Category: Basketball

Would you believe that Kristaps Porzingis graded out as one of the better players in the NBA last season? It’s true. Porzingis ranked No. 50 in the league in Estimated Plus-Minus and nearly cracked the top-25 in LEBRON, which are a pair of metrics that measure a player’s impact with some luck adjustments and player tracking data built in. Every all-in-one stat is going to have blindspots and needs to be taken with a large grain of salt, but both teams Porzingis played for last season — the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors — were much better with him on the court in his 32 total games, and that’s no coincidence.

Porzingis showed the whole world how good he could be on the Boston Celtics’ run to the 2024 NBA championship, when his combination of outside shooting and rim protection made him the rare center who could space the floor to the max without giving much back on defense. Porzingis’ effectiveness hasn’t been much of a question since his career-defining season in Boston, but his availability has been. Unfortunately, Porzingis remains out for the Warriors as they begin the 2026-27 season, and now the team appears ready to move on without him.

The Warriors are exploring trade packages for Porzingis as he deals with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), a nervous system disorder that causes dizziness, brain fog, chronic fatigue, and other unwanted symptoms. Porzingis is “contemplating his future in basketball” according to ESPN insider Shams Charania.

Speculation on Porzingis’ rampant health problems dating back to the Celtics’ 2024 playoff run had grown so out of control that the 31-year-old felt obligated to put out a pair of statements clarifying that doesn’t have AIDS or HIV last week. Now his NBA career might be over as the Warriors scramble for a backup plan.

Hello people, I'm working with doctors and experts to figure out how to be fully back to good health asap. Honestly, I'm getting better and better. I just have to stay patient, and I believe I'll be feeling great again soon.

It has definitely been frustrating dealing with some…

— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) October 14, 2026

I appreciate all the internet doctors trying to diagnose and help, but I'm in the best hands. So everyone can relax now 😄🙏🏼 and I don’t have hiv or aids.

— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) October 14, 2026

The biggest story here is the premature end of Porzingis’ career for health problems entirely out of his control. It’s an incredibly sad development for such a talented player who had so much promise early in his career, and appeared to find renewed value after being dumped to the Washington Wizards in 2022. This is also deeply disappointing news for the Warriors, because it’s going to be tough to find another player who can approximate his skill set without adding the type of valuable future assets Golden State has resisted including in other deals.

What team would trade for a player who might be finished? Porzingis’ contract could still make him valuable around the league depending on a few factors. He only has $3 million guaranteed for next season, but counts for $20 million in a trade. If another team was looking to dump a player they don’t want around anymore with long-term money on the books, they might be incentivized to trade for Porzingis and then just cut him while stomaching the $3 million next season.

Let’s say the Milwaukee Bucks decide that they just want Myles Turner off the books as he enters the second season of a four-year, $109 million deal. The Warriors could take Turner, the Bucks could take Porzingis, and then Milwaukee could waive him to save some money. The Chicago Bulls could build a similar trade around Patrick Williams, who has three years remaining on his contract as this season begins.

The Turner idea in particular could sound good in theory, but it takes two sides to make a deal, and the Warriors don’t have much leverage. Golden State’s only real backup center is Al Horford, who is 40 years old. Charles Bassey is around too, but he’s never been counted on for more than a small role. Losing Quentin Post to the Memphis Grizzlies over the summer in free agency was a tough blow, and now the Warriors seem like they’re totally out of options in the front court unless they want to part with a meaningful asset.

Warriors lead executive Mike Dunleavy is already on the record saying fixing the team’s center problem is “not as simple as hey, let’s go find someone new” with 15 players already on the roster. Golden State is already without Jimmy Butler as he recovers from a torn ACL, and Moses Moody as he tries to come back from a ruptured patellar tendon. That’s $90 million in salary not in the lineup to start the year.

This is no way to build around Stephen Curry in his age-38 season. Rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg looks amazing, but it’s hard to win without a reliable center, and the Warriors are being immediately put in a compromising position.

This is a bummer of a story. Let’s hope Porzingis can find peace after basketball if this really is it for his career.

The Golden State Warriors have grown increasingly concerned about Kristaps Porzingis's availability and are exploring other options for the 31-year-old center, according to a new report.

Golden State has begun to search for trade partners to part ways with Porzingis, according to ESPN. Porzingis is reportedly contemplating his basketball future as he continues to deal with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) autoimmune symptoms.

USA TODAY Sports reached out to the team, but the Warriors were not available to comment on the matter.

Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters after practice Tuesday that he and Porzingis spoke recently, exchanging phone calls "a couple days ago" and text messages throughout the last couple of weeks.

"Other than my concern for him and his own well-being, I don't think of it," Kerr said when asked how he's handling the situation. "When we come to practice, I don't think of it because I have to focus on the guys who are here. That's my concern."

"When we come into the building, it's 'how are we going to play? How are we going to start? Who's going to back up the 5s? If Al (Horford) doesn't play, does (Ike) Graham play? Do we use one of the two-way games that he has? Those are all the basketball thoughts," Kerr added. "But as I've mentioned to you guys out first order of business is to support Kristaps and help him through this."

Kristaps Porzingis latest injury updates

Last week, Porzingis met with general manager Mike Dunleavy and Rick Celebrini, vice president of player health and performance, after previously being away from the team with an undisclosed illness.

The team said the details of that meeting would "remain private," but Porzingis posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he was working with medical professionals to figure out how to get back to full health.

"I'm working with doctors and experts to figure out how to be fully back to good health asap. Honestly, I'm getting better and better. I just have to stay patient, and I believe I'll be feeling great again soon," Porzingis wrote. "It has definitely been frustrating dealing with some health stuff that you can't exactly pinpoint, on top of injuries throughout my career, so it has added up for sure, but we will get through it. Health is wealth. Thank you for all the support at the Warriors practice facility"

He's heard the jokes and seen the Internet trolls who have had think-pieces about Porzingis's health.

"I appreciate all the internet doctors trying to diagnose and help, but I'm in the best hands," Porzingis wrote on social media. "So everyone can relax now and I don’t have HIV or Aids."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Golden State Warriors reportedly consider Kristaps Porzingis trade

As the New York Knicks raised their championship banner on Tuesday night, some members of the New York Rangers were at Madison Square Garden to witness the historic moment.

In June, the Knicks won their first championship in 53 years, bringing a joyful energy and uniting the entire city of New York.

Sharing a practice facility and both playing at The World’s Most Famous Arena, the Rangers and Knicks are bonded together under the MSG umbrella.

For the Rangers, witnessing the Knicks win a championship and seeing the impact it had on the city was something the whole organization took to heart.

“It’s inspiring,” Mike Sullivan said. “It’s inspiring when a group has witnessed the ultimate success in their respective sport. When it’s close to you, these guys, we have lunch with the Knicks a lot, so there’s some familiarity. I know both teams root for one another. We couldn’t be more proud of them and I think a night like last night is inspiring for our guys,

Noah Laba, Gabe Perreault, Will Cuylle, Alexis Lafrenière, Vladislav Gavrikov, Sean Durzi, and Eeli Tolvanen were all in attendance for the Knicks’ opening-night game on Tuesday night, in which the team received their championship rings and raised the championship banner.

“It was great,” Vladislav Gavrikov said about attending the Knicks game. “The atmosphere, the building was electric. Those moments that they showed on the jumbotron, the video and everything, you are getting goosebumps to that. Obviously, that was a special night.”

The Rangers got a taste of what it could be like to be a champion in New York by watching the Knicks this summer and now further realize the magnitude sports has on the city.

“I think we saw it all summer, the parade and just all of the streets,” Perreault said of the Knicks’ championship win. “It shows you the fan base in New York and obviously if we could do that one day, it would be super cool.”

We’re in a weird and fractured time for TV. Streaming services have made traditional cable packages more obsolete. This has left live sports in a weird spot, specifically in regard to local TV broadcasts.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been caught in the midst of this change. Their previous cable partner, FanDuel Sports Network, shut down at the end of last season. As a result, the Cavs and four other NBA teams turned to DAZN, a sports streaming company, to carry their local broadcasts. The Cavs announced a multi-year deal with DAZN earlier in September.

It costs $119.99 to watch the Cavs’ DAZN broadcast this season. There’s also a $139.99 ultimate tier that allows for more streams and alternative angles and feeds. That dollar amount is in line with most other teams that offer a season subscription. However, the lack of over-the-air broadcasts or alternative ways to watch Cavs games locally through cable led Awful Announcingto rank the Cavs last in their local broadcast accessibility rankings.

Awful Announcing’s criteria for ranking all 30 teams were simple and are explained below:

“Methodology: Each team was compared based on the cost of its direct-to-consumer streaming service, the number of major cable providers on which it is available, the number of exclusive national games, the number of over-the-air games, and the number of streaming-exclusive games”

They used that criteria to measure every team and conclude that the Cavs were the least accessible. Here’s their explanation as to why:

“The Cleveland Cavaliers are the least accessible NBA team to watch for the 2026-27 season. The main reason is that they are one of five teams not available on cable, as they signed an exclusive deal with DAZN. What makes them worse than the other four teams? They will have 59 games exclusive to streaming, including DAZN, which costs $120. Then, 10 other games will be on other platforms because they are national exclusives. If the Cavaliers’ local games were on cable, that wouldn’t be such a big problem, since the package would include the national games. But because they aren’t, fans will need to subscribe to another service to watch those 10 games, in addition to the $120 they already spent on DAZN. On the bright side, at least 15 local games will be simulcast over the air.”

The issue with the Cavs streaming partnership is the exclusivity of the deal. If you want to watch the 59 exclusive DAZN games, you need to buy the subscription package to do so. There’s no option to bundle with cable or anything else. Additionally, it’s cheaper and easier to watch the local broadcasts of the 29 other out-of-market teams through NBA League Pass ($109.99 a season) than it is to just watch just the Cavs games in the Cleveland area.

Not all teams have embraced the model that the Cavs have. The Atlanta Hawks will be broadcasting their games on Amazon Prime. While that does require a subscription (roughly $54 for the full season), that subscription comes with other perks as well, including access to other national NBA broadcasts.

Other teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns are prioritizing traditional over-the-air broadcasts that just require a TV antenna to access. Both also offer streaming options as well for those who would prefer that.

There’s also a conversation to be had about the increase of national NBA broadcasts. Instead of just ESPN, ABC, and TNT exclusively broadcasting national TV games, there’s now ESPN, ABC, NBC, Peacock, and Amazon Prime doing so. The latter two require subscriptions to access.

Figuring out how to navigate local broadcasts in this increasingly splintered TV world is an unenviable task. It’s not as simple as it used to be when cable was much more prevalent. That said, this is an area the Cavs organization should look to improve. Being the least accessible local TV market isn’t ideal for local fans or the organization.

If you wanted proof that absence makes the heart grow fonder, look no further than how much of a void Collin Sexton left in the Lakers’ preseason. 

When he signed with Los Angeles over the summer, the expectations for Sexton were simple. Get buckets, get downhill and spell Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves from having to bring the ball up the court every possession. 

Those duties haven’t changed. But their importance may have been undersold given the other options on the roster. 

With every audacious Jaden Hardy pull-up and Bronny James’ Herculean attempt to create space against an end-of-the-bench defender, it became clearer that Sexton’s skillset on the team isn’t a luxury, but rather a necessity. 

It is unfair and unwise to expect Sexton to replicate the caliber of offense that walked out the door with LeBron James, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard. But he will have to be a facsimile of what they brought to the table. 

At 6’3”, Sexton may not look like he has the stature to take on such a large responsibility, but make no mistake, he’s a basketball-playing pitbull. He dribbles with a snarl. He dashes with a snarl. He defends with a snarl. He’s the living embodiment of a snarl. 

Sexton’s bite can also back up his bark.

The combo guard weaves and tunnels around and underneath the defense thanks to his quick first step and plethora of inside-and-out dribbles. He attacks and asks questions second. 

This aggressive approach is why Sexton averaged 12.9 drives in just 23 minutes per game. For context, that number would have ranked third on the Lakers last season behind only Dončić and Reaves. 

It’s not just his ability to get downhill. He also has the bulk and craft to get shots up when he touches the paint.

Sexton bulldozed his way to 271 attempts within five feet last season, according to the league’s tracking data. That number is more than notable players like James Harden, De’Aaron Fox and Jalen Brunson.

These drives should help start the blender next to the stars and create advantages for second units devoid of shot creation.

He is not the athletic runaway train that James was, but he can help ensure the north and south dimension of the offense is not absent altogether.

Unlike who the Lakers trotted out in the preseason, Sexton is also simply a professional who has done the job the team requires before. 

With eight years of reps under his belt, Sexton has finished in the 80th percentile or higher in usage rate six times and in the 82nd percentile or higher in assist % at his position the last three seasons.

Beyond his credible on-ball juice, Sexton’s outside shooting should also boost his functionality and viability in any lineup. Despite being known more for the ferocity of his drives, Sexton has quietly been one of the steadier shooting guards since entering the league. 

Although he is not going to shoot off pindowns or flare screens like Kennard, Sexton is not a player defenses can willfully ignore either, especially in standstill situations. 

Last season, Sexton converted 44.6% of his 175 catch-and-shoot threes. It’s a number that will definitely play next to two of the best drive-and-kick players in the league. 

Like any other role player, Sexton is also not without his warts. 

His aggressiveness will lead to turnovers. His defense is often more performative than impactful. And he has yet to prove himself on a team with actual postseason aspirations. 

All that said, the Lakers ultimately do not need Sexton to be James, Smart or even Kennard this season. That would help, but it is not realistic. Instead, they need him to be exactly who he has been throughout career with hopefully a little fine-tuning along the way.

How successful he will be is still unknown as it remains to be seen when Sexton will finally make his debut. As of this piece, the guard is listed as questionable for the Lakers’ season opener against the Golden State Warriors.

If the preseason was any indication, Los Angeles can not afford Sexton to miss any considerable amount of time this year. His importance is due to, yes, his underrated talent, but also the uninspiring caliber of the Lakers’ alternatives.

For the team’s sake, Sexton’s value this season will be derived from the former.

All stats courtesy of Cleaning the Glass unless otherwise stated. You can follow Alex on Bluesky at @alexregla.bsky.social 

After six long months, your Dallas Mavericks are once again back on the floor playing real NBA basketball tonight. In a weird quirk, they’ve got the Houston Rockets, who they just played twice in Macau just a couple weeks ago. So, even with the newness of Dusty May and company taking over, the Rockets have already seen some of it.

It’s the start of a new season, and just like these teams, we here on the game of the week picks have wiped the slate clean. But, just for housekeeping’s sake, here’s how we did last season.

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Last year’s results

David: 31-30 (+$223)

Tyler: 26-37 (-$987)

Overall: 57-67 (-$764)

For me, this clean slate can’t be a more welcome sight. After our feed debut yesterday, in which we each hit our best bet, vibes are high! Lets get into the cap.

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Game intangibles

Dallas Mavericks (0-0) at Houston Rockets (0-0)

Tipoff: We’re set for tip just after 7:40 p.m. from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas

How to watch: MavsTV, KFAA Channel 29, or NBA League Pass for those out of market will have you covered on this one

Game lines

Spread: Rockets -9.5 (-115)

Moneyline: Dallas is +315 to pull off the upset

Total: Over/Under is set at 230.5 points (-106/-114)

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David’s plays

• Cooper Flagg over 21.5 points (-106)
• Game total over 230.5 (-106)
• Kyrie Irving over 20.5 points (-104)
• Zaccharie Risacher under 8.5 points (-108)

I think there will be points tonight. Lots of them. These teams just played two incredibly high-scoring preseason games and I do not expect anything different tonight. The lines for Flagg and Kyrie are simply too low. They will be the team’s leading scorers most nights and I expect around 25 from each of them against Houston. Risacher had a terrible preseason and I think he plays minimal minutes with Max Christie back tonight.

Tyler’s plays

• Marcus Smart over 6.5 points (-106)
• Reed Sheppard under 9.5 points (-136)
• Cooper Flagg over 1.5 3’s made (+162)
• Rockets first quarter -3.5 (-102)

The Smart and Sheppard plays are sort of correlated for me. Ime Udoka loves him some Marcus Smart, that even goes back to the Boston days. Ime Udoka also hates him some Reed Sheppard, as that guy can’t ever seemingly earn a role on a team that desperately needs shooting. I agree with David that Flagg, despite likely seeing a ton of Amen Thompson, will get his. I think that he will get those points by knocking down some outside shots. And finally, this first quarter will be simple. One team knows exactly who they are and what they want to be, while the other is breaking in a new coach, several new pieces and trying to reintegrate Kyrie Irving. Almost seems too easy.

DETROIT — Jalen Duren looked like a heavyweight boxer who had just gone three rounds 45 minutes before the Detroit Pistons faced the Boston Celtics for the NBA’s 2026-27 season opener on Tuesday afternoon. Duren, wearing white cutoffs and black Pistons sweatpants, was already dripping with perspiration as he put in extra work on his driving and pull-up mid-range shooting with an assistant coach prior to tip-off. The rare 3 p.m. local start time didn’t take away any of the intensity from a meeting between two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and it was clear even before jump ball that neither side would be easing into the new season.

It felt like the Celtics landed a knockout punch midway through the third quarter when Paul George ripped the nets for another three-pointer to put Boston up 22 points. The Pistons appeared to have the same structural problems that tanked a 60-win team in the playoffs last season: not enough shooting or creation next to star Cade Cunningham, and too many lineups that lacked two-way balance. That’s when Detroit subbed Javonte Green into the game for the first time, and immediately flipped the switch.

The Pistons beat the Celtics, 121-113, for the biggest opening night comeback in league history. Detroit was fueled by a 23-0 fourth quarter run where its defense held the Celtics scoreless for five minutes in crunch time.

“I think the comeback just embodied the culture and what we’re trying to build here,” Duren said after the win. “We’re a team that’s known to be gritty, known to get it out the mud, known to never quit.”

Pistons INSANE 23-0 run vs Celtics. pic.twitter.com/piJbJL5rz3

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) October 20, 2026

Duren needed to get off to a good start after missing the first week of training camp with a lingering contract dispute that caused hurt feelings on both sides. That storyline can be put to rest now after he finished with 22 points and nine rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting, an excellent performance that almost felt quiet in real time because of how he accumulated his numbers. Everything was in the flow of the offense on lobs, putbacks, and dunker’s spot finishes, and his best work might not have even showed up in the box score.

The Celtics optimize every aspect of the game under Joe Mazzulla, with shot location and generating extra possessions being paramount to their success. Boston crashes the offensive glass as hard as any team in the league, and it added perhaps the single greatest offensive rebounder alive this side of Houston’s Steven Adams by inking Mitchell Robinson to a three-year deal over the summer. Well, Robinson was mostly invisible in this game, with Duren and his teammates boxing out hard on every possession. Yes, Robinson did turn an ankle in the first half before returning, but that’s both part of the game and a major part of the deal with Robinson in particular. The Pistons out-rebounded the Celtics with a 49-39 edge on the glass.

“It’s not only their bigs, but their smaller players, too. They’re known to crash from the corners. My mindset tonight was whether I get the rebound or not, I just got to keep them off the glass,” Duren told me after the game.

This will be remembered as the Javonte Green game for good reason. Green didn’t play in the first half, but head coach JB Bickerstaff knew he needed a spark in the third quarter as the Celtics were turning it into a rout. Part of Boston’s game-plan is ignoring non-shooters on the perimeter, but they didn’t get the memo that Green has turned himself into a viable outside threat in recent years. Green knocked down 5-of-8 threes, most of them wide open, to give Detroit new life. His defense was just as important by getting into the gaps and helping make Jayson Tatum settle for tough jumpers that he was consistently bricking. Tatum finished 6-of-23 from the floor.

Green ended the night +21 in 18 minutes. The Pistons looked far more formidable in his minutes than they did with John Collins or Ron Holland on the floor, and it makes sense. Green doesn’t hesitate to shoot from three on offense, he has active hands and tons of bounce on the defensive end, and he consistently plays a team game by moving the ball to the open man. He’s everything you want out of a role player, and he’s one of the few Detroit reserves who actually offers a two-way game when his shot is falling like it did Tuesday.

Duncan Robinson was also excellent. He knocked down 5-of-9 threes by sprinting around screens and firing with just a sliver of space. When he didn’t have a clean look, Robinson would hit the brakes, go into his shot, and get fouled by Celtics defenders who were rushing to close out on him. With Robinson, Isaiah Joe, and Kevin Huerter, the Pistons actually have some options to improve their spacing around Cunningham this season, though building lineups that can actually compete defensively with viable three-point shooting will continue to be Bickerstaff’s biggest challenge.

The Pistons won 14 games three seasons ago. They made a massive jump to 44 wins two years ago, and another big leap to 60 wins and the No. 1 seed in the East last season. Detroit doesn’t really have much room to improve in the regular season, but there’s still tons of upside left in their playoff approach. The Pistons would have been the victims of a 1-8 first-round upset if Franz Wagner didn’t get hurt for the Magic. Duren was out-played by an inferior player in Wendell Carter Jr. in the series, and he didn’t look much better in round two as Detroit was eliminated by an uninspiring Cavs team.

“We’ve seen the bottom, so we’re not afraid of it,” Duren said of his team’s slow start through the first three quarters. “I’d never say we were scared or worried. We knew we had to pick it up, and we did.”

It’s not obvious where the Pistons’ next step is coming from yet, but that’s okay. It’s a long season, and Detroit will discover plenty of things along the way, just like they did on opening night with Green’s unexpected explosion. The East is better than ever, but the Pistons aren’t going to be scared of anyone. The Knicks’ opening night loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the very next game only reinforced the idea that the conference is wide open. New York deserves to be the favorite as the defending champs, but there’s about seven other East teams that can realistically dream of making an NBA Finals run, and Detroit is one of them.

The early tip-off time didn’t feel like a nuisance in and around the arena. Before the game, fans decked out in Celtics and Pistons gear embraced each other outside to welcome back NBA basketball. It was nice to see a mutual respect from both sides at the start of a long season. When the top-8 of the East is as bunched up as it appears to be entering the new year, every game matters, and for one afternoon the Pistons got the better of the Celtics.

While it’s just one night, this game did give both teams plenty to chew on. The Celtics were “guarding” Ausar Thompson with a big man who roamed off him 15-feet away from the perimeter, daring him to shoot. Thompson still found a way to make an offensive impact even with arguably the league’s ugliest jump shot by cutting to the rim, spraying out quick passes for three-point attempts, and getting out in the open floor. His 360 scoop layup in the first half was a thing of beauty. He finished the game +12 in his 33 minutes, and harassed Tatum with his all-world perimeter defense. Other teams will have to wonder if playing off him to that degree is really worth it.

360 SPINNING LAYUP.

Sweet move by Ausar Thompson on NBC and Peacock 😳 pic.twitter.com/e46aKoXRZu

— NBA (@NBA) October 20, 2026

George looked unreal in his Celtics debut after coming over in the controversial Jaylen Brown trade. He finished with 38 points, five rebounds, and five steals on 7-of-12 shooting from three. He’s going to be a natural fit in the Celtics’ system if he can stay healthy. Tatum looked great in the first half and terrible in the second. I thought Boston needed more Payton Pritchard to loosen things up offensively. Why is Joe Mazzulla bringing him off the bench? Hugo Gonzalez, the king of Time Decay RAPM, was dreadful in his 10 minutes, finishing -15. I thought Baylor Scheierman looked great, and the Neemias Queta minutes were more promising than Robinson’s.

An 82-game regular season is just too damn long, but there’s nothing like NBA games that actually feel meaningful. Duren called it a playoff atmosphere after the game, and it really did seem like it. I was exhausted just watching his pre-game workout before he went out and dunked everything at the basket while winning the battle on the boards that truly dictates wins and losses. Overreact to this game if you want to. I’m not going to judge you. For one sunny fall afternoon in the Midwest, it just felt so nice to be back in the gym.

The Utah Jazz announced today that they have waived Blake Hinson and signed Kobe Bufkin to a two-way contract. This comes as somewhat of a surprise, as Hinson really showed flashes of scoring ability towards the end of last season, shooting a blistering 46.8% from beyond the arc. It’s also very disappointing after Hinson’s endearing postgame interview after a preseason win over the Denver Nuggets.

Kobe Bufkin was the 15th overall pick in 2023. He hasn’t played much in the NBA, only getting playing time in 43 games over 3 seasons. His career averages are: 4.2 points per game to go along with 1.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. I can’t say I understand the logic of this move by the front office as he is a worse shooter, and is shorter than Hinson. Also worth pointing out that they could have waived any other player who was on a two-way contract to make room for Bufkin. I really don’t think that the front office views Harrison Ingram or Tre Alexander as a greater talent than Hinson. Maybe the hamstring strain that Hinson was listed with on the injury report was more severe than previously thought? Or maybe the front office just values ball handling more than shooting for the two-way players. Whatever the reason for Hinson being waved it is a massive disappointment as most Jazz fans (myself very much included) believed that he could provide great depth, and legit NBA shooting to the team.

The Boston Celtics’ season opener against the Detroit Pistons started with nerves and excitement followed by confidence and joy, but ultimately resulted in sheer disappointment. The Celtics blew a 22-point second-half lead, falling 121-113.

It was just one game out of 82 and after Boston’s longest offseason in 10 years, you take it with a grain of salt. But before moving on, it’s important to learn from it to avoid repeating future mistakes, though.

Outside of the poor shooting numbers from Tatum and the stagnating offense in the second half, the most glaring mistake was letting Detroit beat them on the boards.

The Pistons outrebounded the Celtics 49 to 39 over the course of the game. They won on both the offensive and defensive glass, 14 to 12, and 35 to 27, respectively. With the possession battle being such a crucial part of Joe Mazzulla’s philosophy, I would have expected a different outcome.

Last season, Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta were both in the top-20 best rebounders across the league. Mitch (13^th) averaged 8.8 rebounds per game, while Neemi averaged 8.4. In the opener, they combined for just 7 total rebounds, 3 from Robinson, 4 from Queta. Boston’s effort on the glass was led by Jordan Walsh at 6, followed by Paul George with 5, by far their two most active players all night.

On the other side, Jalen Duren picked up 9 rebounds, John Collins had 5, and Paul Reed added in another 6. Though not a big, Ausar Thompson led all players with 11 boards.

Sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way, but it felt like Detroit consistently had better activity and positioning. They rallied to the paint as a team, usually sending at least two or three bodies to box out or gather up longer rebounds. It’s a big reason they were able to effectively neutralize Queta and Robinson in the matchup.

Mitchell Robinson wasn’t very happy with his performance. He tweaked his ankle early in the game, but it didn’t end his night as he decided to play through it. When asked about it after the game, he didn’t use it as an excuse, instead shouldering the blame.

“I got my a** kicked on the glass,” he said. “I can’t have no starts like that. It’s cool to get out there and put on that Boston jersey for the first time in a regular-season game, but overall, I still didn’t do what I needed to do. I gotta compete better. I feel like I didn’t compete at a high level that I normally do and I was kind of slow on a lot of things.”

Boston still had to work for their boards; very few were uncontested. That’s likely going to be the case most nights, which only means they have to work harder. The three-pointers will be the headline, but Detroit’s energy is what caused the game to flip. They limited the Celtics to single possessions, fueling their long, unanswered runs. They also picked up 24 second chance points compared to Boston’s 16, which helped them overcome their slight disadvantage in the shooting splits.

It perfectly encapsulates exactly why Mazzulla emphasizes the possession game. More possessions amount to more opportunities, meaning that you are more tolerant to faults. I’m sure we’ll see plenty more nights where the offense stagnates and shots don’t fall. The best way to combat that is to crash the offensive glass and try to generate better looks when the defense doesn’t have a chance to set, or is scrambling to do so. On the other end, limiting opponents to one possession also ensures that you don’t fall in too deep of a hole, or in this case, don’t let them dig themselves out of the one you put them in.

Again, this is only game one of 82. The Celtics have plenty of time to correct themselves. Thanks to the early start, they have two and a half nights to review film before their first home game of the season, a matchup with the rival New York Knicks. Mitchell Robinson and crew will have a chance to redeem themselves while going up against his former teammates, including last year’s rebound leader, Karl Anthony-Towns.

We did it. We are here. The Phoenix Suns tip off the 2026–27 season tonight in Portland, and it’s been quite some time since we last watched Phoenix Suns basketball that actually counted. You’d have to go back 177 days, to when the Suns lost Game 4 of their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And now here we are. A new season, new hope, and hopefully a new outcome: a championship. It’s something that has never happened in Phoenix, and as season number 59 tips off, this might not be a team with legitimate championship aspirations. But that doesn’t mean we won’t watch, consume, analyze, form opinions about, and care deeply about every step of the journey.

Sports have a funny way of reeling us in. Maybe it’s by birthright, geographical allegiance, or perhaps you simply liked the colors. Whatever brought you here, we’ve once again arrived at the beginning of another journey, hoping that somehow, someway, this one ends differently than every season that came before it.

And to prepare for that journey, we have one final question to ask our Bright Side roundtable.

What record do you predict the Suns will finish with, and where will that land them in the Western Conference standings?

I ultimately see the Phoenix Suns finishing as the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a 47–35 record. That’s two games better than last season, and I think that improvement is entirely justifiable.

The starting unit is better than what existed a year ago. Royce O’Neale is out of the rotation, and Miles Bridges has replaced him. That’s a net positive. Mark Williams will be injured for the majority of the season, but Phoenix has a pair of young bigs who can provide different looks and options behind him, so I’m not necessarily concerned about the starting unit.

The second unit? I think there are plenty of firecrackers there, and they’re going to play with the intensity that Phoenix Suns basketball has become known for. The Suns have more depth than they did a year ago, thanks to continued development and the continuity that comes with keeping much of the roster together.

And one of the biggest reasons I believe this team will win more games than it did last season? Health. So many people like to point to the final 30 games of last season, when the Suns went 14–16, as evidence of why expectations should be tempered. But so few acknowledge how unbelievably injured Phoenix was during that stretch. Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, and Mark Williams all missed significant time. Is it any wonder the team couldn’t squeeze out a couple more victories?

Of course, we’re once again banking on health playing in our favor, and that will ultimately have a significant impact on what this team can accomplish. But even with Williams hampered for much of the season, I believe Phoenix has enough talent, depth, and continuity to compete. With a sixth-seed finish, the Suns would have the opportunity to face the third seed in the opening round of the playoffs.

Want an early-season prediction? That third seed will be the Houston Rockets. And the Suns will win that series. drops mic

What did the rest of our writing team have to say about their predictions? Here you go.

Brandon Duenas: 48-34 – 6th seed in the West, just avoiding the play-in. I think this team is better than just a three-win improvement, but at the same time, the element of surprise is gone with this team, and the West can be a gauntlet. As long as they take care of business against teams they are supposed to beat, they should be in decent shape. The ceiling is closer to 54 wins if everything clicks and they are healthy, but I am going be more cautiously optimistic and say they exceed their Vegas O/U win total by 9 games or so (depending on where you get your numbers).

Holden Sherman: 44-38, 7th in the West.

Bruce Veliz: 47-35, 8th in the West.

Tom Mildenberger: Coming into the preseason, I’ve been at 42 games for the Suns. After seeing the bench, I just think there are going to be grind-out wins because of the effort and impact shooting of the second unit, so I think I’m going to raise my predicted win total. While I’m still sketchy on the Suns’ potential to win a playoff series, I do very much think they will escape the play-in tournament. Last season, that would have taken 50, so that’s where I’m going to land. 50 wins for the Suns, but the Spurs and Rockets finish in front of OKC, so we match up with the Thunder again.

Mark Bowser: With my belief in Ott above, the year-two continuity of the roster, Bridges out to prove he belongs on a good team, roster depth, and the Western Conference’s questionable depth, this will prove to be another step in the right direction. No play-in, land the 6 seed, 46-36, and an upset in round one of the playoffs.

CJ Navage: Paaaaaaiiiiinnnnn to quote the infamous Clubber Lang. I’m an optimist, but fans should set the bar low and be pleasantly surprised if the Suns do better than lowered expectations. A blow has already been struck with the loss of Mark Williams, who knows what else the season will bring? I suppose a positive attitude would be to think Ishbia will do what it takes during the season, no matter the cost, which has largely been true so far in his ownership tenure. Buy a player? Fire a coach? Trade? Ok. It’s a business.  

Kevin Hunpherys: The Suns are going to finish with a 48-34 record and finish sixth in the Western Conference this season.

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Now it is your turn to make your predictions!

Happy start of the NBA Season! With the Rockets’ season kicking off at home against the Dallas Mavericks, I figured now was a good time to get into my pre-season predictions. Just a note before we start: all odds come from FanDuel, which you can view here. Additonally, if you want a more in depth breakdown of any certain player you can check out our season preview series here.

How many games will Houston win, and what seed will they be?

To start, I predict Houston will record 55 wins. This would be three more wins than last season and would likely leave Houston as a top-three or top-four seed. For context, FanDuel has Houston at +1000 for seventh seed, +2000 for first seed, +850 for second seed seed, +1300 for eighth seed, +470 for fourth seed, +450 for third seed, and +320 for 55+ wins.

Who will be the top scorer?

For my top scorer I have Alperen Sengun, however I would not be surprised if Amen Thompson was the leading scorer, and I would be content as long as Kevin Durant is not the leading scorer BECAUSE WHY ARE WE PLACING THAT MUCH OF A BURDEN ON 38-YEAR-OLD KEVIN DURANT?

Breakout young player?

I was between Jabari Smith jr. and Reed Sheppard for breakout player, but for me once a player has seccured their second NBA contract, they are now longer qualified for breakout young player. I think Reed Sheppard will defenitley have a smaller role at times this season because of the return of Fred Vanvleet, and the additon of Marcus Smart, however, I think a smaller role may be better for him, as it will give him less pressure. Instead of being thrust into the rotation as the backup point guard after playing very few NBA rotation minutes the prior year, Reed will get consistent spot minutes allowing him to serve as an off the bench sniper. Think Gerald Green’s role of a off the bench siniper, but as a better player.

Leading bench contributor?

Now for this category, it depends on what you count as a contributor. Are you going off scoring numbers and stats, or overall impact? Depending on your answer, I have two different options for leading bench contributor: one being Marcus Smart, and the other being Tari Eason.

To start off with Smart, having someone besides Fred VanVleet who can run the offense will be nothing short of exceptional, but that’s not even where Smart fully shines. Houston is potentially adding another top NBA defender to its roster that already includes Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, and Jabari Smith Jr., along with other good defenders. Now imagine if Marcus gets his three pointer back to leauge average, or even above league average, and we are COOKING. Now the case for Tari over Marcus is that Tari is likely, in my opinion, to have higher counting stats, and the possibility that Marcus may end up starting if Fred misses time or sits out back-to-backs, but I think you can really have either Tari or Smart penciled in for the largest bench contributor. I did also consider Bogdan Bogdanovic, but I feel he is more of a cleanup crew end of the bench kinda guy who will see spot minutes on occasion.

How far will Houston go?

Now for the million-dollar question: do I expect Houston to win a championship this year? Unfortunately, as much as I would like to say they could win, I can’t say that in good conscience, as San Antonio and Oklahoma City appear to be in a tier of their own. Now could Houston win a title? Sure, but I could also wake up one day with an extra toe. I think my prediction is a second- or third-round exit, and I can see either one happening. It likely will depend on if they can avoid the Spurs/Thunder till the WCF.

Now with all that out of the way, I want to know YOUR season predictions for the Rockets season. Who do you expect to be the leading scorer? How many games do you have Houston winning? Let us know in the comments, and as always, make sure to check back at The Dream Shake for all things Houston Rockets news, analysis, and more.