Category: Basketball

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t keep up with a New York Knicks team that just has their number. They dropped Saturday’s game 109-97.

Three stars of the game

First star: Jalen Brunson

31 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds

Brunson is a certified Cavs killer. He picked up right where he left off last postseason by torching whatever defender Cleveland put in front of him. He got inside the paint and to his midrange floater with ease. And when he didn’t, the outside shot was working as well.

There really isn’t much that you can do when Brunson has it going as he did here. The Cavs sent some doubles at him and tried to shade their defense toward him. When they got too far, he made the easy pass to the open teammate, never forcing anything.

The Cavs’ strategy was fine. The defense also wasn’t necessarily horrible. Cleveland’s guards competed, but that didn’t matter. Brunson is just too good a shot and decision-maker.

Second star: Donovan Mitchell

37 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block

Mitchell is putting together an impressive season from a process standpoint. He’s doing a better job of looking for his teammates, while also finding avenues to score.

“I think the biggest thing is creating an opportunity,” Mitchell said. “I haven’t shot as many shots as I have in my career, so trying to balance that and figure out trying to make the right basketball play. Sometimes that is shooting. Sometimes that is passing. Sometimes that is running the blitz, and it’s going to help to make me better.”

Mitchell tried to will the Cavs back into this game, scoring 21 in the final quarter alone. But as impressive as he was, a one-man army wasn’t enough to take down a well-oiled machine like the Knicks. Especially when the rest of his co-stars struggled.

Third star: Karl-Anthony Towns

29 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

Towns is such a difficult player to defend. His outside shot requires him to be guarded out on the perimeter, which opens up the lane for his teammates. If the defensive center leaves, Towns can make them pay with the outside shot. And, if his defender closes out too hard, Towns is quick enough off the dribble to make them pay inside.

This was on display on Saturday. He drew two quick fouls on Mobley in the first quarter by attacking the rim. This changed the complexion of the game. Without Jarrett Allen, the Cavs were forced to turn to third-string center Thomas Bryant for a longer stretch than they would’ve ideally liked.

Towns’s presence can completely change an offense as dynamic as New York’s. Cleveland found that out again the hard way.

Duds of the game

James Harden

7 points on 2-of-9 shooting, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks

The Cavs offense can look lifeless when Harden isn’t able to get downhill. On Saturday, he was a step slow and couldn’t create any separation off the dribble. That limited his effectiveness.

On the other end, the Knicks continually hunted him in mismatches. To his credit, Harden competed. But it wasn’t enough to keep this from being a winning strategy.

This has been less than an ideal start to the season for Harden.

Evan Mobley

12 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers

Mobley’s ability to win the matchup over Joel Embiid was a deciding factor in Cleveland’s runaway win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Likewise, his inability to do so against New York contributed to the loss.

The foul trouble made it difficult for Mobley to establish any kind of offense inside. This left him as mostly a jump shooter at the start of the game. And since the three-ball wasn’t falling (1-for-5 on the evening), there wasn’t much he was capable of offensively to help jumpstart an offense that needed it.

Cavalier who deserves a shoutout

Peyton Watson

12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

Watson was useful in this game. He provided some much-needed offense and was helpful as a defender. That’s what you want to see from Watson in this matchup.

Play of the game

watch Don on the ground 😂

Made sure to find Knecht and shoot him with the spida webs pic.twitter.com/nkby46hYtE

— Mikey McNuggets (@MikeLucasTV) November 8, 2026

Quote of the day

“Not really. In Jauary we went 2-9. I’m not really into measuring stick games). … Let’s say we win by 15. Well, we might get hammered next week by whoever’s in last place by 20. Does that mean we suck? No. You just take it one game at a time and try to get a little bit better.”

– Knicks head coach Mike Brown before the game when asked if this was a measuring stick game

It’s tempting to use this difficult stretch of games as a test for where the Cavs are. And if you were going to use it as one, they wouldn’t necessarily pass.

The more concerning thing is the lack of discernible identity. When they’re playing well, the Cavs can beat anyone, as we saw against Philadelphia. But what does this group hang their hat on? What does better look like for them? And are they taking steps to get there? Those are the questions that matter, and we don’t have clear answers for any of them.

Stat of the game

The Knicks outscored the Cavs 26-8 in second-chance points.

New York retrieved 41.8% of their missed shots (94th percentile). And then they made the most of those opportunities by scoring a quarter’s worth of points on that alone.

“We have to rebound better collectively,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “There’s no one pointing the finger. The guys got to do it collectively. We just got to be better.”

Main takeaway from this game: The Knicks have the Cavs number

I don’t necessarily think the Knicks present stylistic problems that the Cavs can’t solve. An offense that hunts out mismatches with their smaller, but electric, scoring guard isn’t something the Cavs should, on paper, be incapable of countering. Yet, the Cavs are consistently ending up on the wrong side of this matchup. The Knicks have their number, and there’s no way around that.

Atkinson and Mitchell were asked what makes this matchup so difficult afterward. Both pointed to the offensive rebounding as an obvious issue, and one that we all can see. They also both mentioned that the Knicks just understand how to play with each other and use that to seize the openings teams give them.

“They really have solutions,” Atkinson said. “I think their continuity…they just have great chemistry. They’re on a string on both ends.”

“They’ve been through stuff together as a group,” Mitchell said. “They do a good job os seizing mistakes.”

Brunson and Towns were tremendous once again tonight. Their shotmaking carried them in this matchup. But they also did a great job of accepting what the Cavs threw at them, and then having a plan of action for that. If you doubled Brunson, he moved the ball to the open teammate and made the Cavs’ defense scramble out.

Conversely, when they threw doubles at Mitchell, the Cavs weren’t quick to respond. Watson admitted afterward that he doesn’t know to help Mitchell in that situation and that there are “some questions” about their strategy that he would like to ask about. That isn’t the sign of a team that’s on a string and understands what they need to do to be the best version of themselves.

Little things like that are why the Knicks have been better. They understand what they need to do, and the pieces fit together perfectly to make that happen. The Cavs don’t have that right now. And until they do, they won’t be able to get through the roadblock the Knicks have become throughout this era of Cavs basketball.

SAN FRANCISCO – It wasn't long ago that the Golden State Warriors were being written off, calling the 2026-27 season a throwaway after an 0-3 start.

They've since won seven consecutive games and have slowly become one of the hottest teams in the league. If you were sleeping on Golden State, then it's time to wake up. The boys are balling.

The Warriors kept their win streak intact, battling the Orlando Magic in a 126-119 overtime win on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Chase Center in San Francisco.

The Magic came into the with just two wins and were desperate for a spark. It was an easy situation for the Warriors to overlook. Golden State came out the gates with a 16 point lead but Orlando battled back and made it a game throughout.

"These games always scare me when people are out for the other team (with injury) because the league is filled with hungry, young, athletic players and the way everybody plays now, it's speed, crash the glass, and create extra possessions," Kerr said. "We only got out of there alive because of Steph (Curry) and then some great individual efforts by guys. 
We got totally outplayed that whole second half. They were amazing. 33 more field-goal attempts. It's almost impossible to win a game, but I'm proud of our guys, because they gutted it out."

Golden State was led by their veteran superstar Stephen Curry, who scored 12 unanswered points himself in the final 2:21 of regulation en route to a 41-point performance. It was his 16th 40-point game since turning 35 years old. He has the most 40-point games in NBA history by a player age 35 or older.

Curry had a vintage performance in which he gets hot in a flash and becomes unstoppable. He went 13-of-19 from the field, 5-of-10 on 3-point shots and a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line. He was the engine for the Warriors, as he's been time and time again throughout his career. It doesn't get old to someone like Draymond Green who's played alongside Curry since 2012.

"It never gets old," Green told USA TODAY Sports. "He's so special, like, he always does something to where it can't get old. 
You know, it's always something different. ... Down the stretch, you kind of get to a space where you just expect him to make those plays. But never try to take it for granted."

Green caught himself in awe of Curry on one particular shot when he was being guarded by Magic forward Jamal Cain as the shot clock was winding down with 6:46 left in the third quarter. Cain was all over Curry and still, Curry found space to hoist up a 3-point try and it found the bottom of the net.

"The guy's the greatest shooter ever played basketball. But I don't know what in your mind would just tell you, oh, this guy's pressuring me, just shoot," Green said. "Right? That's crazy. I can't begin to process those thoughts, you know, where you're like, gosh, right here.
I'm gonna just shoot it. Most people, they do that and you look at them like, yo, what are you doing? It goes in. So I would say that was the one tonight that was really like, man, it's crazy. But, you know, I try
I make it a point to try to never take it for granted."

Curry is going to get his but the battle was won through their depth. Every player who logged minutes for Golden State score. The Warriors bench outscored Orlando's second unit, 42-31.

After Curry, Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg had the next high with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. Brandin Podziemski added 15 points and 7 rebounds.

The Warriors look to continue their hot streak as they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, Nov. 9 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. Tip-off begins at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors keep streak alive, win seventh straight behind Steph Curry's 41 points

ATLANTA — Understand that “back” is the worst four-letter word for Nets fans.

They read about back woes, minutes limits and injury management, but Ben Simmons is what they see. And what they fear.

But with Mikel Brown Jr., they don’t have to be afraid.

Despite the kid gloves the Nets have treated their rookie with, Brown’s ankle is fine. And more importantly, so is his back.

While Brown was limited to 21 games for Louisville last season, sources told The Post that his back was structurally fine. That injury had just been a soft tissue one and is long since in the past. His current minutes limit is about the future and building strength for that — for who the Nets see as an eventual All-Star.

“It’s all about getting stronger,” Brown told The Post before scoring 18 points in the Nets’ 124-121 loss to the Hawks on Saturday night. “This is my first year playing against this type of high level of athletes. You’ve got to be at an elite performance level body-wise. But that’s just the everyday process when it comes to that stuff.

“I’m constantly in the weight room every day just strengthening the parts of my body I need to strengthen. But yeah, that’s us going along with the plan. I’m all aboard with it. As long as we’re winning games, that’s all I care about.”

With Brown being the reward for a long tanking season, fans are not only invested in his progress but still scarred from the Simmons experience — trading James Harden for what turned out to be just 90 ineffective games in three seasons.

This isn’t that.

“Nah, man, that was never the case,” said Brown, who will not play Sunday in Dallas because he’s not cleared for back-to-backs. “I’ve just been leaning on my performance staff. My body feels great. Just take it slow. It’s an 82-game season. We want to be in a position to make the playoffs, so every game matters, but they’re just like, ‘the long run, the long run.’ So taking it a game at a time, a day at a time, and attacking it. Everything’s fine. I don’t look at (social) media like that, but yes, everything’s fine. My body’s great, just continuing to build.”

Brown has yet to play both legs of a back to back, with the Nets to play Sunday in Dallas.

He entered Saturday averaging 12 points and four assists. And the game is visibly slowing down for the rookie, mustering 14.5 points in his last four tilts.

“I’m very happy with Mikel. Him in pick-and-roll, how fast he is, how shifty, he can shoot the 3, get to the rim. Very happy with his performance,” coach Jordi Fernández said.

“It’s always about playing hard, but it’s also about playing smarter as well. So, just really having the game slow down,” Brown told The Post. “I watched a lot of film with my coaches, a whole lot of film for myself, just slowing down and letting the game come to me and just letting the game flow.

“And just staying aggressive, living with the consequences if I turn the ball over, miss an assignment on defense, just knowing I have to get it back the next play. Just always having that next-play mentality. That’s the mindset that’s been in my head these past couple games.”

Brown has particularly excelled in the pick-and-roll, capped by an 18 point, four-assist outing in their win over Charlotte. He shot 6 of 11, 3 of 5 from deep and had a highlight no-look pass to Moritz Wagner off a baseline drive.

“Yeah, really the willingness to just be myself and create plays within that pick-and-roll situation, whether that’s hitting the pocket, reading the tag man. Just allowing the game to come to me. It’s nothing I haven’t worked on for freaking years before this. So I adapt and put it on show,” Brown said.

“Great player. Big-time offensive spark,” said Terance Mann. “He’s gonna be good when he gets older, stronger, understands the game, understands the pick-and-roll situations. I could see him being an All-Star easily. He has a great basketball mind. So, it’s fun to play with him.”

The Nets are strengthening Brown’s body, especially his core, searching for that All-Star outcome.

Rick Flair drip go “Woo!” on a(n)… all- time great.

The Suns dig deep to pull out a 102-98 victory over the Houston Rockets to win the KD trade for the first time this year.

What a wonderful game. One that gives us a blueprint for how the Suns are going to make noise in the perennially competitive Western Conference. This was a statement win and the best the Suns have tallied far, early in the season.

After tonight, I see a real path forward for the Suns to meet Ishbia’s lofty goals of a second-round playoff appearance. In a game that could have been derailed by social media distractions, the Suns dug deep after a horrific 22-3 run to close the half to pull out a clutch-time victory against, possibly, the best team in the Western Conference. How did the Suns right the ship and pull out a competitive win against a team that swept the season series last year? Energy. The Phoenix Suns season is officially a question of energy.

So much has been made about fit but after tonight, it becomes irrelevant. It’s not about the points, or the rebounds, or even the minutes a player delivers for the Phoenix Suns that will determine the wins and losses. It’s the energy they can provide. Energy that leads to turnovers under the basket after a miss. Energy that leads to locking down defensive rebounds that lead to transition opportunities for the plethora of scorers on the Suns roster. Energy from blocks that lead to points, or drawing offensive fouls that take points away. The Suns rode the energy in the first quarter only to be hit by a brown out in the second, and in the end they found a way to generate enough power to match the Rockets’ energy plays blow for blow through a contested third and outlasting a desperate Sengun (who doesn’t want it with KhOso) looking to salvage a forgettable night with a fourth-quarter push that was too little too late.

I don’t know if there is any player I can target as standing out in game that needed a whole team to secure a win. The Suns had 5 players finish the night in double figures, including a surgical Luke Kennard who proved to be the a fusion of Royce and Grayson Allen in a flurry of points in limited minutes. Booker put up 24 points on 24 shots, and Jalen Green went 50% from the field on 7-of-14 shooting, with 8 assists. The decision-making is coming along. The Villain, under the spotlight after his online spat with KD, held the former Sun to limited shots in the first half, but couldn’t keep him off the line, where he grabbed 10 points on 11 attempts and ended the night with a hollow 21 points.

KhOso tag-teamed Sengun all night, who remained quiet for 3 and 1/2 quarters before making a push in the final six minutes. He finished the night with 15 points on 5/16 shooting with a modest 6 rebounds and a -16 plus-minus. If you’re looking for a reason the Suns won the game, look no further than Sengun’s 1-7 shooting with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. While there were plenty of mistakes from the young center duo, KhOso took advantage of some key injuries to Capella and Adams, and did enough inside to give the Suns the opportunity to win the game tonight.

Game Flow

First Half

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

The Suns got Jalen Green going early, starting 4-of-4 in the opening minutes of the game. I believe this needs to be a focus, and I was happy to see Jalen experience some success early against his former team. I no longer want to hear that Jalen Green can’t play next to Devin Booker, as he consistently made the right decision and his paint touches became a real difference-maker for stretches in this game.

The Suns continued their stretch of hot starts, finding the energy early in a run sparked by Oso pulling the chair on Sengun, leading to a turnover and lay-up for Jalen Green. An offensive goal-tend led to an Oso “jumper”, then Dillon bodied Durant into a bad pass, leading to a scramble with Dunn causing and then creating a turnover, which led to a Dillon three-pointer and a Houston timeout with the Suns leading 17-11.

Ryan Dunn making plays 😤

Gets the transition steal plus the assist. pic.twitter.com/0RZoZeNhwE

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 8, 2026

The Suns continue to press, and Brooks draws an offensive foul, then hits an iso turnaround. Green makes a steal that leads to a corner three from Ryan Dunn, who had himself another night, and Kennard opens up the last three minutes, by splitting the black see opening up an assist to Ryan Dunn. Brooks hits a bucket, and Khaman shows promising hands as he collects a pass off a cut to the basket for a dunk. Kennard hits a jumper and a three to end the first quarter with the Suns up 35-23.

In the Second quarter, the Suns continued to cook, scoring an early six points before the system glitched and a scoring brownout, which lasted the length of the second quarter, led to a 41-23 lead for the Suns, turning into a tied score of 47-47 going into halftime. Is what happened.

A string of negative energy plays compounded into outright disaster, sparked off by four straight turnovers from the Suns team and caused by a series of quick shots, poor decisions, and offensive rebounds that snowballed into a 22-3 run going into halftime. For so many teams, this could have been the end, the beginning of the end, but the Suns managed to secure some extra juice in a game that was clearly important to the two former Houston Rockets who are looking to prove their value against the team that recently cast them aside.

Second Half

The third quarter opens up with a previously quiet Durant hitting a three-point bucket that is immediately answered by the Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker with a three-point bucket of his own. This is what I loved about this third quarter, where every Houston push was answered in kind by the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns’ path to victory is their ability to bring more energy than the opposing team. It was clear as day in the first quarter when the Suns made all the plays and shots they needed to push to an early double-digit lead, and unfortunately even more clear in a starkly different second half where the Houston Rockets woke up and matched the Suns’ energy, systematically dismantling the gains the Suns had made. Too often this has led to a power outage from the Phoenix Suns, but not tonight.

A miscommunication on a switch between Booker and Bridges gives up an open three. Open three-point shots lead to the Rockets taking a 57-53 lead with 8 minutes left in the third.

Then Brooks contests a KD drive, which leads to Miles Bridges getting to the free-throw line for two shots. Positive energy. Then Brooks fouls KD on a three-point shot, bad energy, which pushes the Rockets’ lead to 61-55.

Brooks and Dunn force a steal after a missed foul shot. Energy. Khaman knocks a ball free, and Booker dives to the floor, leading to a jump ball where the Rockets are called for a foul. Energy. The Suns collect the rebound on a Sengun miss, which turns into a Jalen Green dunk. Energy.

BIG TIME BACKCOURT LOB 📚🔋

This halfcourt alley from Book to JG pic.twitter.com/yImIzJRwIA

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 8, 2026

A Dillon Brooks hits a three, and a Durant miss leads to Booker heading to the foul line to regain the lead at 66-65. Energy. Kevin Durant hits a three, which is answered with a three from Devin Booker, with 2:25 left in the quarter. Energy. Dunn grabs an offensive rebound that led to a Collin Gillespie three-pointer. Energy. Durant gets an offensive rebound, and the Rockets are up 73-72. Negative energy.

Booker answers with a back door cut that leads to an easy bucket and the Suns regaining the lead 74-73.

Booker gets out in transition and earns a trip to the free-throw line. The Rockets win a challenge, and the Suns give up a straight drive to the basket to Fred, but Collin immediately answers with his own drive to the hoop. Energy. The Suns finish the third quarter up 76-75.

The fourth quarter opens up with Jalen Green attacking the paint. An early drive leads to a ManMan offensive rebound and putback. Khaman takes a trip to the free-throw line, and JG follows up with a jumper to push the Suns’ lead to 80-75 . The Suns give up an offensive rebound to Smith, and Gillespie takes a bad shot, which leads to a Sheppard three and the Rockets tie the game up at 82-82.

Jalen Green contests a rebound that deflects out of bounds, and the Suns win a challenge to keep the ball on their end. A JG paint touch leads to a Malauch offensive rebound and one opportunity. Another Green paint touch leads to Bridges getting a mismatch and scoring in isolation.

Sengun and Miles Bridges exchange buckets. Sengun hits a three, but Dillon the Villain answers with a three of his own. Energy. Green gets into the paint and finds his way to the free-throw line where he hits 1-2 to give the Suns a 93-91 advantage.

Oso attempts an entry pass to a cutting Green, which gets fumbled out of bounds. Sengun takes it to the hoop to tie it up at 93-93. A Durant miss leads to a Booker middy, but Sengun fights his way to the foul line, hitting two foul shots to tie it back up at 95-95.

After a Durant miss, the Suns find Booker for an open three off an inbound, which he hits to take a 100-95 lead with 3 minutes left in the game. KD misses a shot on a Brooks contest, and Booker gets to the hoop for a lay-up to push the lead to 102-95. (Headband Book 4 L)

The Rockets bring it back to 102-97 when they turn it over on an attempted entry pass to a Sengun with 1:32 seconds left. Booker misses two straight shots, and Durant hits a jumper with 45 seconds left to bring the score to 102-99. Booker and Green work the two-man game, which leads to an out-of-bounds play and an in-and-out three from Booker with 3.2 seconds on the shot clock.

The Rockets have the ball within one score of tying it up, but the shot misses, and Oso collects the Rebound to secure a Suns’ win in a season-altering momentum game.

Up Next

The Phoenix Suns take on the San Antonio Spurs and their otherworldly seven-footer coming off a 50-point performance. Definitely an outsized task for a Suns team just starting to find their rhythm. Can the Suns continue to stack energy plays that lead to runs and secure a second straight win over a Western Conference contender? I hope so. Now that they’ve finally found their footing, they can’t afford to slide back.

CLEVELAND — The visitors locker room sounded like a Sweet 16.

The setlist opened with “Shake It Off,” followed by “You Belong With Me,” “Style” and “Bad Blood.”

The Knicks — led by DJ Jalen Brunson — were partying like it was “1989.”

Tyler Kolek — who this week questioned Taylor Swift’s Knicks fandom during an NBA 2K League livestream — may never, ever, ever hear the end of it from Swifties, but the second-year guard was hoping to make amends with one of the world’s biggest stars following the Knicks’ 109-97 win over the Cavaliers.

Kolek had labeled Swift the fakest celebrity Knicks fan on the bandwagon during their title run, calling the musician “performative” after she attended Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.

“It’s just a question that was asked for me, that maybe I answered in the wrong way. Take that on the chin,” Kolek said Saturday night. “I love her music. We were just playing it five minutes ago, and I’m singing every word to every song. Nothing against her at all.

“People have been going back and sending me all this stuff about her coming to the games, and she was actually wearing a [No.] 13 jersey [of] Joakim Noah back in the day with Carmelo [Anthony]. That’s on me. I wasn’t up to date on my Taylor Swift Knicks fandom. So that’s on me.”

The previous day, the Knicks put out a statement in support of Swift, whose wedding to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was held at the Garden this summer.

“Taylor Swift has been a Knicks fan for many years, has a long history with Madison Square Garden, and we are incredibly appreciative of her support of the organization,” a Knicks spokesperson said.

The Knicks returned to Cleveland for the first time since the Eastern Conference finals, when Swift attended Game 3 at Rocket Arena with Kelce — an Ohio native — and was seen cheering for the Cavaliers.

When Kolek called out Swift in the video with teammate Deuce McBride, he acknowledged he was “going to get some hate from the Swifties.”

Since then, his teammates have taken their shots too.

“For sure, they’re playing Taylor Swift in the locker room,” Kolek said. “We were at practice [Friday and] we were playing Taylor. I love her music. I probably know more songs than anybody else in the locker room. Just misspoken.”

Last season, the Spurs had the second-best record in the league on the second night of back-to-backs, and surely their youth played a role in that. Believe it or not, they’re still young just a few months later, and they are now 3-0 on SEGABABA’s this season after an absolute beatdown of the Portland Trail Blazers for their 8th straight win. Portland started the season hot but were coming off a loss to the Lakers last night, and while they may have been revenge-minded for their first-round loss in the playoffs, they were missing Ja Morant, Robert Williams and Shaedon Sharpe and were no match for a healthy Spurs squad with Victor Wembanyama playing the way he is.

However, before the blowout came, the Spurs would have to get through a sluggish first half borne of both poor shooting from both teams and a heavy whistle. After hitting 3-5 from three before the first timeout, including both of Wemby’s attempts for an 11-3 lead, both teams were sluggish, with the Spurs up shooting 33% in the quarter and the Blazers just 25%. But Portland got hot to close the quarter while the Spurs got sloppy, closing on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to two, 22-20.

After barely playing last night, Carter Bryant brought a spark to the start the second quarter with a couple of corner threes and a block of Damian Lillard. Meanwhile, the Blazers did a good job of drawing fouls and were in the bonus less than four minutes in. It didn’t take long for the Spurs to join them, and what was already a sluggish game came to a screeching halt with all the whistles and free throws. Overall, the teams combined for 41 free throws in the half, and at one point, the Spurs scored 11 straight points from the stripe before a Stephon Castle alley-oop and consecutive Junliam Chamapgnie threes in the final minutes got the offense going again, and they went into the half up 64-49.

The lack of whistles allowed the offenses to open up in the second half, but the Spurs were red hot, especially Wemby, who finished the night with 29 points on 9-13 shooting (3-6 from three) in just 24 minutes of play. An 11-0 run capped off by a technical foul on Deni Avdija gave the Spurs their first 20-point lead of the game, and there was no stopping them from there. The Blazers had nothing left in the tank, and the crowd watched in stunned silence as the Spurs got the lead all the way up to 30 for the first time this season on a Dylan Harper banker late in the third quarter. The last 15+ minutes of the game was entirely garbage time, and the Spurs finished their most dominant game of the season with a 125-103 win.

Game Notes

• We finally got a glimpse of last season’s version of Luke Kornet. He was active in his first stint with a floater, two rebounds and block of a Chris Youngblood three-point shot, and the Spurs added a point to the lead. Granted, most of his time was spent against Yang Hansen, but he needed a confidence-booster, and maybe this was it. He finished the night with 6 points and 4 rebounds in 15 minutes, and perhaps most notably, was a +9 while on the floor.
• As frustrating as all the whistles were for both sides in the first half, it was comical at times (granted it’s easier to laugh when your team is ahead). Some of the calls were mindbogglingly soft, and Wemby former Spurs teammate Sidy Cissoko got into a bit of a French Flop Fest, with both exaggerating contact to get whistles. To borrow a hilarious text from Jesus Gomez last night, “Sidy flopped three times, and Wemby said, ‘Hold my cabernet sauvignon’”. (He also shook the refs’ hands after the game, which I’ve never seen before, adding to the hilarity.)
• Random thought of the night while sitting through a blowout: David Jones Garcia is still with the team instead of joining his fellow two-way players in Austin to start the season, which seems odd, but perhaps the Spurs intend to make him their 15th player once enough time has passed that they can sign him without going over the luxury tax, so he’s staying with the main team? He really has nothing left to prove at the G League level, and he reportedly turned down more lucrative offers from overseas, so maybe there’s an agreement in place? Just my two cents.

Play of the Game

It wasn’t the prettiest play of the game, but when trying to get out of the slugfest and free-throw-a-thon that was the second quarter, sometimes it just takes plays like this. (You also know it’s your night when stuff like this goes in.)

HOW DID STEPH SAVE THAT ⁉️

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/IdGiNW9lfA

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 8, 2026

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Up next: Monday 11/9 at Phoenix Suns

8:00 PM CT on DAZN

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell 109-97 to the New York Knicks on the second night of a back-to-back.

Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Player of the game

Donovan Mitchell

37 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds

Mitchell looks like he’s finding the right balance between scoring and passing through the last two games. He’s been aggressive first, allowing his playmaking to come as a result of the defense overreacting to his gravity. That’s led to some efficient games passing the ball, but we were all waiting for Mitchell to have a scorching hot game shooting it.

It finally happened.

Mitchell went off for a season-high 37 points, and he was the catalyst behind Cleveland’s momentary comeback in the fourth quarter. Mitchell was one of the only Cavaliers who had a pulse on offense tonight.

Grade: A–

Grades

Evan Mobley

12 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers

Mobley was fantastic last night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tonight? He was totally on his back foot.

Karl-Anthony Towns beat Mobley to the punch more often than not. It was an uber-aggressive approach from KAT that reminded you why the Cavs are still at their best when there are two defensive anchors on the floor.

We know that Mobley can play better than this, and his grade will reflect that.

Grade: D+

James Harden

7 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds

Last year’s playoffs showed that this was a bad matchup for Harden, and tonight proved that it wasn’t just because Harden was gassed. The Knicks are too fast and incorporate too much off-ball movement for Harden to keep up defensively. The Cavs will be in trouble if they draw New York again in April or May.

Grade: F

Meleek Thomas

9 points, 4 rebounds

The Cavs have leaned heavily on this 20-year-old rookie to give them minutes. He’s had moments where it all clicks effortlessly into place. And other times, he looks off Mitchell and attempts a wild layup that goes the other way in transition.

Thomas shot 3-10 from the floor and looked like a rookie tonight. Overall, he has been fantastic given the circumstances. He’s quickly lapped his competition as the best backup guard option on Cleveland’s roster. But moments like this are inevitable.

Grade: D+

Peyton Watson

12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists

The Cavs need Watson to start shooting the rock better than he has. Watson was 1-of-5 from downtown tonight, and the Knicks had no interest in defending him. For all the potential benefits Watson can bring to this team — it will all feel moot if he can’t provide enough spacing to make defenses care about him.

Grade: C-

Mario Hezonja

0 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

There can be a trickle-down effect in games where the stars struggle to set the tone. Hezonja never found his rhythym in this game, shooting 0-of-6 from the floor. And while he’s the only one who can take accountability for that, I think he was more a victim of this team struggling to find its stride as a whole.

Grade: F

Thomas Bryant

5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

I owe Bryant an apology for not grading him last game. It was an honest mistake, and he delivered quality minutes in Cleveland’s win over the 76ers.

It brings me no joy to report that he struggled in this matchup. Bryant has become a necessity with Allen on the sidelines, but his lack of mobility made it hard to keep him on the floor.

Grade: D+

Tyrese Proctor

7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Proctor has given good minutes during this stretch of poor injury luck for the Cavs. He’s showing he’s a capable shooter and someone who can occasionally make things happen with the ball in his hands, but he still needs some fine-tuning on both ends of the court to be a player who is in the nightly rotation once everything settles.

Grade: C+

Riley Minix

8 points, 3 rebounds

The Cavs waived Minix just days ago, before bringing him back only a few hours before tip-off. He responded with the best game of his young career, nailing his first three shots and ending with 8 points.

Maybe he just needed a factory reset.

Grade: A-

Both sides were on the second night of a back-to-back set, and the San Antonio Spurs handled the Portland Trail Blazers on the road. This was the first matchup between last year’s first-round opponent and it was uncommonly physical for a November game.   

The Spurs didn’t shoot well early, but were the nastier team from tip-off, getting into the bonus in fewer than six minutes and forcing a few turnovers. Their quickness shifting into the lane tempted the Blazers into too many unsuccessful 3-point attempts which sparked transition, but they got sloppy, committing too many fouls and that bad habit persisted most of the first half. 

The Trail Blazers stayed on their heels with relentless hustle, and then the Silver and Black cracked the code. Eventually, Victor Wembanyama also went on a tear that zapped whatever will the hosts had left. He had 29 points, seven rebounds and three assists. His biggest help came from Stephon Castle, who played a nice all-around game with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists, plus Devin Vassell, who added 15 points and two steals.

Garbage time started when they built up a 32-point lead late in the third quarter. 

Observations

• The Trail Blazers were down one penetrator in Ja Morant, which affected their ability to bend the defense. On top of that, the schemes made Portland look ordinary at their downhill game and they never countered with feeding Donovan Clingan in the post. Their rebounding helped keep them in the game but that only lasted for so long.
• The Spurs played with high intensity but in the first half, not much discipline. All those cheap fouls had three of them in foul trouble and prevented them from continuing their work in transition, giving the Blazers an opportunity to start creeping in through the door.  
• The Trail Blazers are a long, athletic team with good screen navigation, so getting by them into the lane can be a challenge. The Spurs’ jump-shooting unfastened their defense, but they started playing more forcefully on the perimeter and made it tougher to maneuver. The Spurs were not phased and kept plugging away, shooting 77.3 percent in the restricted area.  
• It seems that Castle brings it when is playing his old teammate, Clingan. He was one of the team’s best rebounders, and he was like a linebacker stopping the run game inside, especially from Deni Avdija. 
• It was a rough shooting night before the game broke open, and the team got a big lift from Julian Champagnie, making four 3-pointers, including two consecutive treys in the second quarter, when the team badly needed it.
• Toumani Camara said the plan was to get physical with Wembanyama before the game, and they did, not giving him much room after catches, bumping him on the move and using some hand checks.  This played a big part in him going eight-for-nine at the line. The extra stuff did not wear him down physically or mentally. 
• Exhibit A. of the game flipping like a light switch: the Spurs made 17 first-half field goals had 18 in the third quarter.  
• The Spurs eventually took an edge on the glass 13 and added 23 back-breaking second-chance points.
• Carter Bryant got subbed into the game early in the second quarter, and his minutes were mostly negative because his aggressiveness can be used against him. He had three fouls in three minutes, yet coach Mitch Johnson gave him a chance to make up for it with extra time and later as well when the game was out of reach.

We won’t deny it: the last week or so has consisted of games that have been a ‘must-win’ for Utah. And tonight is included.

The team’s play against Dallas was more on the promising side: fans saw Darryn Peterson start to find his groove and play like the #2 pick he is, Lauri Markkanen hit a mind-boggling eight triples, but it feels like Utah needs to play a perfect and synchronised game of basketball just to win a game of basketball.

The Jazz road trip concludes with a visit to see our divisional foe, along with former friends in Minnesota. The roster overhaul over the 2026 offseason added star LaMelo Ball to the mix, designed to alleviate the facilitating role for Anthony Edwards. They’ve even got a brand-spankin’ new rebrand as the league adapts to the dying trend of minimalism. The Wolves are so unrecognisable that they even have Rudy Gobert looking like Montel Williams.

Rudy Gobert shows off a new goatee look at Media Day 2026! 💈

Thoughts on the new look? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/MDyOD7svcS

— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) September 24, 2026

The addition of LaMelo and Kuminga has given them an early season boost. They hold a +5.1 rebound-per-game improvement compared to the baseline average of 49.2 rebounds per game last season. They’ve also maintained their defensive core to post a 106.6 defensive rating, second-best in the Association. After a hot 3-0 start, the Wolves have sizzled to a comfortable 7-3 record to sit at the 6th spot in the Western Conference.

Injury Report

Jazz Injury Report (as of 11/7)

OUT – Trey Alexander (G League – Two-Way)

OUT – Harrison Ingram (G League – Two-Way)

OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (Right Knee; MCL Tear)

OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (Right Foot; 2nd Plantar Plate Tear)

QUESTIONABLE – Lauri Markkanen (Right Wrist; Sprain)

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 7, 2026

Minnesota @Timberwolves Status Report in advance of tomorrow night’s game vs. Utah Jazz:

QUESTIONABLE
Beringer- Nasal Fracture/Face Mask

OUT
DiVincenzo- Right Achilles Tendon Repair
Edwards- Right Knee Arthroscopy

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) November 7, 2026

Fighting on the glass

Minnesota’s rebounding is arguably Utah’s biggest concern if they’re chasing a win. They rank 2nd in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage (35.6%), making them a formidable foe for a team already missing Jusuf Nurkic. The team needs to stay disciplined, ensuring that every player sticks to boxing out.

It’s especially important that the Jazz shooting woes need to be put on hold, or else they’ll get punished on the other end. They have converted just 28% of their three-point attempts over the last three games (34-of-121). While they demonstrated minor improvement against Dallas, the overall efficiency continues to be a lingering issue. Missed shots could quickly translate into transition opportunities for the Wolves, while their offensive rebounding allows them to compensate for their own missed attempts.

And really, I don’t know if it’s possible to hold your own if Mo Bamba is another healthy scratch from the rotation, with a DNP-CD against Dallas, in favour of Tony Bradley. Perhaps his ankle flared up before tonight, but either way, Utah needs some size advantage.

Death, taxes, turnovers

It feels like it’s been years since the Jazz were a bottom-10 team in turnovers. The lack of winning experience, combined with inconsistent offensive flow, has left the Jazz with a 17.2% turnover rate, ranking them 26th in the league.

This was evident when the Jazz coughed up 21 turnovers in their NBA Cup loss to the Mavericks. Will Hardy specifically highlighted the team’s concerns about handling the ball and maintaining an offensive flow:

Hardy: it’s another representation of good basketball and then some possessions were really sloppy.

He talked about how they need to win the possession battle and diagnose the turnover issue.

— Shreyas Laddha (@shre98) November 7, 2026

The ball movement that was promised still hasn’t come to fruition. Things seem stagnant, relying heavily on Keyonte and Lauri to create their own shots rather than having them come to them naturally. Yes, a large part of it is them missing their distributing big man, Nurkic (whom will likely miss the rest of November), but it seems like they’re trying to force-feed their top guys more than anything else.

Minnesota already rank eighth in opponent turnover percentage (16.04%), with McDaniels and Kuminga pressuring opposing teams on the perimeter. The Jazz can’t lose focus. They will need to become more decisive, make quicker reads, and avoid unnecessary dribbling or else they risk the Timberwolves running away with this one.

Seriously, no more Jazz Killers

The serious advantage in Utah’s deck of cards is Minnesota’s absence of Anthony Edwards for the next couple of months. When the Wolves win, it comes from contributions from several players rather than relying on a dominant scorer. Utah should look to disrupt the Timberwolves’ flow by forcing their second and third options into difficult situations and preventing them from getting comfortable in the early going.

Utah’s job tonight will be limiting the role of All-Star LaMelo Ball along with Minnesota’s array of perimeter shooters, including Terrence Shannon Jr. and Bones Hyland. Dosunmu exploded for 26 points in New Orleans a couple days ago, so he’ll be expected to carry that momentum into tonight.

It’s also important to highlight the progression of Jaden McDaniels, posting a career-high 17.1 points per game and a 51.1% field-goal percentage if the season ended today. McDaniels also ranks first with the best offensive rating in the fourth quarter (141.3).

There’s little room for error if the Jazz hope to beat a proven Playoff team. It feels like this has been the story for weeks, but seriously, it’s do-or-die time for the Jazz to save this season.

Utah Jazz vs. Minnesota Timberwolves—How to Watch:

Who: Utah Jazz at Minnesota Timberwolves

Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN

When: 6:00 pm Mountain Daylight Time

How to Watch: KJZZ, Jazz+ (in market) or NBA League Pass (out of market)

The Mavericks finally got back on track Friday night with a 112-100 win over the Utah Jazz, and now they get another very winnable game Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets. Dallas enters at 5-4 after snapping a two-game losing streak, while Brooklyn entered the weekend at 2-6 and has to come to Dallas on the second night of a back-to-back after playing Atlanta on Saturday.

This is the type of game Dallas needs to start taking care of consistently. The Mavericks have already shown they can hang with much better teams, but losses like the one to Sacramento have also shown how quickly things can go sideways when they play down to an opponent. Brooklyn has enough legitimate NBA talent to make that happen again if Dallas comes out flat.

Keep building on Friday

The Jazz win wasn’t perfect, but there were plenty of encouraging signs.

Cooper Flagg finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists despite another slow start; P.J. Washington carried the offense early with 26 points, and Morez Johnson Jr. was fantastic with 13 points and 17 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. Santi Aldama also made his season debut, giving Dallas eight points and nine rebounds in just 13 minutes.

That is the kind of collective production Dallas needs. Kyrie Irving and Flagg combined to shoot just 3-of-17 in the first half against Utah, but the Mavericks survived until both eventually got going. Dallas has spent too much of the early season needing Flagg or Kyrie to solve everything. Friday was a good example of what this roster can look like when Washington, Morez and the rest of the rotation actually give them something.

Brooklyn should give Dallas another opportunity to build on that.

More Morez

Morez Johnson Jr. might be forcing Dusty May’s hand.

The rookie was one of Dallas’ best players Friday, dominating the offensive glass and giving the Mavericks the type of physicality they have badly needed with Dereck Lively II still sidelined. His 17-rebound performance was easily one of the biggest reasons Dallas controlled the second half against Utah.

Brooklyn has size with Julius Randle, Michael Porter Jr., Day’Ron Sharpe and Noah Clowney, so this will not be an easy matchup on the glass. But Morez has earned another real opportunity. Dallas has struggled with rebounding far too often this season, and right now the rookie is giving May something that is hard to take off the floor.

Aldama’s return only makes the frontcourt rotation more interesting.

Do not let Brooklyn’s veterans beat you

The Nets are young, but their two best players are not.

Michael Porter Jr. entered the weekend averaging 21.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, while Julius Randle was averaging 21 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. Porter is still one of the league’s more dangerous shooters when he gets comfortable, and Randle can punish smaller defenders if Dallas lets him establish position and work downhill.

That should make Washington especially important again. Dallas needs someone who can handle Randle physically without constantly forcing help, while the rest of the defense stays attached to Porter.

The Nets aren’t good enough for Dallas to treat this like some impossible matchup, but they have enough individual scoring talent to make the Mavericks pay for another lazy defensive night.

Take care of business

This is really what Sunday comes down to.

Dallas just started a three-game homestand with a win over Utah and gets Brooklyn before Indiana comes to town Monday. The Mavericks do not need anything spectacular here. They need to defend, rebound and avoid spending the first half trying to wake themselves up.

Brooklyn will also be playing its second game in as many nights, while Dallas has Saturday off. The Mavericks have no reason to be the team lacking energy.

Dallas has already played enough difficult games to start the season. Against teams like Brooklyn, the goal should be simple: don’t make the game harder than it needs to be.

When: Sunday, November 8, 6:30 p.m. CT
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

As of Saturday evening, Dereck Lively II, Sergio de Larrea and Tarik Biberovic are listed out for Dallas, while Caleb Martin is available. Brooklyn had not yet submitted its official injury report for Sunday’s game at the time of the latest NBA report.

Talk about a comeback.

Jalen Johnson scored 30 points in his return from an ankle injury and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Brooklyn Nets124-121 on Saturday, Nov. 7 at State Farm Arena. The Hawks were down by as many as 17 points in the first quarter.

Johnson, 24, had 12 points points in the fourth quarter to bring his team back on top for good. With 39 seconds left in the game, he raced past Julius Randle and drove to the basket to toss in a floater. He was fouled and made the free throw to help secure the victory. The forward also had seven rebounds and six assists.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Aaron Wiggins added 20 points for Atlanta in the Hawks' fourth straight win. Michael Porter Jr. had 25 points for Brooklyn.

SCORE THE LATE-GAME AND-1.

RECORD 30 POINTS IN ATL'S 4TH STRAIGHT W.

JALEN. JOHNSON. 💪💪 pic.twitter.com/YFpbD0QyR4

— NBA (@NBA) November 8, 2026

Johnson hadn't played in a week, missing three games after spraining his left ankle in the Hawks' loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Halloween.

The day of the Nets matchup, he was listed as probable on the injury report and then was upgraded to available shortly before tipoff.

The Hawks took Johnson as the 20th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He earned his first All-Star nod last season when he 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game.

He is averaging 18.3 points, 9.0 boards and 7.9 assists this season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hawks' Jalen Johnson scores 30 in comeback from injury

CLEVELAND — It felt like early November on the streets of Northeast Ohio. Inside Rocket Arena, it looked like late May.

Jalen Brunson was untouchable. Karl-Anthony Towns was unstoppable. Analytics were unnecessary. The eye test was enough for anyone to determine the best team on the floor.

The Knicks extended their dominance over the Cavaliers in their first meeting since their Eastern Conference finals sweep, earning their first three-game winning streak of the season with a 109-97 win Saturday night.

After becoming the first defending champion in 15 years to drop its first three games of the season, the Knicks (5-4) are now over .500 for the first time this season.

“Going into the season … one of my concerns was, ‘Are we gonna attack this season the way we should?’ and obviously we didn’t,” head coach Mike Brown said. “That’s why we got knocked in the head, and I was OK with it because right now is the time to get knocked in the head. If you have championship pedigree — which that group does have — it’s going to wake you up, and it’s going to make you realize that nobody’s going to give anything to us, and it’s harder than what we think.

“When you win games, you’re human, it’s easy to start letting go of the rope because you just start to relax, especially over an 82-game season. And now the challenge for us is, can we hold on to the rope and keep climbing a little higher?”

Brunson initially struggled in his return to the floor where the Knicks clinched their first NBA Finals berth in 27 years, but eventually resembled the Finals MVP, finishing with 31 points (12-for-25 shooting, including 3-for-7 on 3-pointers), nine assists and six rebounds.

Towns had 29 points, 13 rebounds and two steals.

The Cavaliers (5-5), coming off an impressive win over the 76ers the previous night, ended their back-to-back home set looking as far from contention as the team that lost the final three games of the conference finals by a combined 66 points. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 37 points.

“We found a little bit of that magic and that pace of that team that was so magical in last year’s run,” Towns said. “Just fortunate that we were able to do something special tonight.”

The foul-prone Towns was whistled on a call 22 seconds into the game, but he remained aggressive, overpowering the Cavs for 14 points and four rebounds in the first quarter.

Brown searched for other answers — throwing out 11 players as the Knicks fell behind by six and missed 16 of their first 19 3-pointers — but the coach just needed the man most responsible for ending the franchise’s 53-year title drought.

Brunson made his return visit to Cleveland look like an extension of the Eastern Conference finals, scoring 18 straight points in the second quarter to swing momentum, as the Knicks went to halftime with a 63-53 lead.

“He’s getting rhythm, but it’s one of those things that you know you don’t worry about a guy like him,” Brown said of Brunson. “You don’t worry about a guy like KAT because they’re gonna find their way sooner than later. And he and KAT are both more than capable of doing what they did tonight.”

Landry Shamet hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the third quarter to give the Knicks an 88-69 lead, quieting all but the countless blue-and-orange fans in the crowd.

With James Harden invisible again — scoring seven points on 2-for-9 shooting — Mitchell tried to will the Cavs back in it by scoring 22 of the team’s first 26 fourth-quarter points, bringing Cleveland within eight with under two minutes remaining.

But it was too late.

The champs had spoken.

“I think we’re in a good place,” Brunson said. “Obviously, bounced back from our start, but just going to try to do our best to not be complacent. Continue to get better every single day. Just because we’ve been winning a couple games doesn’t mean like we’re just we’re back to who we are. We are going to continue to work. That’s just our emphasis right now.”

The Cavaliers (5-5) beat the Sixers at the Rocket Arena yesterday, so maybe you can blame their sulfurous, rotten-egg performance tonight on fatigue. In their first return to Ohio since sweeping the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks (5-4) picked up right where they left off. After piling on a 19-point lead in the third, our heroes let Donovan Mitchell (37 PTS, 13-22 FG) close the gap in the fourth, but he was outdueled yet again by Jalen Bruson (31 PTS, 12-25 FG), Karl-Anthony Towns (29 PTS, 13 RBS) was too strong, and the Knicks closed the door, 109-97.

Not only did our heroes knock off a rival, they played lock-down defense again. We share RJParrot’s enthusiasm: “ANOTHER GAME HOLDING THE BAD GUYS UNDER 100.”

Evan Mobley went right at Karl-Anthony Towns, who recorded his first foul with less than thirty seconds gone. Savvy strategy, Kenny Atkinson, but it wouldn’t work tonight. After that foul, Towns did a good job of avoiding his second infraction for the rest of the half while still playing aggressively and collecting 18 points on 12 shots. He finished the game with two fouls. KAT’s not just hungry for that second ring; I think he’s gunning for MVP.

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS WITH AUTHORITY AT THE RIM 😳

He leads all scorers with 14 points after one quarter. pic.twitter.com/5OTbGdYUAA

— NBA (@NBA) November 8, 2026

Josh Hart is still mending a sore ankle, so Landry Shamet started for him again. Shamet has proven to be an offensive weapon, but he attempted two shots in his 13 first-half minutes.

The Cavs had three rotation players on their injury report. With Jarrett Allen out, Meleek Thomas, the 34th pick in this year’s draft, made his second start. The 20-year-old neophyte (9 PTS, 3-10 FG, 24 MIN) drilled back-to-back bombs to give his squad a 16-14 lead with five minutes left. Mike Brown used a timeout to regroup his squad and sub in Mohamed Diawara (2 PTS, 3 RBS, +16, 14 MIN) and Andre Drummond (8 RBS, 14 MIN). Soon after, Dalton Knecht (5 MIN) made his second appearance for the Knicks—and blundered by fouling Mitchell for what became a four-point play.

Donovan Mitchell drills the triple and draws the foul for the four-point play ‼️🎯

📲 Your front-row seat to the NBA starts here. Stream every game and stay close to the action 💪

Sign up now! 👉 https://t.co/DIFeAz4JX9#NBAHighlights#NBALeaguePasspic.twitter.com/jfWYPoAswM

— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) November 8, 2026

OAKAAKUYOAK Mario Hezonja is back in the league! He played nine minutes off the bench in the first half for the Ohio Players, scoring zero on two shots. Starter Peyton Watson (who was rumored to have a sore hammy) took six of Cleveland’s first 13 shots, while Mobley had attempted none, Donovan Mitchell one, and James Harden two.

At the other end, Mike Brown was featuring Jalen Brunson and Towns. The latter made all four freebies at the line, while the former missed five of his first six shots. A slow start for Detective Madison, but stick around for sparks. Tyler Kolek also checked in to play alongside Knecht, Shamet, Anunoby, and Towns for the final two minutes. The Knicks were trailing by four, so the move was a vote of confidence by the coach.

With Towns and Anunoby smashing to the rim, the visitors were able to close the gap. The Knicks missed eight three-pointers in the opening frame, were outrebounded by three, and attempted half as many free throws as the Cavs, but nonetheless trailed by a single point at the break, 27-26. Math!

New York’s awful long-range shooting persisted as they missed their first eight attempts of the second quarter. Mikal Bridges (9 PTS, 4-13 FG), in particular, had another woeful offensive half (during which he shot 0-5 from deep), but he redeemed himself with a few fine defensive efforts. Loved when he made the Beard look silly on a drive.

The ink still wet on his contract, Riley Minix provided eight points on 3-of-3 shooting off the bench tonight.

The scoreboard tilted back and forth. New York’s shooting improved. Thomas checked back in for the hosts, and he drilled his third triple in Diawara’s grill. The sophomore was +12 in the half, though, thanks to sharing the floor with Brunson, Jordan Clarkson, Bridges, and Drummond. Cap was cooking. He scored 18 straight Knicks points, outscoring the Cavs by seven himself and giving New York a 52–47 lead.

In the second quarter Dr. Jalen Brunson held a Cleveland clinic:

👨🏽‍⚕️ 18 points
👨🏽‍⚕️ 6-9 FG
👨🏽‍⚕️ 3-4 three
👨🏽‍⚕️ 3 assists

Knicks up 63-53 at the half pic.twitter.com/C16FtXpR0I

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 8, 2026

From there, McBride canned a jumper, Shamet drilled a dinger, and Anunoby hit consecutive triples to give the good guys a 63-53 advantage.

Through the half, both teams shot 44%, but the Knicks got 13 more shots, thanks to ten offensive boards. They also committed just three turnovers to the Cavs’ eight and won the points-off-turnovers battle 12-2. The home team shot 46% from deep to New York’s 32% and still trailed. Brunson topped the box score with 20 so far, while Spida led the Cavs with 11.

Cleveland opened the third with four straight points, both baskets set up by Donovan Mitchell, to cut the Knicks’ lead to 63–57. Jalen Brunson then found Mikal Bridges for a three, bringing him to 9-34 from deep this season. Karl-Anthony Towns cut for a layup to stretch the lead back to 12.

Evan Mobley kept Cleveland close with six points in the opening five minutes, including back-to-back buckets off James Harden feeds. Tyrese Proctor’s step-back three made it 72–65 after a Knicks possession that produced three misses, three offensive rebounds, and a shot-clock violation.

Brunson took over from there. He scored six straight on a floater, a running layup, and a fadeaway, then found Landry Shamet for a three to cap a 9–0 run. Mitchell broke it with a layup, but Brunson fed Mohamed Diawara for one of his own, sending Cleveland to timeout down 83–67. Very encouraging signs from Mo!

🚨mo moment‼️🚨 pic.twitter.com/zMTwIuwqss

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 8, 2026

Towns chipped in four points, including a putback after Peyton Watson blocked his dunk attempt. OG Anunoby (15 PTS, 4-13 FG) had a block and two boards but missed all four of his shots and scored only at the line. Harden’s two assists to Mobley helped briefly, but he went scoreless in the stretch. When Shamet swished his third triple of the night, New York’s advantage was 19.

With the Knicks playing clean defense and the Cavs running on fumes, a 25-17 third quarter gave our heroes an 88-70 lead heading into the fourth.

The road got bumpy at the outset of the final frame. Kolek acquired his fourth foul; Shamet, Towns, and Anunoby missed multiple shots; and Mitchell and Mobley paired for eight points. Kolek’s been a reliable floor general to head the second unit, but his shooting this season stands at 5-of-19 after tonight’s 0-for-2. Seeing the need for heroics, Towns supplied them while Brunson sat. Smashing the boards and exploiting the false wall of Cleveland’s frontcourt, he reached 29 points, logged his ninth double-double of the season, and scored five straight to restore a 15-point lead.

Karl-Anthony Towns tonight

29 points
13 rebounds
3 assists
11-21 FG pic.twitter.com/fAAzhynRWW

— Teg🚨 (@IQfor3) November 8, 2026

KAT sat at the middle mark. From there Cap and Spida traded blows. The latter scored Cleveland’s next eight points, and with the score at 102-92, Mike Brown signaled for timeout with 3:15 remaining. Not ready to release his guys yet, Atkinson called for a timeout, too. Time for another Novig commercial.

Out of the break, Brunson and Mitchell traded contested jumpers. KAT was back, but Mobley boxed him out on a Brunson miss. Watson somehow corraled a slippery ball for a layup. Eight-point lead with 1:53 left.

The struggling Bridges came up with a clutch bucket. Shamet fouled Spida, who made one, missed one. Shamet missed from deep, but this time KAT got the board and pitched it to Cap, who was fouled. Just like Donovan, Jalen missed his first freebie. Mitchell tried a rushed trey with Shamet covering, which rimmed out. Anunoby grabbed the board; Spida swatted it out of bounds and got Kenny to contest it. Not only was the call confirmed, but a foul on the Cav was added to it. Insult to injury, you say? Indeed. Sweet victory!

Up Next

Our heroes get two nights off before hosting the Bucks on Tuesday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

ATLANTA — The Nets have gone from suffering beatings to suffering heartbreakers.

From getting blown out to blowing late leads.

The Nets led almost all night here except when it mattered most, at the end. They committed a 124-121 collapse before a crowd of 16,117 at State Farm Arena on Saturday.

After looking in terrible disarray while dropping their first five games, the Nets (2-7) have split the past four. But those two defeats will stick in their collective craw.

They blew a fourth-quarter lead in the Garden to the reigning champion Knicks. And Saturday, they squandered a 17-point cushion and had a 114-110 edge with 1:45 to play before allowing 10 unanswered points that cost them the game.

“We were not consistent enough to do the right things. And it’s not about making shots, it’s about trying to do the right things. Obviously, the points off turnovers, this is a team that will pressure you, and we had 22 turnovers for 28 points. That’s not acceptable. That’s where you lose the game,” Nets coach Jordi Fernández said.

“Our effort was not great. We didn’t do a lot of things. We didn’t pay attention to details. Offensively, a lot of random stuff. So I guess we were just not really focused anymore,” Nolan Traore said.

“We had great looks in the first half, but in the second half, we played more random stuff, so we didn’t have the same quality shots. So that might be the main thing. I don’t think Atlanta did something that disturbed us, it was more just us doing random stuff.”

There was a lot to unpack in this one.

Jalen Johnson poured in a game-high 30 points for the Hawks, who stormed back. But it was the Nets’ own mistakes that let them.

Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 25 points and nine rebounds, while Day’Ron Sharpe had a triple-double (12 points, 13 assists, 10 boards).

Young point guards Traore and Mikel Brown Jr. both played well. The former had 19 points, four steals and finished a team-best plus-9, but the problem was when he finished. He had nine points in the first quarter, but never got off the bench in the fourth.

Brown scored 13 of his 18 points in the final period, but was a minus-10.

“Mikel had those five straight points, and I just let him roll because you cannot just keep taking them in and out,” Fernández said when asked why he sat Traore. “When I was about to sub Nolan in, Mikel made two or three 3s and a midrange pullup. So I thought that was the right thing to do. Was it right? I don’t know.”

Fernández said the fact Brown was already slated to sit out Sunday’s game in Dallas had nothing to do with the decision. He was just riding the hot hand.

Traore stormed out of the blocks with seven quick points to spot the Nets a 12-2 lead. And the bench helped pad it to 31-14 when Brown found Noah Clowney for a 3 with 3:57 left in the first quarter.

But shaky rebounding let the Hawks get on the offensive glass and cut that to 70-66 by the break.

It was still four at 114-110 after a Brown 3.

But that’s when they allowed a 10-0 run to blow it.

Sharpe’s turnover handed Onyeka Okongwu a 3, and after he missed a drive, Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s free throw with 1:26 left put Atlanta up for good at 115-114.

When Porter missed a 3-pointer, Alexander-Walker raced for a loose ball and a breakaway layup. Both Sharpe and Julius Randle failed to corral rebounds and let the Hawks get second chances they cashed in on.

Johnson’s and-one capped the 10-0 run with 38 seconds left and essentially ended it.

“They just started hitting shots down the stretch,” Brown said. “Offensive rebounds, they were killing us all game. That was really the problem.”

Well, that one will sting.

For nearly 47 minutes, the Brooklyn Nets controlled the game against the Atlanta Hawks Saturday night in Georgia. After building a 17-point lead in the first quarter — it wasn’t always pretty — but the Nets didn’t trail until the final two minutes.

However, they couldn’t put it away when it mattered most and fell to Atlanta, 124-121. There were some positives, most notably Nolan Traore’s fast start and the late-game heroics from Mikel Brown Jr. as well as Day’Ron Sharpe’s first triple-double. All of that kept them in the game but ultimately, none of it changes the result, and Brooklyn is now 2-7, still struggling to close out matchups down the stretch.

Brooklyn couldn’t have asked for a much better start. They came out firing, putting up 37 first-quarter points to take a 37-27 lead. The Nets shot 73.7% from the field (14-of-19), including 6-of-10 from three, led by the fast-rising French point guard…

.@Meghan_Triplett was talking about how well Nolan Traore was playing….as Nolan kept doing good things 😂 pic.twitter.com/wFVMcSfnhD

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 8, 2026

The ball movement was also on full display early, dishing out 11 assists on 14 made baskets. Eight different players found the scoring column, with the Nets building a lead as large as 17 before Atlanta started to chip away at the end of the frame.

Of course, it wasn’t going to be that easy for the rest of the game. By the end of the first, you could already feel Atlanta gaining some ground after an ugly first few minutes. In the second quarter, they trimmed their deficit to just four, at 70-66 entering the break. Turnovers became a big issue for the Nets, allowing the Hawks to stay in the game.

The Nets committed 11 turnovers in the first half, which gave the Hawks 15 points. As Jordi Fernandez noted post-game, it was a game long issue.

“We were not consistent enough to do the right things,” said the head coach And it’s not about making shots. It’s about, you know, trying to do the right things. Obviously, the points off turnovers, like I said before, this is a team that you know will pressure you. And we had 22 turnovers for 28 points. And that’s not acceptable. That’s where you lose the game.”

Brooklyn also got dominated in the paint, allowing a whopping 42 points on the inside compared to their 22. Atlanta put up 39 paint points in the second quarter alone.

Despite the turnovers, the Nets still scored at a high level. Michael Porter Jr. had 18 in the first half, while Nolan Traoré continued his excellent start to the season with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Day’Ron Sharpe also thrived as a facilitator, logging eight assists in the first half. He had set a career high with eight assists on Wednesday, and that number rose to 13 on Saturday, when he also came away with his first triple-double, logging 12 points and 10 rebounds. All positive, but…

The crazy part is that the Nets shot 65.7% from the field and 50% from three in the first half, yet still had just a four-point lead. When you turn the. ball over that many times, that’s what happens.

The Nets started to settle things down coming out of the locker room, though. They won the third quarter, 25-22, to take a 95-88 lead heading into the final frame. While the same level of offensive efficiency wasn’t there, Brooklyn’s defense became more consistent and prevented the Hawks from carrying their momentum into the second half.

The turnover issues remained prevalent for the Nets, as the total reached 16 through three quarters. However, they limited the damage on the defensive end. Fernández clearly made adjustments coming out of halftime, and those adjustments played a key role in Brooklyn retaining their lead.

Despite struggling offensively through the first three quarters and missing his first seven shots, Mikel Brown Jr. came up clutch in the fourth quarter with three huge shots from deep. After entering the final quarter with just five points, he finished with 18.

HUGE fourth quarter buckets from @MikelBrownJr1 🔥 pic.twitter.com/G3eGoIT32k

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 8, 2026

However, Fernandez decided against playing his two 20-year-olds together. While Brown Jr. was leading the charge, Traore sat on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. Was it defense or does the head coach have a problem playing the two together? Fernandez admitted he went with the hot hand — Brown Jr. — rather than play his two 20-year-olds together.

“I thought that Mikel had those five straight points, and I just let him roll. Because you cannot just keep taking them in and out.” he argued. “So I thought that that was the right thing to do. Was it right? I don’t know.”

No matter what the young Nets couldn’t finish.

While the game was back-and-forth throughout, the Nets didn’t give up their first lead until there was 1:26 left in the fourth quarter. The game hadn’t even been tied; Brooklyn led the entire time until then. After that, though, the Nets failed to score another point and fell 124-121. The Hawks, led by Jalen Johnson, closed the game with a 14-7 run.

Fernandez said that with such a young team, it’s a work in progress.

“I’m happy with what I’m seeing and the commitment and playing hard, and now the communication is way better,” he said. “It seems more like a connected group. We’re rebounding better, especially defensively. So, all those things are important. And it’s a testament to the work that the guys put in, the coaches, and getting one percent better every day.”

Saturday was a disappointing loss for the Nets. Going from up 17 and not down once to losing in the final two minutes is rough, and yet another example that Brooklyn’s young core is still developing and learning how to win games. The turnovers also continued to hurt them, as they committed six more in the final frame.

The encouraging element, of course, is Brown Jr.’s strong play, especially down the stretch. It’s the second time he’s really risen to the occasion in big moments, with last week’s loss to the Boston Celtics as another example before his rookie blunder cost them in overtime.

Final Score: Atlanta Hawks, 124, Brooklyn Nets, 121.

Milestone Watch

It was a big night for Day’Ron Sharpe. The 6’10” 25-year-old recorded his first career triple-double and the first triple-double ever by a Nets center. Sharpe finished with 12 points, 1o rebounds and 13 assists, the final figure also a record for Nets 5. It was also the Nets first triple-double in nearly a year. Nic Claxton who Sharpe replaced in the starting line up this season had a game of 14 points, 1o rebounds and 10 assists last December.

Next Up

The Nets will have a quick turnaround, heading to Dallas on Sunday to face the Mavericks in the second leg of their back-to-back. Dallas enters the matchup at 5-4, coming off a 112-100 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday.

After letting a golden opportunity slip away against Atlanta, the Nets will look to get back in the win column on Sunday. The question becomes: can Brooklyn put together a complete 48-minute performance to secure the victory? That’s what they’ve struggled to do most consistently this season.

• Boxscore: Atlanta Hawks, 124, Brooklyn Nets 121 – NBA.com
• Game Highlights: Atlanta Hawks 124, Brooklyn Nets 121 (Video) – NBA.com
• Jalen Johnson TOOK OVER with 30 PTS vs Nets (Video) – NBA.com
• Jordi Fernández on the Nets’ 124-121 loss in Atlanta (Video) – YES Network
• Mikel Brown Jr. scores 18 off the bench in Atlanta (Video) – YES Network
• Nolan Traore reflects on the 124-121 loss in Atlanta (Video) – YES Network
• Day’Ron Sharpe records a triple-double vs. ATL (Video) – YES Network
• Jalen Johnson makes strong return with 30 points for Hawks in win over Nets after missing 3 games – Charles Odum – AP
• Nets collapse late to fall against Hawks in latest heartbreaking loss – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets squander 17-point lead in 124-121 loss to Hawks despite Day’Ron Sharpe’s historic night ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Now The Nets Are Getting Outcoached Too? – Steve Lichtenstein – Steve’s Newsletter