there; after the Mavericks game, they play ANOTHER back-to-back against the Magic on Monday.

What is the point of playing a back-to-back and then getting three days off just to play another back-to-back? Why do we have to miss out on a weekend of Celtics basketball? The NBA is wondering why they have so many injuries and then schedule games like this. What are we doing here?

It’s a common refrain that the jump to the NBA is hardest for young point guards. With how fast the game is, the high level of skill, and the physicality that seasoned veterans possess, quick adaptation to the level of competition is incredibly difficult.

Kingston Flemings bucked one similar trend in his lone collegiate season playing for Kelvin Sampson at Houston. Sampson is famous for tempering expectations for his young guards, often having them to wait until their upperclassmen to carve out big roles for his team.

Instead, all Flemings did was start all 37 games and play 31.7 minutes per contest in his one-and-done season there despite arriving on campus as a fresh faced 18-year-old.

Now, as a rookie for the Atlanta Hawks, the no. 8 overall pick became a starter in just his eighth career NBA game.

Predictably, there appeared to be a bit of nerves and discomfort throughout the first four games of his professional career. He seemed hesitant to attack and deferred to the veterans on the team whenever possible.

Again, not a surprise for a 19-year-old guard on the big stage.

At the same time, 35-year-old CJ McCollum has shown signs of slowing down this season. He’s never been a particularly willing passer as the team’s quasi-point guard, and the numerous slow starts (both from McCollum personally and the team at large) in the first few games became an immediate worry.

But something clicked after that — and Quin Snyder felt the time was right to make the lineup change for the good of the team, although admittedly the public comments have largely been through the frame of CJ McCollum asking to come off the bench in some respects.

“CJ [McCollum] and I, I respect him,” Snyder had to say prior to the home game against the Wizards. “We’ve known each other a long time. He respects me. A lot of dialogue between the two of us generally about our team. That includes film. Just looking at our team, we had a couple of tough starts. It certainly wasn’t attributable to any one thing. It felt like as we looked at what was there, there was something that we could do differently. Potentially help him be impactful with the bench group. Which he did. And also give our starters a different look to get them going.”

In Flemings’ first four games, he was just 6-for-18 (33%) from the field including 1-for-5 (20%) from three and only got to the free throw line once (missing that attempt). He’s also someone who values the ball a ton, and so his 17-to-11 (1.54:1) assist-to-turnover ratio must have come as a disappointment.

This tepidness was on full display — clearly not wanting to make mistakes — and as a result playing less freely than one should or could.

But over the next seven games, he has come alive to the tune of 32-for-55 (58%) from the field, 8-of-16 (50%) from three, 10 free throw attempts, and 31 assists to just 14 turnovers (2.1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio).

Flemings’ lightning quick first step can be relied upon to create early advantages, and his high release point has helped him get his jump shot off against defenders of all size:

And now, he’s leveraging his scoring pressure into playmaking for others and relocating for better shots if defenses play him too aggressively. Three-point shooting was thought to be a weakness of his coming into the 2026 NBA Draft, but so far he’s hit 5-of-9 (55.6%) of his catch-and-shoot three-point attempts and 43% of all three-point attempts (9-for-21).

Flemings is a careful, efficient playmaker who avoids turnovers at a high level for someone in his age bracket. He’s flashed good vision to poke holes in the defense and to get the ball out of his hands to his teammates in space. Here, he splits the Cavaliers 2-3 zone with a quick skip pass and a helpful Lu Dort hammer screen:

In fact, thus far into the season, Flemings is tops on the Hawks in potential assists per 36 minutes (13.0), narrowly eclipsing Jalen Johnson (12.2) and Dyson Daniels (11.8). He’s doing this while averaging the most turnovers per 36 minutes on the team (3.7), so there’s still room for growth, but it’s been refreshing to see him not hesitate after making mistakes.

Defensively, the first thing you notice is his level of compete against players 6-foot and 7-foot tall alike. Here, he helps and crashes down on Giannis Antetokounmpo ready to lay the ball up in the dunker’s spot:

And it’s not just flashy disruptive plays, either. The great Steph Noh detailed Flemings’ penchant for just doing the defensive basics: a high motor, making the right rotations and being in the right position, and holding his own against bigger players.

Kingston Flemings was very impressive in the first half.

-Automatic middy from college is translating
-Destroying the Wizards in transition
-Compete level on defense is extremely high even when he gets switched onto much bigger wings, centers. Watch this stretch from him on D: pic.twitter.com/V9RqFHLPWV

— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) November 7, 2026

Flemings is a different breed of point guard. He can run a pick-and-roll if you need to. He can set screens and cut if you need him to. He can spot up and wait for a swing-swing if you need him to. He doesn’t take breaks on defense. And most importantly, he isn’t a target for opposing offenses to pick on.

He’s a player that truly wants to impact the game in more ways than scoring — and the scoring has even been efficient (60% true shooting as of November 10)!

But with the Hawks looking to pressure the ball on defense and create transition opportunities off turnovers, Flemings fits neatly into that new ethos. So, his arrival just may coincide with a new Hawks identity that few teams want to see in a 48-minute grind of a basketball game.

Ten games into the 2026-27 NBA season, the trade rumors are already swirling around the Phoenix Suns.

While a vocal segment of the fanbase cries out for a point guard like the oft-injured Darius Garland, a new round of players have been linked to the Suns, amid questions of fit in their starting lineup.

After a couple of rounds of forced trades, from Deandre Ayton to Kevin Durant, and the financial strain of the Bradley Beal dead money, the Suns find themselves with a redundant starting lineup comprised of the best that their circumstance dictated they could get. This led to a lineup simultaneously redundant and lacking. Issues with size, consistency, and fit continue to hamper the Jordan Ott and the Suns as they struggle to allow their highest-dollar players to shine without drowning out the production of their teammates.

Last season ended with Brooks and Green eating up shots in the playoff series against the Thunder as Devin Booker was reduced to spraying the ball out of double teams and when Jalen Green or Dillon Brooks got hot it the ball got stuck leaving Book looking to box out instead of repositioning for a new angle of approach.

This season Booker is finding his shot. Against the Spurs, Book went on a vintage scoring heater, but down the vine the other grapes withered and dried like raisins in the sun, with only the Suns rookie Malauch notching over ten points for the night. Miles Bridges noted in the press conference that Booker got hot. A similar explanation Booker gave in the Thunder series after Jalen and Dillon put up big shot numbers in a loss. An alarming lack of synergy even early in the season.

The national media has picked up on the narrative and turned it into trade talk as Bleacher Report connected the Suns to four potential trade candidates: Darius Garland, Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis, and Paolo Banchero.

Per @BleacherReport, the Phoenix Suns tabbed one of the "top landing spots" for:

💪 Domantas Sabonis
🧀 Anthony Davis
⛸ Darius Garland
👀 Paolo Banchero

Which of these 4 would you like the Suns to go after MOST? & why?! 🤔 pic.twitter.com/Pmq4F2kvxP

— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) November 11, 2026

While none of these players are without their flaws, an argument could be made for each of them to be added to the Suns. But I urge fans to remember that the Suns are owned by Mat Ishbia, whose ownership style could be summed up in one word. Aggressive.

So while you may see a million Twitter posts arguing for which of the four would best improve the Suns’ chances at winning a first-round playoff series, I say no. That’s not enough, like Warren G’s third album, I Want It All. Or at least half of it. Let me present my most recent fix for the Phoenix Suns roster woes.

Anthony Davis is a day away from street clothes every day. While the upside is clearest and highest on this list, I remind you that the most recent Suns’ finals appearance was largely related to the availability of their key players. They rode that injury luck to a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals before it finally caught up with them and Dario Saric went down, taking with him the Suns’ best hope at closing out the Bucks. If there was one trade that had a chance to make the Suns a true title contender, it could be Anthony Davis, but history would suggest it’s more likely he watches the Suns flounder from the bench.

Darius Garland trade rumors and mock trades have made their way around Suns Twitter since last season and continue to color me unimpressed by the proposition. The Suns have aligned themselves to be a defensive team. They traded away two of their best shooters in order to pursue a top-tier defense, and even if Garland was driving and kicking to open shooters, who would he be kicking it out to? It would be Book, Brooks, and Bridges instead of Grayson or Royce. There would be nights that will work, but plenty won’t, and consistent three-point shooting won’t be something the Suns can rely on to show up in four or five games of a seven-game series.

This leaves us with Sabonis and Banchero.

In the off-season, I explored the possibility of a Domantas Sabonis trade and was roundly derided as a lunatic by those who were curious enough to click the article. Now they all come crawling back as the Suns’ rebounding woes, lack of size, and youth at the center position make a Sabonis trade far more palatable to the Suns masses.

I view Sabonis as a starting center-sized version of Oso Ighodaro. He sets great screens, facilitates like Oso, but brings more firepower scoring the ball and has long been one of the best rebounders in the game. Despite his individual defensive concerns, with the number of communication breakdowns leading to the Suns’ defense giving up way too open shots, it could be argued that a veteran presence like Sabonis could initially improve the defense and the KhOso tandem gains experience.

While they may have to wait until the trade deadline, the trade I originally proposed of Jalen Green and Mark Williams still sounds like a winner in early November. While Sabonis would bring much-needed experience, size, and positional flexibility, allowing him to play next to the Suns’ young centers, it wouldn’t fix maybe the most glaring need of the Phoenix Suns alone. The need for a second star next to Booker.

Fall where you want on the PG debate, but I continue to side with the faction that believes the problem isn’t necessarily the lack of a point guard but a second advantage creator next to Booker when teams try to take him off the board. Paolo, while once one of the bright young stars in the league, has fallen out of fashion in the NBA fan community. Yet, outside of Davis, he represents to me the most realistic chance of landing a bona fide All-Star next to Devin Booker.

Banchero’s size, versatility as a ball handler, and ability to score inside the paint would flourish in the shadow of Book’s gravity. Much like the Suns have struggled to assemble and retain the right mix of players around Devin Booker, the Magic couldn’t add the shooting it needed to free up Paolo’s downhill game. A fresh start and new roster could resurrect his once-rising star.

Adding both of them together could be the Suns’ best option to meet Ishbia’s lofty goal of a second-round playoff appearance in the once-again hotly contested Western Conference, so I hopped on the trade machine to cook up a new look for the Suns. One that plugs some holes in rebounding and facilitation and adds some much-needed upside to the Suns’ playoff prospects in the 2026-27 season.

In order to complete the trade, the Suns must wait until some of their recently acquired players become eligible to move, but when February 11th hits, this is what I think the Suns should do.

Projected Suns’ starting lineup: Collin Gillespie / Devin Booker / Ryan Dunn / Paolo Banchero / Domantas Sabonis.

I see a roster with improved facilitation, rebounding, inside scoring, and three-point shooting, with Collin and Dunn getting their chance in the starting lineup. Banchero finds a new opportunity in the space created by Booker’s presence and Collin’s shooting, while Sabonis gets his first opportunity at legitimate playoff success, since the Kings took the Warriors to seven games in a first-round loss.
54 wins and the 5th seed.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Okay, now I’m worried. The Wizards went to Indiana and got thumped by a Tyrese Haliburton-less Pacers team. It’s Washington’s fifth straight loss — and four of the five have been by 10 points or more.

If you want to stick to the “it’s early” and “they’re finding their way and they’ll improve as the season goes on” talking points, you’ll probably want to skip a few paragraphs. Because I did some looking up and some numbers crunching, and…well…it’s not as early as you think. I mean, I was getting nervous when the streak reached three, and I was reciting those Talking Points myself, so let me be clear — it’s not as early as I was thinking.

The Wizards entered last night’s game against the Pacers with a strength of schedule adjusted scoring -11.3 through 11 games. They lost by 13 to a team scoring a -6.3 in the same metric. That’s not good. And the team’s performance a dozen games into the season is greater cause for worry than I’d imagined.

While it feels early, analysis of NBA history says that by this point in the season, we already have about half the information needed to determine a team’s relative strength in the league. Even just 8-10 games is enough to be more than just random noise.

There’s still some noise — early-season blowouts have bigger impacts on this type of scoring differential metric than it will by the end of the season — but what we see in the first month of the season is a surprisingly good indicator of what we’re going to see over the final five.

In the case of the Wizards this season, they may not really be the quality of a team that wins just 14-15 games (which is what their adjusted scoring margin implies), but a) they could be, and b) it’s pretty unlikely they’re even the quality of a 35-win team. Best case at this point is probably mid-20s in wins — better than last season, though not the major step forward many hoped.

While it’s not as early as we think, it’s getting later fast. We already have half the information needed to draw a meaningful conclusion. By game 20, it’ll be about 70%. By game 30, it’s closing in on 80%.

Perhaps the biggest wildcard in all this is the role of three-point shooting luck. According to research published on the Above the Break Substack, it takes about 33 games for opponent three-point shooting to stabilize. Unfortunately, opponent three-point shooting reverting to the mean could be brutal for Washington — so far this season opponents have been laying bricks from deep.

Of course, reversion could also benefit the Wizards on offense — they’ve been shooting slightly worse from the arc than their opponents. The likely outcome is reversion effects cancel each other out, and Washington ends up basically where they are now, albeit looking a bit better on offense and a bit worse on defense.

None of this is writ in stone, of course. There are examples of teams in NBA history that overcame a rough first month to become good. But it’s rare. And usually those teams aren’t as deep in the scoring margin hole as the Wizards are. I mean, the Sacramento Kings have been a 1-9 horror show this season, and their adjusted scoring margin is better than Washington’s.

Now, it’s not all doom and gloom. The Wizards rank 26th in adjusted scoring margin, but the four teams even worse are all in the Eastern Conference. It’s conceivable that the Wizards could continue playing just as bad and still make the play-in thanks to the struggles of the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets, and Chicago Bulls.

From the Notebook

• The Pacers announced that Haliburton — the team’s best player — will miss at least another 10 days with his hamstring injury. He’s been one of my favorite watches since he entered the NBA, and he looked fantastic in his first four games back from the Achilles injury.
• On a first quarter drive, AJ Dybantsa made Kelly Oubre Jr. — known for his athleticism — look slow. Oubre actually looked startled at how sudden Dybantsa was.
• A first quarter sequence underscored how much work Tre Johnson needs to do on his body and his overall game. T.J. McConnell wrecked a Washington possession by denying Johnson the ball. The denial forced Davis to handle out top. After setting a half-hearted screen for Davis, Johnson kinda stood around waiting. Davis tried to throw the ball to him, McConnell stole the pass — I mean, HE WAS STANDING IN THE PASSING LANE — and then led the fastbreak, which resulted in a wide open three for Obi Toppin.
• That play aside, Johnson played one of his better games of the season. One play design I liked — early in the the second quarter, the Wizards screened for him in the weakside corner. It looked kind of like a traditional pindown action, except Johnson came to the ball for a dribble handoff that gave him a wide open three-point attempt. He missed, but the design and execution was good.
• Two thoroughly disgusting defensive plays in the second quarter: On the first, Oubre got a dunk because Bub Carrington turned his back on him to watch a drive on the opposite side of the floor. Oubre noticed the turned head and cut behind him for the slam. On the second, Oubre got another dunk because Young tried to cheat the screen on a sideline out of bounds play — guessing that Oubre would come off the screens towards the ball. Oubre went weak side and was wide open.
• Learning moment for Dybantsa — he dribbled too high while trying to back down Oubre and got picked clean for a breakaway dunk.
• If all you look at is The Glory Stats, Kyshawn George looks really good last night — 25 points, 9 rebound, 3 assists. Heck, he even shot 5-8 from three-point range. So why does he end up with a below-average score in my PPA metric? He shot 4-12 on twos, committed six turnovers, and contributed to a worse-than-average team defense.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

FOUR FACTORS	WIZARDS	PACERS	LGAVG
eFG%	47.2%	52.2%	53.3%
OREB%	32.6%	29.8%	27.3%
TOV%	14.6%	11.5%	13.7%
FTM/FGA	0.178	0.236	0.221
PACE	96		99.2
ORTG	105	119	113.6

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median last season was 17.7%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

WIZARDS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Trae Young	34	68	162	13.4%	4.5	152	-11
Tre Johnson	29	58	140	17.7%	2.8	165	-3
Kyshawn George	39	78	101	28.6%	-2.7	80	-12
Anthony Davis	34	67	108	31.6%	-1.3	90	-11
Bilal Coulibaly	25	51	122	10.9%	0.5	78	4
Deandre Ayton	9	18	81	14.8%	-0.9	-42	-4
Alex Sarr	25	50	69	13.2%	-3.0	-16	-1
AJ Dybantsa	34	69	75	23.9%	-6.3	-23	-18
Bub Carrington	10	20	0	7.3%	-1.7	-92	-9

PACERS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Pascal Siakam	32	64	133	33.6%	4.1	250	15
Andrew Nembhard	34	68	154	17.9%	5.0	198	17
Ivica Zubac	31	63	125	24.5%	1.7	192	9
Kelly Oubre Jr.	34	68	100	16.8%	-1.6	167	18
T.J. McConnell	14	28	150	24.3%	2.5	369	-4
Larry Nance Jr.	5	11	251	13.7%	2.0	368	12
Jalen Slawson	12	24	121	7.0%	0.1	96	13
Jay Huff	11	23	97	24.9%	-1.0	95	-8
Quenton Jackson	21	43	84	12.3%	-1.5	29	0
Obi Toppin	16	32	88	22.4%	-1.8	36	-2
Jarace Walker	7	14	57	19.6%	-1.6	-136	-9
Aaron Nesmith	22	44	55	11.1%	-2.8	-79	4