The clarification from Brown’s camp to ESPN came in response to comments made by former NBA player and current NBC Sports Boston analyst Brian Scalabrine, who claimed that Brown had not only requested a trade from Boston, but also presented the team with a list of demands and expressed interest in being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brown’s representatives emphasized that he never asked to be traded to the Bucks, nor did he submit any list of demands.
According to his camp to ESPN, Brown’s only request was to have some input regarding his next team if a trade were to occur, and he sought to be treated on equal footing with fellow Celtics star Jayson Tatum during his time in Boston.
In the wake of the backlash, Scalabrine walked back his earlier comments during the Celtics’ pregame coverage against the Chicago Bulls on Monday, Oct. 26. He clarified that Brown did not explicitly demand a trade but described the situation as more of an "ultimatum," suggesting that Brown’s camp wanted certain conditions met, or there could be consequences.
"I don't know what the ultimatum was or the demands or whatever it was," Scalabrine admitted. "So, technically, he did not demand to be traded. It was, ‘do these things right here or else.' And one of them might have been, 'give me the $140 million extension.'”
Brown’s representatives denied Scalabrine's claims in the ESPN report.
(Photo by Luther Schlaifer/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
INDIANAPOLIS — The needle drop hit in the Indiana Pacers’ starting lineup announcement, and the chorus of the “Welcome Back, Kotter” theme song played just long enough for the fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to fill their lungs with air for what was coming next. The audio flipped again to 50 Cent’s “Many Men,” and Tyrese Haliburton ran out for the home fans for the first time since he tore his Achilles in June 2025, though you couldn’t hear his name over the deafening sound of 17,000 people screaming in unison.
Unfortunately for the home crowd, that was the last time they really got to roar. By the second quarter, the only noise coming from the fans was boos condemning the Pacers for a totally flat performance in a game that was so eagerly anticipated for so long.
The Dallas Mavericks routed Indiana from the start, dropping 44 first quarter points on their way to a 37-point first half lead. The Pacers would rally back a bit in the second half after 19-year-old Dallas star Cooper Flagg exited the game with a shoulder injury, but this was a premium example of a game not being as close as the 16-point final margin would indicate.
“It was one of the best crowds I’ve ever seen here,” head coach Rick Carlisle said after the loss to Dallas. “But a great crowd doesn’t guarantee you anything if you don’t compete the way you need to compete.”
The Pacers needed a big fourth quarter comeback to win their opener against an uninspiring New Orleans Pelicans game a few days earlier. A few days later, the Pacers fully looked like the blitzkrieg offense we expected as they trounced the Nets in Brooklyn. On Monday night, Indiana gave the Milwaukee Bucks their first win of the season in the most jarring result of the new year so far.
“That’s what the NBA is,” Haliburton said after the game. “It’s not all fairytales, sunshine, and rainbows.”
Indiana’s roster remains similar to the one that went to the 2025 NBA Finals, but every year is different, and it leaves this team with new questions to answer from the last time it was whole. That’s especially the case in an Eastern Conference is significantly improved. The idea that the Pacers were going to hit the ground running this season was probably always unrealistic. It’s important to remember that they started 10-15 back in 2024-25 before eventually finding some special chemistry on the way to the Finals.
The challenge for the Pacers right now is using the regular season as a lab to figure out their most existential questions without losing too much ground in an ultra-competitive East. Like every team this early in the season, they have a few things that need deeper exploration.
How Ivica Zubac changes the dynamic
The biggest change from the team Haliburton left to the one he rejoined is the substitution at center. The Pacers let Myles Turner walk because they didn’t want to pay him. That looks like a wise move, but it also forced the team to put its best assets on the table to fill its void at center. Indiana shocked the league by trading for Ivica Zubac at last season’s trade deadline during a lost year, sending out two first-round picks to get him. One of those was top-4 protected for 2026 when Indiana entered the lottery tied for the best odds. When the pick fell to No. 5 and conveyed to the Clippers, it felt like a double loss for a team that just endured a 19-win season without Haliburton.
Ultimately, centers don’t come cheap, and the Pacers had to pay to play in the big man market. Zubac’s skill set is so much different than Turner’s in ways that are both obvious and less intuitive, and Indiana will spend this season tinkering with the best ways to leverage his talent within their system.
Everyone will notice the spacing component. Turner took 8.7 three-point attempts per 100 possessions during his last season in Indiana. Zubac is a total non-shooter who hasn’t attempted a three-pointer the last three seasons. While Turner would pop after setting his screens, Zubac is going to roll, and it takes away some of what made the 2025 Pacers special while giving him a new element with some real benefits.
Zubac is going to play with a lot more power than Turner ever did. His ability to add a component of smashmouth basketball will be welcomed for a team that felt built on finesse even at their best. While the offensive adjustment with Zubac is readily apparent, the defensive end will require some tinkering, too.
Zubac often played in a deeper drop with the Clippers. He was so good at walling off the paint in these coverages that he earned my (fake) vote for 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The Pacers want their bigs playing more at the level of the screen, which requires Zubac to get up to the touch on ball handlers to see if he can make plays with his hands before retreating back. The Pacers just don’t have the point of attack defenders to viably run a deep drop right now, and it’s going to require an adjustment period from everyone involved.
The reality is that Zubac didn’t look quite as nimble last season with the Clippers before the trade. Now he’s already suffered an ankle sprain against Brooklyn that should keep him out of the lineup in the short-term and could linger beyond that. How the Pacers integrate Zubac is the biggest question they need to answer in their 82-game season, and it’s likely to remain a work in progress for now.
Rick Carlisle is still searching for the right lineup combinations
Carlisle played 11 guys in the first half against Dallas. He played 12 players in the first half against Brooklyn, including a starting lineup switch that subbed out Jarace Walker for Aaron Nesmith. Nesmith was nursing a hamstring injury during the preseason, and his return to the lineup will go a long way toward answering some of Indiana’s biggest questions.
“It’s hard to run when you’re taking the ball under the net the whole game,” Haliburton said after the Dallas loss.
The Pacers can probably bank on a top-5 offense with Haliburton back. How they fix the defense is a much more pressing issue. Through three games, Indiana ranks No. 19 in defensive efficiency, which feels about right despite the small sample. Indiana needs Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard to get after it defensively the same way they were during the 2025 Finals run. They also need to figure out what the bench rotation looks like beyond Obi Toppin as their sixth man, and likely Kelly Oubre — the team’s only real free agent addition this summer — as their seventh man.
T.J. McConnell hasn’t played yet as he recovers from a hamstring strain, and Ben Sheppard is also out with a meniscus tear. Jalen Slawson was firmly on my too good for Summer League list, but his opportunities to add some downhill force and defensive playmaking will still be limited by his two-way contract. Quenton Jackson adds some similar elements as perhaps the most athletic player on the team on a standard contract, and Indiana would benefit from adding his quickness and defensive havoc if it can get around his shooting concerns. Jay Huff was impressive last season filling the center void on a bad team, but Carlisle doesn’t appear to really trust him yet. Every time it feels like Walker could take another step forward as a former lottery pick, he stagnates at both ends of the floor.
The Pacers should be able to count on their top-7, which is more than some teams can say. McConnell’s return will be big, but he took a noticeable step back last season and may be experiencing some age-related decline at 34 years old. Can anyone else on this roster help force more takeaways to get the offense out running? I’m not sure. If Jackson, Walker, Huff, or even Slawson can make it a viable 8- or 9-man rotation come playoff time, Carlisle should be pleased.
It’s still too early to say where the Pacers fit in in the East
The great thing about the East this season is that it really feels like every game matters with 10 teams realistically dreaming of making a Finals run. It’s just important to remember that 82 games is a long, long, long season. Don’t forget that a year ago, the Chicago Bulls started 5-0 before sputtering so much that they blew the team up at the deadline. The Pacers are 2-2 with the easiest schedule in the NBA so far.
The path for Indiana to get back to greatness starts with Haliburton leading this group to a top-5 offense while managing to get the defense into the top half of the league. This was a good-not-great team in 2024-25 before finding an unforeseen level of excellence in the playoffs, which is the exact same thing the Knicks did one year later on their way to a championship. Haliburton is back, but questions remain.
The Wizards couldn’t keep Moussa Diabate from getting offensive rebounds or Brandon Miller from scoring from everywhere, so they lost to the Hornets in Charlotte despite solid games from Anthony Davis and Trae Young.
Diabate grabbed eight offensive boards in the first half and finished with 11 for the game — a new career high. After a few bad possessions early with Bilal Coulibaly on him, Miller torched the Wizards from all over the floor — at-rim, mid-range, and threes. He finished with 39 points — a new career high.
As for the Wizards, Davis was pretty good, notching 29 points and 10 rebounds on solid efficiency. He had trouble containing Diabate, and communicated effectively on defense.
Young was crafty and effective for the most part, though he turned down a few threes he’d normally take. His passing threat was significant — looking at a teammate had Charlotte defenders jumping out of his way and leaving him open for layups.
One highly annoying development: going for a rebound, Justin Champagnie landed on Naz Reid’s foot, and suffered what appeared to be a significant ankle or foot injury.
From the notebook
It’s only four games, but I’m not sold on the Wizards shot selection.
One play annoyed me — Davis turned down an open three with a late closeout. Instead of side-stepping into a truly wide open three (which is a fundamental in today’s game), Davis took a dribble and stepped in for a long two, which he missed.
I have no data to back this up, but my impression from watching Bub Carrington for two full seasons and the start of his third is that he’s terrible at throwing lobs. He tried one to Coulibaly in the fourth quarter that would have been a simple turnover with any other teammate. Coulibaly skied to deflect the pass off the backboard, grabbed the carom, and threw it off a Charlotte player while falling out of bounds.
The coaching staff’s decision to start doubling Miller in the final minutes of the game, helped stall Charlotte’s offensive attack and get Washington back in the game. The Hornets countered with Reid hitting an open three, and then countering by bring Grayson Allen one pass away. The Wizards couldn’t help off Allen (a superb three-point shooter), and Miller immediately scored.
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
HORNETS
LGAVG
eFG%
53.5%
49.5%
52.9%
OREB%
22.7%
39.2%
27.7%
TOV%
14.9%
11.7%
14.3%
FTM/FGA
0.141
0.144
0.230
PACE
94
101.6
ORTG
110
117
112.2
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 so far this season is 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.
DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 24: Devin Vassell #24 of the San Antonio Spurs smiles during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on October 24, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Spurs are always out and about giving back to the community, and the latest example comes from Devin Vassell, who visited Harlandale High School yesterday to donate shoes to both the boys and girls basketball teams, specifically A’ja Wilsons for the girls and Devin Booker’s for the boys. He also included a $10,000 donation.
#Spurs’ Devin Vassell made a surprise appearance at Harlandale High today to surprise their varsity basketball teams with shoes ahead of their seasons.
He’s handing out A’ja Wilson’s for the girls and Devin Booker’s for the boys. Says he wears Books all the time. #PorVidapic.twitter.com/YfMeyESam7
The kiddos were certainly excited to see one of their favorite Spurs! Afterwards, Vassell said, “The fans are amazing. The biggest thing is to be able to give back to them. It’s not just playing on the court and winning games. It’s them being able to see that we’re people just like them.”
#Spurs forward Devin Vassell presented the Harlandale High School Athletics program with a $10,000 donation to conclude the afternoon. Kids were definitely excited. #PorVidapic.twitter.com/KY7BlbgUc9
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 26: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics drives towards the basket against Leonard Miller #11 of the Chicago Bulls during the first quarter at TD Garden on October 26, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pick your idiom. The Celtics took the Bulls by their horns. Boston was a bull in Chicago’s china shop. Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard bull-ied their visitors. Regardless, Boston enjoyed their first Gino Time win against Chicago on Monday night in a 134-99 running of the Bulls.
Why the Celtics won
Let’s be honest. Chicago is a rebuilding team trying to establish an identity under new head coach Tiago Splitter. With players like triple-double machine Josh Giddey and pogosticks rookie Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis, they want to fly up and down the court and get up a ton of shots. The Bulls press. The Bulls play zone defense and disrupt passing lanes. The more possessions, the more opportunities to see what they have with the sixth youngest roster.
Heading in last night’s game, the Bulls were first in pace and fourth in the league at three-point attempts at 41.3 a night at a 22.6% clip (worst in the NBA). Those are the telltale signs of a team in flux.
The Celtics, however, are the OG volume three-point shooting team and the rest of the league has now started to catch up.
Both teams got up the same number of triples in the blowout: 44. But as the 134-99 score suggests, the Celtics went old school with their possession maxxing. They grabbed more offensive rebounds (19-14) and turned 24 turnovers into a whopping 39 points, but it was Boston’s 27-point edge behind the arc that made the difference.
Nobody emulated that more than Payton Pritchard, the “coldest white boy,” against the Bulls. He scored 19 of 28 in the third quarter that included hitting 5-of-5 from three.
Numbers game: +34
Through the first two games of the season, Hugo Gonzalez only played fourteen minutes against the Pistons and Knicks, a disappointment development after, well, an offseason of promising development.
“I think he’s played well even in those two games, whether it’s two-and-a-half minutes or three minutes, he’s had a couple of offensive rebounds and done things that impacted winning,” Joe Mazzulla said of the young 20-year-old in this young season. “Tonight was louder. Tonight was the best version of him getting better, but those guys have a hard job, bringing it everyday. A lot of what they’re great at doesn’t show up on a score sheet, but tonight you did.”
After missing his only two shots and being a -17 to start, Gonzalez joined the rotation in a big way against the Bulls, posting 13 points, 5 rebounds, and two assists in nearly 24 minutes of play for a +34 on the night.
At halftime, Gonzalez told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin that “everybody is ready. Everybody is meeting the challenge of the game.” That certainly applied to the second-year Spaniard who led his rookie class in plus-minus for the year.
In a game muddled by 28 fouls apiece and 60 total free throws, there was little flow to the game, especially for two teams looking to ramp up activity on both sides of the ball.
But how’s that for a little flow? The Celtics outscored the Bulls 17-9 in fast break points that included that Derek White strip steal and coast-to-coast drive for a layup on the other end. Boston is a hair behind the Lakers for points off turnovers (26.3) and 4th at limiting them (15.3) — that’s an 11-point margin. Last season, it was only +1.2.
Who said what
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 23: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics and Baylor Scheierman #55 of the Boston Celtics high five during the game against the New York Knicks on October 23, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
“I don’t like it. He knows I don’t like it, but he’s got a little swagger with that. I also tried it the other day and it didn’t fit…that’s not for me. I’m not from Nebraska.” — Hugo Gonzalez on Baylor Scheierman’s headband
We’ll see Chicago again on Friday when the Bulls return for our first NBA Cup game. Tonight, the Celtics complete their first back-to-back hosting the visiting Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 pm EST. No word yet if it’s a headband night.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 26: Cameron Boozer #27 of the Memphis Grizzlies drives into Josh Okogie #21 of the Utah Jazz during the second half of a game at Delta Center on October 26, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Like most Duke fans, we’re guessing, we’ve been excited to see how Cameron Boozer’s rookie season turns out.
Well, so far, so good.
Memphis is currently 4-0, which is even more impressive when you consider they’ve had to replace Ja Morant, and that Zach Edey is still on restricted minutes due to his ankle issue.
Somewhat surprisingly, Ty Jerome has emerged as an offensive force. In his first four games, he’s scored 45, 28, 31, and 15 points Monday night against the Utah Jazz.
This from a guy starting his eighth season and whose career scoring average is 9.7 points. Kind of wild.
But Boozer is a big part of the Grizzlies’ success. He’s being lauded by a lot of players as being advanced beyond his years, including Jerome. It’s probably not a coincidence that Jerome’s playing at an insane level. A journeyman guard, Jerome was leading the league in scoring at 34.7 points per game going into Monday night (his average is down to 29.8 now).
Boozer probably is making a lot of that possible since he’s drawing a lot of attention from defenses.
Against Utah, he finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Most importantly, he finished with a win.
“So very impressed with Cam Boozer to start the season, but also just to go up against him for the first time, very strong, you know, doesn’t back down from a challenge. He talks out there on the floor. Like, I was very, very, very impressed with Cam Boozer. And so it’ll be interesting to see, you know, watch his progress as the season goes on to see how his career starts to play out, but I’m very impressed with Cam Boozer. Just, like I said, the thing that stood out most is he moves extremely well. He can handle the ball like he... that piece was shocking to me.”
“I thought he’d be a 20-10 guy anyway. I didn’t think it’d be like this though, like this type of 20-10, where it’s threes, it’s off the bounce, it’s off the post, offensive boards. Like I didn’t know it’d be all that. And so, yeah, very impressed with young Cam Boozer.”
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 26: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics dribbles the ball during the game against the Chicago Bulls on October 26, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
On Monday morning, ESPN’s Hallie Grossman profiled Payton Pritchard in a piece entitled, “How Payton Pritchard became Boston’s unlikely iso king.” In the introduction, Grossman recounted a story during Pritchard’s 15-point performance in Game 3 of the Celtics first round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. He turned to the sideline to see 76ers legend Allen Iverson sitting courtside where AI uttered a sentence that was not only a reaction to the moment, but maybe just a proclamation of the future.
“You’re the coldest white boy I’ve ever seen,” Iverson said, high praise coming from one of the best undersized guards in NBA history.
It feels like divine intervention that this incredible quote dropped before Boston’s game against the Bulls because Pritchard made AI look like Nostradamus with his play. The “coldest white boy” finished with 28 points, 4 assists, and two steals on 10-16 shooting from the field and 7-10 shooting from three.
Payton Pritchard says that when the Celtics played the 76ers last season, Allen Iverson tapped him on the shoulder and delivered this message:
When asked about Payton Pritchard’s “heat checks” when he has things rolling, Joe Mazzulla decided to highlight his all-around game instead. “I don’t really consider those heat checks for him because he’s that good of an offensive player,” Mazzulla said. “He’s another guy that impacts winning in different ways. Tonight, you saw the scoreboard…But he’s been making plays defensively, his assists, his ability to make plays on both ends of the floor, so even if he’s not scoring, he’s still impacting winning at a high level.”
Pritchard was asked about Mazzulla’s reactions to his “heat checks” by saying, “I work on those shots, so it doesn’t really feel like a bad shot, and obviously it’s not if it goes in.” We know Pritchard practices these shots based on his offseason training routine, where he starts his day at 6:45 am at a local high school gym in Cape Cod with no air conditioning.
Payton Pritchard on Joe Mazzulla saying “heat checks” aren’t actually heat checks for him:
“I work on those shots, so it doesn’t really feel like a bad shot. And obviously it’s not if it goes in.” pic.twitter.com/DcZ9NLBQPF
“There’s just something about a humid gym,” Pritchard said, as he talked about the gym he used to work out in back in West Linn, Oregon that could reach up to 120 degrees in the summer. Pritchard said he loved the muck and that includes his competition. He recruited Division 2 and Division 3 college basketball players, international players, and hometown friends to play against. He would pay for them to drive down or fly across the country to the gym because he wants them to be hungry and give him their best one-on-one defense.
For two hours three times a week, Pritchard and his practice squad will go at it during the summer. Pritchard allows them to take breaks, but he doesn’t and will even buy them all Chipotle if he shoots under 60% on the day. That is the level of training that gets him ready to put up big-time performances like he did on Monday against the Bulls.
Pritchard’s third quarter was an electric sight to behold as he took over as the Celtics number one option after Jayson Tatum picked up his fourth foul of the game. At the 7:15 mark of the third quarter when Tatum checked out, Pritchard led the Celtics on a 31-11 scoring run over the Bulls to end the quarter. His biggest highlight was an isolation step-back three over Buddy Hield, who he crossed out of his shoes. The Bulls called a timeout, the Boston bench was going crazy, the TD Garden crowd was alive.
Payton Pritchard reminded everyone that he is that guy. Pritchard finished the third quarter with 19 points on 7-8 shooting from the field and 5-5 from three before subbing out for the rest of the game.
Pritchard’s big third quarter gave us a chance to see new free agent signing Mike Conley make his Celtics debut to start the fourth quarter. Ever since Media Day, it feels like Mike Conley and Payton Pritchard have been linked together at the hip. Pritchard has spoken in the past about what it was like working with Conley this offseason. In the ESPN article, Conley was asked about his thoughts on Pritchard who he called “a menace.”
“He’s an absolute crazy person when it comes to trying to improve his game,” Conley said.
In his first minutes in green, Conley finishing with 6 points and 2 steals on 2-2 shooting from three in 7 minutes of play. When asked about Conley postgame, Pritchard joked by saying, “I was telling him, like one of the back taps he had, I’m like he looked like a DB still. He’s just a freak.” He also praised Conley for being a great veteran presence, saying, “Such a good vet to be around, and somebody I am always pulling for regardless…for me to have somebody like that in my corner, it’s big.”
Payton Pritchard on Mike Conley making his Celtics debut:
“Just an unbelievable person, obviously still in unbelievable shape for his age. And I was telling him, like one of the back taps he had, I'm like he looked like a DB still. He’s just a freak.” pic.twitter.com/p0GSszscQR
The ESPN article finished with a quote from Pritchard that is a testament to all of the hard work that he has put in, “I can’t wake up and be Wemby.” It’s a simple quote but it’s a real quote. Pritchard is listed at 6’1” and has had to deal with a lot of different circumstances with the Celtics over his seven years in Boston.
He has gone from a reserve guy, to asking for a trade out of Boston, to NBA Finals buzzer beaters, to winning Sixth Man of the Year and to having a career season in 2025. Pritchard’s ability to outwork everyone else on the court at his size has led him to becoming the elite player that he is today and he is in store for what could be the best season of his NBA career.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 02: Head coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics talks with Derrick White #9 during the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on March 02, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Monday, the White Noise Podcast hosted by Derrick White and Alex Welsh had Joe Mazzulla on the pod for the first time.
“My point guard knocks, I open the door so happy to be here” is how Mazzulla opened the podcast. He kicked off the podcast by saying how much he doesn’t like to be called “Coach” and Walsh recounted the time he called Mazzulla “Coach” and how Joe got upset.
They started off the conversation about how Joe spent his summer traveling around the world to spend time with the players and how Mazzulla went to Colorado to visit White last summer. He talked about how smart Derrick’s son Hendrix is, which got into how the team learns from different sports and how they can learn from it.
CLEVELAND, OHIO – MARCH 08: Derrick White #9 talks with head coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on March 08, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 109-98. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
They then got into when White and Walsh went to the J. Cole concert and Joe told White to learn Cole’s breathing techniques from it.
“[J. Cole] said that he doesn’t have a breathing route, just being conscious of finding the time to take the breath,” White said. “As [Mazzulla] was talking about, sometimes we forgot to take the breath… Just finding the time to take that deep breath.”
They then got into their Division 2 beginnings and all the wild stories behind that— for example, how they used to share the bus with the women’s team and how they would fly out to games on game day, no matter how far it was.
Joe then proceeded to point out that on days he doesn’t want to practice, White won’t wear his leggings or tie his shoes in warmups. “We can’t get anything accomplished today cause this guy doesn’t want to tie his shoes. He’s too lazy to put his leggings on so we can’t go live cause you need your leggings.”
When he was asked for stories about D-White, Mazzulla jokingly said that Derrick has “zero self-control at team events” and “brings it no matter where he is.” Joe then talked about how Derrick lights up and room and helps him keep perspective during games.
They then talked about Joe’s Joker tattoo and Mazzulla had an interesting perspective on it: “I don’t think he was as bad as people made him out to be. I don’t think Batman was as good as we made him out to be.”
They then finished up with a game of ‘Are you smarter than at 5th grader’ and the results were very funny.
You can listen to the whole podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 26: Yaxel Lendeborg #1 of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket during the game against the Denver Nuggets on October 26, 2026 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors collected their first win of the 2026-27 NBA season on Monday, and it wasn’t a cheap one. Playing on the road, against a team with championship aspirations, the Dubs dismantled the Denver Nuggets, winning 134-114, and looking excellent along the way.
Through three games, the red pen had gotten some serious wear and tear, so I’m pleased to announce that it can get a rest day today. Load management! Grades will be mostly positive, because that’s what is deserved with such an impressive win.
As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that individual.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. League-average TS was 58.1% last year.
Let me repeat that line really quickly: 31 points and 12 rebounds on 62.7% true shooting. And now let me remind you of something really quickly: this was his fourth career game.
It is abundantly clear that Lendeborg is a good player; a really good player, even. How good he can become is a different question for a different day, because the reality is, that right now, he’s a really good NBA player.
Lendeborg became just the fifth Warriors rookie since the turn of the century to have 30 points and 10 rebounds in a game (joining Steph Curry, Eric Paschall, Anthony Morrow, and Marc Jackson), and the history doesn’t stop there.
Again: this was his fourth game. It’s not like he’s figuring things out in March. He just got here.
Lendeborg was the team’s go-to option when Curry was on the bench … and often when Curry was on the court, too. He broke down the defense repeatedly, and got to the rim with ease, where he finished with absurd efficiency: he shot 8-for-11 from inside the arc, with 13 free throws. Occasionally he opted not to score after penetrating the defense, and instead dished to an open teammate en route to six dimes.
He has an uncanny combination of aggression and patience. You don’t see many rookies (let alone ones in their first week) who have the ability to score 30 points but still make the right reads and decisions, and play within the system (just ask Draymond Green about Darius Acuff Jr. for further proof of this!).
And my goodness can the dude rebound. Remember when Andrew Wiggins had a great rebounding series in the NBA Finals and claimed it was because he realized that rebounding was as simple as just deciding to get rebounds? Well, Lendeborg decides to get rebounds. He’s snagged 37 boards in four games, and is almost single-handedly making people forget that the Warriors are hilariously short on centers.
He’s the real deal, folks.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Led the team in points and rebounds.
It’s been an up and down start to the season for Santos, but this game was far and away his best. Even if Santos hadn’t done much else, you’re going to always look good scoring 13 points on just seven shooting possessions; that’s elite efficiency, and in a high-octane offensive game like this one, a player scoring like that can make the difference.
But Santos also did a lot more. His defense is a little inconsistent, which isn’t surprising for a player of his age and experience level, but this was definitely a strong game on that end of the court. We’ve seen the potential he has on D, and he really materialized it in this contest. He also had a lot of hustle plays — the three rebounds in the box score don’t do justice to the impact he had on 50-50 balls.
It sure makes it easier to start Green at the five when Lendeborg punches so much above his weight. Yaxel grabbing 12 rebounds, and even successfully taking some turn defending Nikola Jokić, gave Steve Kerr the luxury of playing small, with Green at center.
It certainly worked at times, and Green was the primary reason why Jokić had a relatively quiet night by his superstar standards (19 points on 8-for-18 shooting).
Dray didn’t play well on offense. He was a non-factor scoring (though he wasn’t forcing anything), and had a lot of turnovers, though he had some dimes as well. He’s still rounding into form, but his defense was big in this one.
Grade: B- Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.
We heard all camp that Podziemski was better than ever before. We had to wait to see it, given that he missed Wednesday’s and Saturday’s games with back soreness. But this was a data point. And this was a strong data point.
Setting aside the stats and the impact for a second, Podz looked, to me, more athletic than ever before. He was flying all over the court, which we’ve come to expect of him, but he looked stronger and more explosive. He’s always had great defensive instincts, but now he looks more prepared for the contact on any given play. He’s ripping rebounds out of the air, colliding with players for blocks and coming out on top, and working through contact easily. He just looks like a better athlete than he used to be.
More importantly, he just played a fantastic game. He was creative on offense, both in getting his own shot and in setting up his teammates. The fourth-year guard was a menace on the glass and on defense, in the half court and in transition.
The Warriors are a confusing team. I have no idea how good or how bad they might be. But if Podziemski and Lendeborg play like this, and Curry stays healthy, well … I’m excited to see just how good they can be.
Grade: A Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.
For just the second time in his storied career, Chef Curry went an entire game without missing a shot. And if you want to know how rare his feat was, there were only three instances all last year where a player scored at least 20 points without missing a field goal or a free threw … and none of the players who did it were guards.
It was also a masterclass in picking your spots. Curry took just one shot in the first half, happy to defer as his younger teammates took over (Lendeborg led both teams with 15 points at the break). And then, when the team needed him, he took over, scoring 17 of his points in the third quarter before taking his regularly-scheduled break.
Just a brilliant display of offensive wizardry from one of the best to ever do it. And hopefully Podz and Lendeborg can keep playing big enough roles that Curry can pace himself like this.
Payton’s just kind of been hanging around to start the season. He hasn’t been doing too much notable, but he hasn’t been playing poorly, either. His athleticism was firmly on display in this game, and it’s nice seeing him share the court with Lendeborg … suddenly the Dubs don’t look so unathletic! He didn’t have a very efficient scoring game, but good things happened because he cut to the rim repeatedly.
Niang’s strong three-point shooting showed up for the first time this year, and it was very timely: he drained back-to-back triples in the first minute of the second quarter, giving Golden State the lead and a whole bunch of momentum that they would not relinquish.
He fits the system well, and makes smart plays on both ends of the court. When he’s making his shots, it all comes together oh so nicely … not unlike with Al Horford.
Grade: B+ Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
Not the best offensive game for Melton (though three assists and no turnovers is always a great ratio), but I loved what he did on defense. This was a game where he made things happen through sheer effort. Even the national broadcasters mentioned how there were multiple plays where Melton disrupted Denver simply by wanting the ball more than any of the Nuggets did.
That’s a critical mentality to be getting from one of your veterans. And it makes the ship run very nicely. There will be days where the Warriors will need more out of his offensive game — which he showed on Saturday he’s capable of — but in this game they needed quarterbacking, leadership, and defense, and he brought all three.
Like I said when I compared Niang to Horford … when the threes fall, the total package looks damn nice, doesn’t it?
Horford was awesome in this game. His floor-stretching ability was critical, and a huge part of why the Warriors scored 134 points. And his defense on both Jokić and the other Nuggets players was massive. There’s a reason that Kerr trusts Horford so much that Graham Ike and Charles Bassey only got garbage time; and that trust was rewarded.
One funny thing: Niang, Horford, and Melton all finished with playing time totals within 22 seconds of each other. It seems like Kerr has found the sweet spot for his trusted vets!
This was kind of a rookie game for Williams who, it goes without saying, is not a rookie. He showed off his immense potential, but it also looked fairly raw. He really just did such a great job breaking down the defense and making things happen for the offense, especially at the end of the third quarter, when the Dubs were in the midst of turning a close game into a blowout. But at the same time, given Golden State’s history with ball security, you just cannot turn the ball over four times in 15 minutes of action.
One thing to monitor: Williams said that he dedicated much of his offseason to working on his jump shot, after shooting just 28.0% from three-point range in his first four seasons. So far this year he’s 5-for-11 … a very small sample, but an encouraging trend worth keeping an eye on.
Just a little dose of garbage time for Cryer, but my goodness did he make the most of it. Six points and two assists in less than three minutes of action? That’s fun, and had to be a nice tonic for the youngster after struggling on Saturday.
Grade: Incomplete
Malevy Leons
3 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 foul, -1
A few minutes of garbage time for Leons, who hasn’t seen the court much so far this year.
I thought there was a chance Ike would get some run tonight, after starting on Friday and Saturday and playing fairly well. But instead, he just got some garbage time. He made another triple though, and the center is now a perfect 4-for-4 from deep to open his career!
Grade: Incomplete
Will Richard
3 minutes, 0 points, -1
It seems like Richard is, for now, out of the rotation. But there will be plenty of opportunities when other players aren’t available.
I was a little surprised that Bassey wasn’t part of the rotation in this game, but with Lendeborg playing as well as he is, and able to play up a size, there just might not be too many minutes for Bassey on the games that Horford plays.
Grade: Incomplete
Monday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, Kristaps Porziņģis
SAN ANTONIO, TX -OCTOBER 16: De'Aaron Fox #4 of the San Antonio Spurs goes for a loose bal against Sacramento Kings in the first half of a preseason game at Frost Bank Center on October 16, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Following a disconcerting pair of opening losses, the Spurs are getting a couple of ‘get right’ games thrown at them on their way back to .500 and beyond.
After pulling themselves out of the winless column against the already banged-up Dallas Mavericks, the basketball gods are serving them up another meatball of a matchup in the Sacramento Kings.
In the recent past, the Kings were briefly getting the better of San Antonio teams for the first time since the turn of the millennium, kept at the edges of the postseason picture by a point-happy offense that made up for defensive flaws.
They were a playoff/play-in team, free from the shackles of the lengthy playoff drought they’d finally quenched.
Not so any longer.
Tired of a slowly and steadily declining win total, the Kings have opted to tear it all down. Or, at least, that’s what I think they’re doing. It’s just so hard to tell sometimes.
Either way (sample size disclaimers attached), the Kings are looking *really* bad.
Through three games, the Kings are: last in Player Impact Estimate, Blocks, and Assists, 29th in +/- and Net Rating, 28th in Points Scored and Points Allowed, 27th in Defensive Rating, and 26th in Opponent Field Goals Made.
Yeah, it’s just three games. But the teams that torched them were the Trailblazers (understandable) and the recently gutted Clippers and Grizzlies (uh-oh).
My guess is that if the Kings and Spurs had swapped schedules, the Spurs would be undefeated, and the Kings would be last in every category.
So, if you’re hoping for a competitive spectacle, you should probably watch something else. In fact, if there’s a game you’d like to be able to skip out on, I highly recommend this one.
If, on the other hand, you’ve had a rough week already and you could really use a blowout win, this will probably serve as a spectacular little sweet treat.
Especially if De’Aaron Fox goes off on his former team — which seems likely against a Sacramento backcourt that is very thin on guard talent for the first time in years.
In any case, here’s hoping that this game ends up being the ‘closer to .500’ treat that we all hope it is, as opposed to the ‘Spurs didn’t take them seriously’ trick that it very well could be, on the first leg of San Antonio’s 2nd back-to-back of the season.
Enjoy as approved by responsible adults, and don’t forget to check for needles in your apples! (I’ve really got to chill with the metaphors)
The Golden State Warriors got their first win of the season on the road against the Denver Nuggets in a 134-114 victory behind a career night from rookie Yaxel Lendeborg.
Lendeborg led all scorers in a game that featured Stephen Curry, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. The Warriors' 24-year-old rookie put up a double-double, giving Golden State 31 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and a block.
The No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft shot relatively well from everywhere on the court, except from deep.
Lendeborg shot 9-of-19, including 1-of-8 on 3-point field goals. He's continued to adapt to the NBA game, staying aggressive and getting easy opportunities at the free throw line. The rookie finished 12-of-13 from the charity stripe.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr pointed out that the rookie has things that he still needs to recognize and learn, but he's overall impressed by his rookie early on by the things that he's been able to come in and immediately do to contribute to the team.
"The ability to do what Jimmy (Butler) does, slow the game down, get fouled, create shots for himself, or others, it's a game changer for us. And so now we've got to take advantage of this momentum for the night," Kerr said. "Obviously tough to start 0-3, but long, long season, and we feel like we've got a good team, and we can win a lot of games."
Kerr is excited by Lendeborg's ability. He's coming off of a 26-point performance against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 24. Lendeborg is adapting to the league, rather swiftly. The rookie averages 21.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists through his first four career games.
"I think that's the exciting part, is where this can go," Kerr said. "There's still probably 10 plays that I could pull up on tape where he made mistakes, either defensively, or offensively. Not recognizing something that he needs to recognize. Despite all that, he just dominated the game and took over. At 24, in his fourth game ... pretty impressive. We're gonna keep coaching him, and keep trying to get him to learn the NBA game, and make the most of that enormous potential he's got."
It wasn't just Lendeborg. After all, he still plays on a team with No. 30. Curry was perfect from the field in the win. He scored 24 points on 8-for-8 shooting, 3-for-3 on 3-pointers and 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
Curry was all positive when asked about Lendeborg. There's a common excitement about what he brings to the table.
"Yaxel played amazing, we were flying around on defense, that's how we got to win," Curry said in a postgame interview with Peacock. When asked the most impressive thing about the rook, Curry noted his composure.
"He just came off of NCAA championship run," Curry said. "He's just got composure and feel. ...His size on the court, he's a matchup problem, but he's never really in a hurry and he's starting to see the pictures really well. (He's) distributing and being aggressive getting the free throw line, offensive rebound. Kind of a full package, so we want him to still continue to play aggressive."
DENVER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 26: Yaxel Lendeborg #1 of the Golden State Warriors drives against DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Denver Nuggets during the fourth quarter at Ball Arena on October 26, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was easy to feel hopeless about the Golden State Warriors after the first three games of the season. There were injuries, blowouts, massive choke jobs, and a feud between a confident rookie and a massively-talented, massively-whiny superstar. Monday night in Denver, everything clicked for the Warriors and their confident rookie delivered against one of the Western Conference’s allegedly elite teams.
Yaxel Lendeborg was the star of the show with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in the Warriors’ 134-114 road win over the Denver Nuggets. While the Nuggets understandably keyed on Steph Curry early, Lendeborg confidently ran the offense, scored in the paint, disrupted the Nuggets’ offense and drew fouls like a veteran, going 12-for-13 from the foul line.
Speaking of veterans, the Warriors showed they have a pretty solid rotation when their vets are available. Coach Steve Kerr leaned heavily on his reserves off the bench, and got rewarded by some very nice performances. Al Horford scored 11 points in 19 minutes and was a perfect 3-for-3 from distance.
Stephen had to show love to @GatorsMBK legend Al Horford 🐊
The Warriors social media team was clearly sucking up to Will Richard with that caption.
Georges Niang also sank three triples and De’Anthony Melton overcame a tough shooting game (1-for-6) to finish +1 with four rebounds and three assists, including an excellent alley-oop to Lendeborg which may have broken the Nuggets’ spirits for good.
It was a very unique Curry game, who was content to pass out of double teams and facilitate for his teammates early. Curry took exactly one shot in the first half, and made it. More accurately, he made his first shot on a play where he was fouled before/while sinking a reverse layup, yet inexplicably didn’t get the continuation on it. Instead, the Warriors got a side-out, and Curry defiantly responded by sinking a three-pointer.
Most players hit big shots to shove it the face of their opponents. Curry delivered a three-point middle finger to the referees.
Then, in the third quarter, with the Nuggets defense perhaps lulled to sleep by Curry’s quiet first half, the Chef went off for 17 points, shooting 6-for-6 overall, 2-for-2 on threes, and 3-for-3 from the foul line.
He finished with 24 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting night, including 5-for-5 on free throws.
The Warriors took their first big lead with a 9-0 run midway through the third quarter, featuring a three-shot foul on Curry and Brandin Podziemski both scoring and assisting on two-pointers.
Who stopped the run? DeMar DeRozan, who was clearly energized by playing against a group of players who were also born before the fall of the Berlin Wall. He went on a personal 5-0 run, helped by a friendly bounce on a three-point attempt and an uncalled elbow to the face of Podziemski. Podz didn’t help himself by hooking Nikola Jokic’s arm and flailing while pretending to go around a screen a minute earlier.
Podziemski may have been inspired by playing against Christian Braun, AKA “Nuggetz Podz.” Braun himself signed a five-year, $125M extension that kicked in this season, perhaps laying the foundation for the five-year, $110M deal Podziemski signed before the season. Regardless of the reason, Podz played one of the best games of his career, finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a plus/minus of +33. He showed nice chemistry with Draymond on a give-and-go, one of the many times he got himself wide open Monday.
Also, was Podz always constantly playing with his mouthpiece and hanging it half out of his mouth before this season? I guess he truly wants to be a Warriors legend, he has to embrace one of the most disgusting habits in NBA history and put his stamp on the game by putting his saliva all over the basketball that everyone has to use.
Denver rallied to close the gap behind DeRozan’s foul drawing, cutting the Golden State lead to seven points. Then the young Dubs stepped up. Gui Santos scored inside, Yaxel scored six points on two free throws, a layup, and a dunk, and then Brandon Williams paid respect to his elders by finding Horford for a jumper and a 16-point lead heading into the final quarter.
For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, but didn’t feel like the disruptive force he’s often been, even with three blocks, a steal, and only one turnover. Draymond Green still bothers the three-time MVP, who seemed like he often settled for outside shots (he was 1-for-6 on threes) simply because the Warriors defense was so annoying.
Jamal Murray had 19 points on 13 shots, adding eight assists, six rebounds, and three steals. DeRozan finished with 21 points off the bench but the rest of the reserves scored just 26, 14 of those points coming in garbage time with the game out of reach.
Aaron Gordon had a frustrating game, largely due to Gui Santos (13 points, +18) and Lendeborg. The veteran Denver forward finished with seven points and shot 2-for-10 before getting ejected after two quick technicals early in the 4th quarter.
Aaron Gordon gets hit with two quick technical fouls, each from every ref, and is ejected from the game, with 8:37 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter.
It was an unusual ejection for a few reasons. First, Gordon was arguing a foul that wasn’t even called on him. He took issue with the foul called on Braun for what was a fairly blatant two-handed shove on Curry. The ejection was also unusual because Gordon was effectively ejected by all three officials, after Gordon cursed at one of them, and then pointed at the other two. Finally, Curry signaled for the ejection a second before he was actually tossed, the technical foul version of turning around before watching a three-point shot actually go in.
Curry ejected him too🤣
Steph Curry's reaction to Aaron Gordon's ejection is priceless😅
But the real revelation was Lendeborg, who showed off a few previously unseen offensive moves to go with his devastating spin move. He showed off a deceleration move, pump-faked Gordon into a foul, and also simply outran every defender on a few buckets.
You could say that this victory wasn’t great because the Nuggets themselves aren’t that great. But it does seem like the full-strength Warriors, or the full-except-Moses-and-Jimmy-strength Warriors, are at least decent. And decent might well be enough for this team to tread water until the reinforcements come in 2027. There’s still going to be ugly games when many of these veterans are hurt, or sitting out, or secretly hiding out in Latvia, but after a brutal start to the season, it seems clear that this team is completely capable of being a B-minus team in the West.
And not that we would encourage any of our readers to wager on sports, but Yaxel is now second in the odds to win Rookie of the Year, behind his Summer League nemesis Cam Boozer. The future looks very bright for Golden State’s rookie, as long as he isn’t goaded into punching Luka Doncic on Friday.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 26: Alperen Sengun #28 of the Houston Rockets works against Onyeka Okongwu #17 of the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Toyota Center on October 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This is the second time the Rockets have faced the Atlanta Hawks in the past three days. It’s almost certainly the last time the Rockets will face the Atlanta Hawks this season, barring a Final of some sort – NBA, or NBA Cup. I’m not sure I love these quick turnaround home and home series, as you don’t really get to see the evolution of a team throughout the season. What you do get to see is a team make adjustments from the last game, at least some. Normally such adjustments, or even planning for them, wouldn’t much matter to teams from opposite conferences, as by the time they made it to their second game, the information might not be terribly relevant.
This was not the case tonight and we did see some shifts and the game didn’t go exactly as the last one. For one, Fred VanVleet was back, and ready to play (though Steven Adams and Marcus Smart remained out with injuries).
Both teams had also gotten a bit of rest since the last game, where both teams were on the second night of a back to back. Would this mean more energy in the game? Better shooting from the Hawks? Better shooting from the Rockets? Actually, no. At least not 3pt shooting. The Hawks shot a pretty dismal 28% from three point range on 39 attempts. The Rockets weren’t much better at 30% on 27 attempts. Rebounds, though, significantly favored the Rockets, instead of being a dead heat. The Rockets outrebounded the Hawks 52-35, although offense rebounds very slightly favored Atlanta.
Well, perhaps the Rockets won the turnover battle? Not even close. The Rockets turned the ball over a fairly ghastly 25 times to the Hawks 13. Ok, but the Rockets won the game, how on earth did they do it? By being better at two point shooting, and getting to the rim. They also had a 10 free throw advantage, which might well have been produced by shooting fewer threes, and attacking inside more. Even so, Atlanta shot the ball 98 times to the Rockets 81, that is, they played at a faster pace. You wouldn’t really expect to win such a game going away, except the Rockets did.
First, they shot 53% overall to Atlanta’s 42%, and they made 26FTs out 0f 32, compared to 15 out of 21 for Atlanta.
The Rockets also had their team MVP of less than 5% of the season so far having a splendid game. That’s right Alperen Sengun had 29pts on 11-15 shooting, 6-8 FT, and 1-1 from 3pt range. He added 9rbs, 9ast, 6stl, and sadly only 1blk, so no chance of a 5×5 game. Sadly he did have 6 turnovers, but the Rockets were, again, utterly generous with turnovers tonight, with no one but the usual suspects Fred VanVleet, Reed Sheppard, and of course, Jabari Smith posting clean assist to turnover numbers. Steady Freddy didn’t just get his first turnover of the season, he got his second tonight, he was 5ast/2TO, which would be good for other guards, but not tidy enough for Fred.
Reed Sheppard provided a real spark off the bench, despite not have the same shooting night he did in Atlanta. He still scored 13pts in 24 minutes, and added 4ast to 1TO, along with 2stl. Tonight Sheppard’s impact was being a menace on defense, passing it well, and attacking close outs to score at the rim. He also had a fast break two handed slam off a steal. Ime even smiled and embraced Reed, after one particularly fine stretch of play tonight. It was both heartening, and slightly alarming. It feels like we’re in new territory here.
Jabari Smith had 16pts on 6-13 shooting, 2-6 3pt, 12rbs, 5ast to 1TO, 1stl, 1blk. I’ll say it again, I think he’s having a break out season. His attacks were decisive, his passes came quickly, (and with one amusing exception of a full court hit ahead to Sengun that somehow worked despite being a duck,) were also on target.
Amen Thompson had something of a blah game for him, and only played 28 minutes. So, too, with Kevin Durant, who only played 30 minutes, and was not in the closing lineup.
Tari Eason had one of his “magic wand” games where he was at times the best player on the floor. He went 13pts/9rbs/2ast/1To/3blk.
The Rockets had long periods of slow, ineffective offense, of turnovers leading to easy Hawks points, and moments of brilliance where they scored, and shut Atlanta down. We are beginning to see the rudiments of actual, consistent offensive structure, and real plays. When the Rockets combine this with early clock attacks, they are very hard to stop so far this season.
There might be some complaints that the Hawks narrowed the Rockets lead late both games. The first time it felt slightly worrisome, tonight it didn’t, for what that’s worth. What’s more important, in a very swingy NBA, where we have already seen at 30 plus point late comeback, the cushion of the Rockets leads have declined but were never lost. That’s a good, if not the best possible, sigh.
The Rockets are 4-0, and you can’t ask for better than that.
Onward to the 1-3 Bucks in Milwaukee (possible WS champs by then) on Wednesday.
DENVER — Stephen Curry didn’t miss a shot, Yaxel Lendeborg turned in his best effort yet and, at long last, the Warriors got into the win column Monday night against the Nuggets.
Curry finished with 24 points on eight shots, Lendeborg asserted himself with a 31-point, 12-rebound double-double and Brandin Podziemski seemed to unlock it all in Golden State’s first winning formula of the season.
The 134-114 win ended a seven-game losing streak for the Warriors in Denver and ensured they wouldn’t get off to a worse start than 2007-08, when they lost their first six games.
Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors looks on during a game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
In Podziemski’s 33 minutes, the Warriors outscored Denver by 33.
Lendeborg, who carried the load in the first half and upped his aggression after halftime, was a close second, at plus-27 in 31 minutes. Just about the only thing missing from the rookie’s best game of his young career was his 3-point shot, connecting on just 1-of-8 tries from deep.
Golden State Warriors’ Yaxel Lendeborg (1) smiles during a game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
But the 6-foot-9, 241-pounder more than made up for his cold shooting night by getting to the foul line 13 times and, importantly, sinking 12 of them. Lendeborg collected a game-high 12 boards, including four on the offensive end that helped the Warriors to 23 second-chance points.
He put an exclamation point on his performance late in the fourth quarter, catching a lob pass in transition from De’Anthony Melton, slamming it home and letting out a guttural yell.
Golden State Warriors’ Yaxel Lendeborg (1) dribbles the ball during a game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
Curry checked out for the final time with 8:04 still to go and the Warriors leading 111-91.
After starting the season 0-for-12 from 3, Georges Niang drained back-to-back shots from deep to put the Warriors ahead to begin the second quarter, and they pretty much never looked back. Golden State fell behind by as many as eight points in the first quarter but never trailed for the final 27:40.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, looks to pass the ball while under pressure from Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, in Denver. AP Photo/David Zalubowski
The Warriors entered halftime up four, despite Curry attempting just one shot from the field — a 3-pointer that found nothing but net after officials waved off an old-school 3-point play.
It wasn’t until Curry and Lendeborg both got going at the same time that the Warriors pulled away for good. Curry poured in 17 and Lendeborg added a dozen as Golden State turned a 60-56 halftime lead into a commanding 100-84 advantage by the end of the third.
In a welcome twist, it was Golden State’s supporting cast that set up Curry to stick the dagger in the second half.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 26: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket around Peyton Watson #8 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during overtime at Rocket Arena on October 26, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Timberwolves 127-125 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We were due for a nailbiter. Unfortunately, this one didn’t go our way.
The Minnesota Timberwolves had to pull out all of the stops to keep this game close after a torrid 36-26 third quarter by the Cleveland Cavaliers, though the Wolves ultimately suffered their first defeat of the season in an overtime thriller. After splitting the season series 1-1 last year, this game had all the makings of a tight contest.
Circumstantially, this game was not set up for Minnesota to succeed. The Wolves were playing on the second night of a back-to-back after their first and only home game of the season thus far. The crisp offensive showings of the previous three wins seemed to go away as the game went on, as tired legs and sloppy play became the norm in the second half of the game.
Some could call it a “schedule loss.” While not entirely false, I think that may be a bit superficial.
Some poor decision-making and questionable foul calls would stand to doom the Wolves, though they fought through adversity and still almost came up with the win. It’s a tough loss to stomach, without a doubt, but this game provided some good early-season warning signs and key areas for the team to clean up.
CLEVELAND, OHIO – OCTOBER 26: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves argues a call during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on October 26, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Scars of the Old Wolves Come Roaring Back
A disaster of a third quarter. Poor officiating decisions and even worse reactions to those calls. Letting a usually unheralded player torch you from beyond the arc. That’s the brand of Minnesota basketball that I am unfortunately all-too familiar with.
In my last postgame recap, I’d made a comment about how the Kawhi Leonard-less Toronto Raptors were a team that would have, in past seasons, given the Timberwolves fits. The comment section told the tales of the “scars” that we as fans carry in regards to these aforementioned tropes. The Cleveland Cavaliers are a great team, of course, but this felt like a winnable game against an Eastern Conference finalist just a season ago. Minnesota just got bit too sharply by the scars of the past.
As mentioned earlier, Cleveland won the third quarter 36-26 as the Timberwolves squandered a 10-point halftime lead to go into the final frame all knotted up at 86. When the starting unit was in, they looked sluggish and out of sorts. Tired legs can be blamed for this, sure, but the hero-ball and sloppy turnovers turned from a brief trend into the offensive identity of the team for the rest of the game. Anthony Edwards made a ton of shots to keep the game competitive, though contributions from the rest of the roster continued to fade away.
I had also mentioned in our Canis Hoopus opening night predictions that we will need to see how this Timberwolves team deals with adversity and allowing opponents to go on runs. After tonight’s game, the jury is still out on that point.
Minnesota also made superstars out of a couple Cavaliers bench players. Rookie Meleek Thomas was electric from beyond the arc en route to a 16-point performance on four of five shooting from deep in just 19 minutes of play. Jaylon Tyson was a team-best +15 in just 20 minutes. Once their shots started falling, the Cleveland Big Three trio of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley decided to follow suit. It was all downhill from there.
What has typically followed the hero-ball motif of the Timberwolves is the increase in foul calls against them. Jaden McDaniels saw his fouls rapidly increase to the point of fouling out early in overtime. His technical foul was a much-deserved denigration of the officials after a slew of questionable decisions, though the moral victory doesn’t do much for the wins column.
Minnesota lost its composure and paid the price for it. It’s that simple. Failure to execute loses games. The Wolves will have to regroup and figure out how to better themselves before the next match.
Oct 26, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Lamelo Ball (1) drives between Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) and forward/center Evan Mobley (4) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
LaMelo Ball’s Lack of Impact
This was the first game of the season where LaMelo Ball was a total net-negative. He finished with a meager 11 points, zero rebounds, six assists, and seven (!) turnovers across 31 minutes of play. While the rest of the Timberwolves starters were positive in their BPM, Ball finished at a -10. That’s just not good enough.
While I was evocative in my praise for his performance in the last game, it would appear that tonight’s version of Ball is the one that the naysayers were warning us about. He appeared ill-prepared for the big moments in this game, often forcing passes or shots that had no business being executed in these crucial late-game scenarios. The turnovers were backbreaking. His passes were off the mark. He hoisted up some truly ridiculous shots that had no chance of going in.
It’s a fine line to walk in regards to what Ball should take away from this game moving forward. He’s at his best when he is playing free and loose, though that seeming lack of discipline is something that he should have the wherewithal to rein in when he sees that it isn’t working. We’re still early enough in the season that Chris Finch will likely have a long leash for LaMelo to try different looks and approaches. However, if performances like this become anything close to a norm in big games against better opponents like the Cavaliers, Finch will have to take a tougher approach about Ball’s decision-making and overall approach.
One poor performance in the first loss of the season isn’t enough to hoist the red flags. However, these are the issues that the team will need to clean up throughout the course of the season.
Beringer Shines
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Wolves. Obviously, Ant stole the show with his electric and efficient 47-point performance. However, it’s starting to look like Tim Connelly’s gamble on Joan Beringer is going to pay off big time.
With every passing game, Beringer is looking more and more capable to step into the rotation and aptly fill the shoes of Rudy Gobert. He’s everywhere on the court. When he’s not flying in for rebounds, he’s flying in for sensational blocks or highlight-worthy dunks. Beringer spends a lot of time flying. He’s got the juice.
Beringer’s 17 minutes of play saw him shoot 100% from the field (six for six) to score 12 points, snag seven boards, and pick up two blocks. That’s a ton of production for a backup center in that limited amount of playing time, and many could make the case that he deserved more down the stretch.
While there isn’t a ton of room for Beringer to earn more minutes at the time, there is a world where Finch could attempt to give Beringer more minutes by cutting into the playing time of Trey Lyles. Converting another center to power forward is not necessarily the most ideal, but the lack of production that the Timberwolves are getting from Lyles could cause the coaching staff to reconsider their rotations.
With considerably more upside residing within Beringer, it may make sense for the team to extend his leash a bit. He’ll continue to have growing pains and still needs to work on defending without fouling, though his linear improvement would suggest that he will be handling more responsibilities sooner rather than later.
82-0 may be out of play, though it’s 81-1 until it ain’t.
Game Highlights
Up Next
The Timberwolves will have a day to rest before returning back to Minnesota for a two-game homestand, beginning with a matchup against Stephen Curry and the 1-3 Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, October 28th. The game tips off at 7:00 PM CT on DAZN-MIN and NBA League Pass.
