Category: Basketball

On the eighth anniversary of Derrick Rose’s 50 point game, your Minnesota Timberwolves fell victim to a Halloween monster performance by alien Victor Wembanyama, losing to the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 121-111. 

With this being a second night of a set of back-to-back games and playing without Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert (back spasms), many fans may have expected tonight’s result.

What they may not have expected, however, was the amount of fight the Wolves had in them even if it was not enough for the victory. 

Encouraging Signs from Joan Beringer

A performance I really want to highlight was that of Joan Beringer. Starting tonight in place of Rudy Gobert, Joan poured in 12 points, grabbed six rebounds, and committed five fouls in 34 minutes of play.

On paper, his French counterpart completely eviscerated him, with Wemby scoring an otherworldly 43 points on 17-34 shooting.

Looks like Wemby dominated him, right? It did feel like that at times, because Victor is such a freak. Every time Wemby came at Joan with something ridiculous, Joan just kept battling.

It was amazing growth to see, because at age 34 Rudy Gobert is going to miss games. Joan Beringer needs to be effective in those games, and although the stats didn’t show it tonight, he was able to hold his own. 

Ayo Continues His Steady Play

Ayo Dosunmu continues to fill in admirably in the absence of Anthony Edwards, scoring 27 points on 11-15 shooting, splashing two threes, and even grabbing nine boards.

These types of performances are exactly why he was paid all that money to come back.

His speed in the open floor is outrageous, his willingness to defend, and his overall tenacity is exactly what this team will need come playoff time, but they need it even more now that Ant remains sidelined. 

Tough Night for ‘Melo

Unfortunately, LaMelo Ball had a rough night. He had just 10 points, 2/10 shooting overall, and didn’t make a three. He spent much of the game on the bench due to foul trouble, and even fouled out at the end of the game when the Wolves were attempting to make a final push at victory.

It’s becoming a pattern now where LaMelo puts himself in these disadvantageous situations and it’s not something the Wolves can afford, especially on a back-to-back in San Antonio. He looks sped up, can’t find any rhythm with his shot, and is playing with his hands too much on the defensive end. 

You maybe can get away with a performance like this against the NBA’s cellar dwellers, but not against the reigning Western Conference champions.

Moving forward, I would like to see LaMelo get himself going by attacking the paint and maybe getting to the free throw line or making easy dump offs for his teammates. Finding a rhythm isn’t just about making shots, it’s about finding your place in an offense on game in,, game out basis. The shots will start falling, just not if you force the issue too much. 

Jonathan Kuminga Making Plays

Among the positives, Jonathan Kuminga I thought had a really nice game. He logged 40 minutes, which was good to see after only 22 last night, scoring 19 points, hitting two threes, and really helping defend the powerhouse San Antonio guards on the perimeter. Performances like these are why people keep falling in love with this man’s game. It wasn’t totally flashy, either, save for this dunk on Victor Wembanyama.

For some reason, I feel like we’re on borrowed time with Kuminga. It’s his reputation, based on his last two stops. Chris Finch is really good at defining roles for his players, and if this is the Jonathan Kuminga we’re going to see more often than not then I’m all for it. 

Lackluster Bench Night

Bench wise, there wasn’t really a ton of note that happened tonight. The presumed sixth and seventh men were starting tonight, so Finch only went nine deep.

Outside of some Jaylen Clark made threes, there wasn’t a ton of production. TJ Shannon had a game he’d like to forget, making only one field goal and failing to draw iron on a couple threes. Trey Lyles made some nice plays, but also looked lost at times. 

I was a little shocked that we didn’t see Cody Williams tonight. Without a true center coming off the bench, he’s someone with some size that I thought he could go throw his body around and battle among the tree that is Wemby. 

Another head scratcher was the lack of Bones Hyland out there. With LaMelo down in foul trouble early, he came into the game and got six pretty quick points, but wasn’t really effective in his second stint and we didn’t really see him again. That could be a product of Ayo having a nice night, but it seemed as if he could’ve helped settle the offense down and there were times tonight where that was sorely needed.  

Uneven Officiating

One last quick thing before we flush this one and move on to the next game: The way this team gets officiated is mind-boggling at times. I’m not saying that the majority of the fouls that were called on Minnesota tonight were bad calls, but a lot of the touchy calls that they get called on them don’t seem to go the other way when they happen to the Timberwolves. 

Case in point, there was a sequence when Joan Beringer made an effort play on Victor Wembanyama to get a putback and keep the game tight and got a foul for going over the back of Wembanyama.

It’s totally fine if that’s the level of contact the officials want to whistle for. The ensuing possession down the floor, Wemby gets quite physical with Beringer in order to make himself available down low (a level of physicality you wouldn’t know Wemby had if you watched him drive to the hoop, just saying) and there was nothing called as Wemby almost put Joan in the rim. Add that on to the lack of calls Anthony Edwards gets going to the hole, and it creates a discrepancy that the Wolves should take issue with. 

Final Thoughts

All in all, there were plenty of positives to take away from tonight’s game in San Antonio. The Timberwolves fought valiantly to keep themselves in the game, but just couldn’t quite get over the hump. 

Game Highlights

Up Next

Your Minnesota Timberwolves are back in action on Monday, November 2nd, when they play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:00pm CT. That game will be streaming on DAZN-MIN for in-market fans, and on NBA League Pass for out-of-market fans.

Friday night the Warriors dressed up as a lottery team for exactly one quarter, then took the costume off and beat the Lakers by 17. They were down 38-15 after twelve minutes, watched the deficit swell to 25, tied it at 53 by halftime, and outscored LA 59-42 the rest of the way. According to the league, no team in the shot-clock era had ever trailed by 23-plus after one and tied it by the break. So the Halloween party at Chase started a day early.

Now the Clippers come to town at 1-4, losers of four straight, fresh off a 127-101 beating in Minnesota where the Wolves closed on a 23-2 run, without Anthony Edwards. This is a different Clippers team than the one you’ve been booing for a decade. Kawhi is gone, and the keys now belong to Darius Garland, Brandon Ingram and No. 5 pick Keaton Wagler.

Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors
When: November 1st, 2026 | 5:30 PM PT
Where: Chase Center
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: 95.7 The Game

There’s also some history here that Clipper fans would rather not discuss. Last April, Steph came back from a knee issue and dragged the Warriors past the Clippers 126-121 in the play-in. That loss ended the season and, as it turned out, the whole Kawhi era. So technically the Clippers’ rebuild was built in Golden State’s backyard. Sunday is Día de los Muertos, which feels right for a franchise that’s still figuring out what came back to life and what stayed buried.

Wagler is the guy to watch on their side. He’s scored in double figures every night, and he gets to the line like he has a coupon, going 7-for-8 in Minnesota even while shooting 2-for-11 from the field. Brook Lopez gave them 13 off the bench, and Rui Hachimura is back from a quad issue. They’re also missing big man Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who’s out after Lisfranc surgery. That leaves a frontcourt that Golden State’s small-ball lineups should be able to run off the floor if the effort is there.

On the Warriors’ side, everybody’s watching the rookie. Yaxel Lendeborg spent the week in the national headlines for calling Luka a whiner after opening night, then had the kind of rematch you only have in a nightmare: six points, six fouls, five turnovers.

The bench is the other storyline worth your attention. Golden State’s reserves went for 50 against the Lakers bench’s seven, with De’Anthony Melton scoring 16, Georges Niang finishing plus-21, and Will Richard going plus-20 mostly on defense and pure nuisance. If that second unit is real, this team has a ceiling nobody gave them credit for in October.

Unfortunately the Dubs will be without Draymond and Steph; Steph is balling out of control this season.

The Warriors started 0-3, and Dub Nation was already measuring the Steph era for a coffin. Three wins later they’re back at .500, and a rookie has given everybody something to argue about besides the end of the dynasty. The Clippers are coming to Chase looking for a fresh start, and Golden State has a chance to remind them who ended the last one.

The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Milwaukee Bucks inside, leading to a runaway 136-111 victory.

Three stars of the game

First star: Jarrett Allen

25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal

Allen was an absolute force to be reckoned with. He relentlessly attacked the basket by rolling hard to the rim and looking for any opening he could find to make himself available for a pass inside. Defensively, he controlled the paint and cleaned up the glass.

This was the ideal game from Allen.

Second star: Evan Mobley

27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

Basically everything I said about Allen could also be said of Mobley. He was aggressive offensively, attacking inside. And when the defense sagged off, he took the outside shot, going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.

This game was the template from a process and results standpoint for Mobley.

Third star: James Harden

13 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds

Harden spread the ball around and looked to get the bigs involved. It was exactly what the Cavs needed from their starting point guard.

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Dud of the game

Bum: Tyler Herro

15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Milwaukee’s point-of-attack defense was a mess. Herro wasn’t the only reason to blame for that, but he was the most noteworthy example of someone who wasn’t upholding their end of the bargain. On top of that, Herro struggled to make anything happen as a scorer as he went just 5-for-18 from the field.

Cavaliers who deserve shoutouts

Donovan Mitchell

15 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, +31

Mitchell let the game come to him in a way that he doesn’t always do. He attacked when the moment called for it, and he deferred to his teammates when they had cleaner looks. This led to Mitchell controlling the game without controlling the ball, making room for the dominant performances from the bigs.

Mario Hezonja

8 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists

Hezonja thinks the game at a high level. He does a great job of reading how the opponent is playing, and then exploiting it to the best of his ability. In this game, that weakness was rebounding.

Milwaukee had to send extra bodies to contain Mobley and Allen on both ends. Hezonja ducked inside around the help to grab 11 rebounds, including four on the offensive end.

Play of the game

Plays like this show how dynamic the bigs can be when you give them an opportunity to do so. Forcing a forward to chase Mobley around a screen from a guard, then around a dribble-hand-off with Allen is incredibly difficult to do. I would love to see them incorporate more actions like this that force bigger defenders to guard in space and navigate screens like a guard.

Quote of the day

“It was part of our film session this morning, so it’s nice to see it transfer. Reward these guys, they’re both playing great. Sixteen shot attempts, we were very intentional about getting them the ball. Good job by our perimeters, finding those guys in the right spots.”

– Head coach Kenny Atkinson

Stat of the game

Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley led the team with 16 shot attempts each.

Allen and Mobley were aggressive in looking for opportunities to score, and their teammates were consistent in getting them the ball. That is a formula worth repeating.

This game will be remembered for how the Cavs got the bigs involved

Mobly and Allen were forces all night. Not just for a few minutes, not just for a quarter, but until the game was completely out of reach early in the fourth quarter. The bigs stayed aggressive inside, and their teammates kept feeding them the ball.

Getting the bigs involved to this degree can destroy a defense. It’s similar to establishing the run in football. Once you control the line of scrimmage, the pass game opens up because the defense has to sell out to overload the box.

Milwaukee’s defense tried to shrink the floor to stop Mobley and Allen. Defenders crashed down from the corners in an effort to cut off the initial drive, but this opened up the floor for everyone, including whatever big wasn’t the main focus of the defense. This allowed for some of the big-to-big passes and put-back offensive rebounds.

This offense is at its best when they’re forcing the ball to the bigs, and the bigs are rolling hard and aggressively looking for openings to attack inside. Despite that, both groups have struggled to establish the bigs as consistent scoring threats for a full 48 minutes.

Far too often, the Cavs abandon this formula when things get tough. Either the guards take it upon themselves to handle the majority of the scoring load or the bigs become passive and stop looking for opportunities inside — and usually it’s both.

It’s not always this easy to establish the bigs as scorers. Milwaukee’s defense is bad and easy to exploit, but this formula should be more repeatable than it’s proven to be. Maybe this game can set them on the right path.

Well, the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 136-11 in their second straight blowout. With Tyler Herro having his first bad game of the year, the Bucks’ shining lights were rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament, who each notched a career-high 14 points on efficient shooting. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen led the way for Cleveland, combining for 52 points.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

Let’s just say the first quarter wasn’t exactly pretty, with both teams shooting 20/49 from the field. Jaime Jaquez Jr. got the Bucks started with two of their first three field goals, but the Cavs’ big-man duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen punished Milwaukee inside to tie it at 10 after five minutes. Many bricks followed for both teams, but Kasparas Jakucionis came in and gave the home side some pace and pizzazz, nailing a driving layup and a three after his defender shot under the screen to give the Bucks a six-point edge. At that point, Kel’el Ware checked in, and the game shifted, with Ware struggling mightily to deal with the tall trees down low on both ends, missing two point-blank shots and getting put in the mixer on the block. Luckily, the Cavs gave the Bucks an easy target when they subbed in rookie Maleek Thomas; Tyler Herro scored six quick points on him, including a three at the buzzer to put the Bucks up 25-24 after one.

Although Milwaukee had some encouraging moments to start the second—including a great hustle play from Nate Ament to recover the long rebound and find Brayden Burries for three—the Cavs began to flex their muscle. Thomas may have defensive issues, but the kid can score, and he proved it with two quick threes in the opening few minutes. Donovan Mitchell also got going, dropping a transition bomb to force the Bucks to call a timeout, down 39-31 three minutes in. Milwaukee responded out of the timeout with buckets from Turner and Ament but couldn’t find a way to stop Cleveland as Mobley asserted his dominance with 10 straight points to extend the lead. Ware broke the seal from three after going 0/7 in the last two games, but other than that, the Bucks just could not get anything to go down (depsite generating decent looks), as the Cavs went on a 21-3 (!) blitz to close the quarter, leading 72-46 at the half.

Tyler Herro became the first Buck to reach double figures with a three of the chase action with Myles Turner, but the Cavs’ stout defence was yielding them easy shots on the other end as they took an 81-54 lead three minutes in. At least Kyle Kuzma gave the home fans something to cheer for, scoring a quick 10 points to keep pace with the rampaging Cavs, and a Myles Turner three to cap a 7-0 run forced the Cleveland timeout as their lead shrank to 21, 89-68. Unfortunately, two quick Cavs triples out of the timeout spoiled any momentum the Bucks had built as they reached a century with over two minutes to play. Cavs led 109-76 entering the final frame.

You wouldn’t have known the Bucks were down big from the way Jakucionis was flying around on defence; the second-year guard pursued loose balls and long rebounds with vigour, which helped Milwaukee open the fourth on a 9-3 run to force a Kenny Atkinson timeout. Another major positive was Nate Ament, who scored 11 points in the opening six minutes of the fourth, including a spine-tingling cram in transition that had Fiserv jumping. Of course, it wouldn’t be a blowout without the $64m man proving his worth, as Gary Trent Jr. nailed his second three of the year to cut the deficit to 24. Then came the highlight of the night: Brayden Burries caught it in transition with one man ahead and detonated all over Tristan Enaruna for the facial—a nice finish on an otherwise rough night for Milwaukee.

Stat That Stood Out

The Bucks actually played OK for three of the four quarters, but their second quarter—which they lost by a staggering 27 points (48-21)—was decisive.

Obscene Overreaction

Brayden Burries and Nate Ament should make the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team solely for those dunks!

The Silver and Black had some impressive runs in tonight’s game, with Victor Wembanyama making some physics-defying moves that bent basketball reality into a shape that seemed impossible to comprehend. But the greatness was alternating with spells of uninspiring play and mental lapses, and the shorthanded Timberwolves kept themselves within spitting range for almost the whole game, even with Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, and with Lamelo Ball being limited due to foul trouble. Asayo Dosunmo and Jaden Daniels played very well for the visitors and a well-rested Ball made some key plays in the fourth quarter, until he fouled out late.

Victor Wembanyama had 43 points and was the engine of success for the Silver and Black, while De’Aaron Fox had one of his better games of the season with 22 points and 8 big rebounds, while keeping the team organized. Dylan Harper had a great night with 25 points, while Stephon Castle didn’t score a point while he struggled with a migraine, and probably should not have been out there.

Observations:

• For your Halloween enjoyment—here’s a song about a Creepy Doll.
• The Longhorns game kicked off just before the Spurs game. I think the schedulers need to be more considerate of my watching habits.
• Rudy Gobert was ruled out with a sore back, which ruined prediction in the game thread.
• Victor show up at the game in a Witcher costume, which was really cool. He does remind me a bit of Geralt. He definitely has a dark side to him.
• Lamelo Ball has happy feet but he seems to be able to cast a spell of the refs so that they can’t count his steps. Is he a warlock?
• The Wolves didn’t honor the Twilight Zone near the hoop created by Victor’s length, Kuminga and Beringer had their shots erased by Wemby. The Spurs rushed out to an 11-1 lead, but decided to get fancy the the Wolves went on an 11-0 run to taker the lead halfway through the first.
• Kornet had a putback jam in the first quarter, and got up higher than I’ve seen so far this season? Is his mini-slump over? The Spurs actually won the non-Wemby minutes, and got the lead back up to double digits, which is a good sign going forward.
• Carter Bryant finally hit a couple of three-point shots, which is what he needs to do in order to gain floor time. If Mitch can trust him to hit open shots, he’s going to get minutes.
• Finch is a master complainer, which I kind of hate, but maybe Mitch should watch him and see how he works the officials and take some hints from that.
• The Spurs led 34-28 at the end of the first quarter.
• Victor does things that don’t seem real sometimes. His pass to himself off the backboard for a slam just seemed impossible, but it really happened. His skill is so special. I don’t even regret the shady deal I made at the crossroads about the lottery a few years back. [This did not actually happen.]
• KJ drew Ball’s fourth foul early in the second quarter, which led to Lamelo hocking a loogie onto the court in front the broadcaster’s table. Due to his warlock powers, the officials did not witness this unsanitary act, and he wasn’t even given a tech for it. It’s probably just a coincidence, but the Spurs offense completely shut down right after that, and they didn’t score any points for 5 minutes, as the Wolves retook the lead.
• The Spurs went on one of their patented cold spells, and forgot how to score for most of the second quarter, and they visitors retook the lead with another extended run, 15-0 to take a 51-46 lead with Dosunmo doing a lot of the damage.
• The Spurs made a bit of a comeback in the final two minutes of the first half, and trailed 60-61 going into the locker room.
• The second half started with the Spurs taking the ball to the hoop, with the Wolves handing out shooting fouls like Halloween candy as the Silver and Black re-took the lead.
• Bones Hyland is one of those players who isn’t that good but always looks like a superstar against the Spurs. Surprisingly, he didn’t do that much tonight, just scoring 6 points and not having much impact on the outcome.
• Lyles and Hyland both committed traveling violations in the third quarter. Maybe they’re watching Ball too much in practice?
• The Spurs didn’t play a perfect third quarter, with a few too many turnovers and defensive lapses, but they played well enough to lead 93-88 with one quarter to play, with Wembanyama leading the way with 36 points through the first three.
• The TWolves somehow left Victor a free path to the hoop and he made them pay with a thunderous dunk, and before you knew it, the Spurs had a double digit lead. Guess what happened next? If you guessed that the Spurs lost focus and let the opponent get back into the game, you’d be right. … So predictable, I guess.
• Lamelo Ball did his part to get the Wolves back into the game, but committed his sixth foul with 3:43 left, pretty much ending the Wolves shot at a comeback.
• Tarris Reed watch: He did not play.

For the opponent’s perspective, visit Canis Hoopus, which has some scary good writers, and an interesting community vibe.

The Spurs play the Jazz again on Monday, this time in the Frost Bank Center. The Jazz should have Lauri Markkonnen back for that game, and that’s definitely not a game that the home team can take for granted since they required overtime to beat the Jazz in Utah on Wednesday, with the young players almost pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the early season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers rode a dominant 48-24 second quarter to a stress-free 136-111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Cleveland pushed their lead to 36 at the start of the fourth quarter before calling off the dogs.

Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen led the way in this one-sided win. The Cavs made a concerted effort to continually get the bigs involved offensively, and both Mobley and Allen stayed aggressive in looking for ways to attack. This led to both finishing with a team-high 16 shot attempts.

Mobley provided 27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal while going 11-for-16 from the field, which included going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Allen put up 25 points on 12-of-16 shooting with 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal.

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This dominant performance from the bigs allowed the Cavs to control the paint. They went 25-for-35 on shots in the restricted area and scored 60 points in the paint overall.

Four other Cavaliers besides Mobley and Allen finished with double-digit points. Donovan Mitchell put up 15 points while being a team best +31. James Harden and Meleek Thomas contributed 13 points. Thomas Bryant added in 11 points exclusively in the fourth quarter.

The Bucks were led by 19 points from Kel’el Ware on 6-of-16 shooting, along with 10 rebounds. Tyler Herro had 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting.

This was a dominant performance for the Cavs. Once they grabbed control of this game in the second quarter, they never looked back.

Cleveland will head home after this game. They host the injury-riddled Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday evening.

Bell Ringer Standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 2.5
Joel Embiid – 1
LeBron James – 1
Anfernee Simons – 1
Jaylen Brown – 0.5

The Philadelphia 76ers looked sleepy, but they woke up just in time to come from behind and snag a 109-104 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday evening.

This was the second game of a back-to-back after the Sixers defeated the Knicks last night at home, so no Joel Embiid or LeBron James for this one for Philly. Jaylen Brown returned for this contest, but looked a little out of sorts at times. The Hornets were without Kon Knueppel, Coby White and Grant Williams

The Sixers (minus Tyrese Maxey) were shaky to start this one and looked a bit sluggish, allowing some hot shooting from Charlotte to take over. Philly tightened things up a bit in the second to retake the lead going into the break, but they really started to look like a tired team in the second half. The Sixers looked completely asleep in the third, couldn’t get a single thing going and lost their narrow lead. Fortunately, though, the Hornets were also a weary-looking team on the second leg of a back-to-back, so they couldn’t take full advantage. They led going into the fourth, but not by much.

It was never an insurmountable lead for Charlotte, but it was a resilient one. The sluggish Sixers couldn’t seem to come up with the necessary string of buckets or put up enough defensive stops to ever gain any ground on the Hornets… until the last two minutes. Suddenly, the Sixers ripped off a 15-3 run to end the game, finally taking the lead late and holding on for the dramatic victory — capped off by another clutch three-pointer from VJ Edgecombe. Who else?!

The Sixers continue their winning ways and move to 6-1 on the season. They’ll get Sunday off before hosting the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.

Let’s get to the Bell Ringer.

Tyrese Maxey: 38 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Tyrese Maxey started out this one by pretty much being able to do whatever he wanted on the offensive end, putting up nine points on 4-for-4 field goal shooting before the game was even four minutes in. He was in his bag to put on a three-level scoring clinic in the first half on Saturday night, nailing his soft finishes at the rim, the midrange jumpers and nailing a few from outside the arc. Maxey led the Sixers with 19 points on 8-for-13 field goal, 3-for-5 three-point shooting at the break.

After having a quiet third (along with the rest of his team, mostly), Maxey went back to work in the fourth. He scored 15 points on 4-for-6 field goal shooting in the final frame as the Sixers finally broke through to erase the Hornets’ narrow but resilient lead and take on the win for themselves.

Maxey finished this one with a commanding 38 points (13-for-23 field goal, 4-for-9 three-point shooting) with four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Anfernee Simons: 19 points (five triples), 2 assists, 3 steals

On Saturday night, Anfernee Simons picked up where he left off the last two games: absolutely nailing some threes. Simons sank another three triples in the first half against the Hornets on Saturday night in addition to knocking down a few free throws for 11 first-half points, the only Sixer other than Maxey to make it to double-digit scoring by the break.

His biggest moment came late in the forth, with Simons hitting his fifth triple of the night, coming up with a steal on the Hornets’ next possession, then nailing an excellent finish at the rim in transition to pull the Sixers within a point of the Hornets with just a few minutes to play — all part of the run that would ultimately win the game for Philadelphia.

Simons ended up with 19 points including five three-pointers. He also had two assists and three steals.

Jabari Walker: 12 points, 6 rebounds

Probably more of an honorable mention here, but Jabari Walker had a very solid night coming off the bench for Philadelphia. From hitting his layups, to getting involved on the offensive boards for put-backs, to pulling up confidently from long range when he had good opportunities, Walker was doing a little of everything against the Hornets. Especially important when the Sixers are without LeBron and Embiid, Walker took every opportunity to drive the baseline and/or muscle his way into the paint for a rebound or a bucket.

Walker finished the night with 12 points on 5-for-8 field goal shooting with six rebounds (two offensive).

Dean Wade: 4 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

On Friday night, Dean Wade might’ve put together one of the best games ever for a guy who didn’t take a single shot. On Saturday, he took a couple, but the story was his passing, defense and ability to find loose balls.

Most of Wade’s points are going to come from the three-point line this season, but funny enough, both his field goals in this one came at the rim — on two pretty moves. Wade played the ultimate connector on offense, setting good screens and finding open teammates all night long. Defensively, he continued to show the versatility that makes him so valuable.

It felt like every time the Sixers needed it, he found away to come away with the ball and steal an extra possession, including on this huge Simons’ three.

So, another weird stat line, but Wade was sensational for the Sixers.

VJ Edgecombe: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

This actually wasn’t the best game from VJ Edgecombe. Quite the contrary, actually. He was decent on the boards and on defense, but it wasn’t an offensively productive game from Edgecombe. He didn’t shoot all that well, notching just 10 points on 4-for-13 field goal shooting.

But he was 2-for-4 from three, and one of those couldn’t have come at a more important moment.

Again. The kid is clutch. With the Sixers finally taking the lead out from under the Hornets very late in this one, Philly held just a narrow advantage as time was winding down… until VJ Edgecombe hit a nasty step-back and sank a monster three over the defense of Grayson Allen, extending the Sixers’ lead to four points and helping seal the victory for Philadelphia.

Clutch. And I personally think that alone earns you a Bell Ringer nomination.

Luka Dončić might never live down what Steph Curry did to him last night.

Curry broke Dončić’s ankles and sent him sprawling to the ground before draining a three-pointer during the Golden State Warriors’ 112-95 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Plenty of people have trolled Dončić about this. But an Instagram post Jimmy Butler made on Saturday takes the cake.

Butler posted an AI video where Curry’s likeness is Bruce Leroy (played by Taimak) in the 1985 martial arts film The Last Dragon.

Curry is then asked, “Alright Leroy, who’s the one-and-only Master?” and responds, “I am!”

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Then Dončić’s likeness shows up as a bystander watching the exchange, and said, “Holy s***!”

Then Curry’s likeness is shown whirling his arms in what’s supposed to be an exraordinary martial arts technique.

Butler’s post (which also includes the actual video clips of Curry breaking Dončić’s ankles was captioned, “6/82. W.”

The post has gone viral, tallying over 100,000 likes in a couple hours and being reposted many times on social media.

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Butler is confined to the sidelined while he rehabs a torn ACL he sustained in January. There’s no clear timeline when he’s expected to return.

At least he’s finding ways to entertain himself in the meantime.

Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss accused her siblings of running a "cloak and dagger" smear campaign against her through the media and voting to sell the family's remaining shares in the team in court documents filed earlier this week.

The filing, obtained by USA TODAY Sports, alleges that Jeanie Buss' five siblings -- Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse -- orchestrated a "manipulative plot" in response to her previous court filing in August to halt the proposed sale of the family's remaining 17.8% share in the team following the record $12.5 billion sale between Mark Walter and Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, "secretly pursued unlawful action behind Jeanie's back" and allegedly leaking their "petty grievances" to ESPN's Shams Charania.

"Respondents respond casting themselves as victims," the filing says. "When in reality, the entire episode is their own false flag operation."

The filing is the latest development in the ongoing Succession-esque drama that has ensued over the years since Dr. Jerry Buss' death in 2013 and escalated when Jeanie Buss' siblings voted 5-0 to sell their stake in the Lakers to Kushner, which would effectively remove her as governor. That led to an injunction from Adam F. Streisand, Jeanie Buss' attorney, that contested the sale violated a 2017 court order that established Jeanie Buss as the controlling owner and was null and void.

The five siblings filed a formal opposition on Oct. 7, claiming Jeanie Buss' petition "is legally and factually baseless." A hearing is scheduled in Los Angeles Superior Court on Dec. 8.

"Jeanie sought to address Respondents’ desire to cash out of the Buss/Lakers’ legacy," Streisand says in the filing. "However, Respondents refused to engage, because they not only want to cash out of that legacy but cannot abide that the team’s owners would still want Jeanie to be part of the Lakers’ future. Jeanie had no choice but to seek court intervention to enforce the clear terms of the Trust and this Court’s 2017 Order."

Per NBA rules, Jeanie Buss would need to hold at least a 15% ownership stake in the Lakers to continue serving as governor. The siblings have defended their sale as being within their rights by invoking a tag-along provision that was included in the original sale to Mark Walter that would allow the Buss family to sell their shares if he were to ever sell the team, but Jeanie Buss' attorneys responded in Wednesday's filing that the tag-along right is for less than all of the trust's shares.

The filing continues by alleging no notice of the tag-along right was given, nor was a notice of a "put right" that would have enabled the siblings to sell the family's entire stake in the team, and that there is no offer from Kushner and Iger to purchase the trust's shares.

"Consent to a hypothetical, partial sale is not the full and final sale required to trigger termination under Section 2.4(c)," the filing said. "Thus, the Purported Resolution is void on its face."

ESPN reported on Friday that Kushner and Walter agreed to final terms of the sale of the franchise and are expected to sign a formal agreement soon. The deal would then need to be reviewed by the NBA and approved by a majority vote of the league's 30 team owners.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jeanie Buss alleges 'cloak and dagger' plot by siblings over Lakers sale

In each of the Knicks’ losses, it has been something new. A different sign that captures how they’re still — even six games and four defeats into the season — a step behind opponents at the start of their title defense, even with the same starting lineup and most of the same rotation intact from last year. 

There was the entire game opening night, when head coach Mike Brown said it looked like the Knicks were “running in mud.” There was the third quarter against the Celtics. The fourth-quarter collapse against the Magic, too. And then Friday night, it was the Knicks’ start, when they trailed by double digits in the first quarter en route to their 98-93 loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia. 

It marked their fewest points in an opening frame this season. It served as the latest reminder of a potentially concerning trend in a start to the year already filled with them. And as they’re trying to recover conditioning and erase the step missing after the condensed offseason that followed their championship run, it marked the latest sample in 2026-27 of the Knicks slipping into an insurmountable place in a game because of a costly quarter. 

“We gotta find a way to be that magical team we were last year at a more consistent pace,” Karl-Anthony Towns said following Friday’s loss. “You don’t always want to just wait until the end to find that magic. Lightning don’t strike twice, so we gotta be that team right now and we gotta continue to build off of what we did last year.” 

The Knicks trailed by 13 after the opening 12 minutes against the Pistons on Tuesday, but they responded by limiting Detroit to just three field goals in a 12-point second quarter. They only managed 13 in the third quarter. And by the end of it all, the Knicks defense had powered them to their first win of the season. 

But poor first quarters like Tuesday and Friday nearly eliminate their margin for error. With under five minutes remaining in the frame against the 76ers, Jalen Brunson tried to thread a pass to a rolling Andre Drummond, but Joel Embiid knocked the pass away — allowing for a VJ Edgecombe layup in transition moments later to give Philadelphia a 20-11 lead. Then, after the Knicks started to trim into their deficit with 3-pointers from Josh Hart and Miles McBride, Anfernee Simons responded with a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 10. The Knicks weren’t able to execute the same counter defensively, either. 

“It was almost like we were just gonna show up and go hoop and not doing the little things that we need to do to go get a win,” Brown said. 

The Knicks, Towns said, looked like a team at the end of a road trip. They didn’t find “that gear” — the one they needed to overpower opponents, the one that defined their sprint through May and June — until the fourth quarter. Double-digit comebacks are “taxing,” Hart said, and it’s not something they can rely on, even if improbable rallies were a defining part of their postseason run. 

“I think when that’s happened, we’re just coming in a little stagnant offensively,” Hart said of the Knicks’ deficits. “Forced into either bad shots or turnovers. And then, you know, stops are harder.” 

The Knicks will have chances — starting with the winless Nets and 1-5 Bulls over the next two games — to figure everything out. To fix their offensive rating that dipped to 20th in the league (109.6) entering play Saturday and solve their turnover woes that frustrated Brown on Friday. To improve their defensive rating that sits 13th (110.6) and a defensive unit that has ebbed and flowed throughout the early portion of the season. 

To eliminate the growing pains that have prevented the Knicks from looking the part of reigning champions and delivering the same magic that defined last season in the first place.

If all Cris Carter did was catch touchdowns, all VJ Edgecombe does is hit clutch shots.

Edgecombe’s late three was part of a 13-0 run for the Sixers which helped them stage a fourth-quarter comeback and steal a 109-104 win in the second half of a back-to-back on the road in Charlotte. They’re now 6-1.

Tyrese Maxey was brilliant from the start and finished with 38 points. Edgecombe struggled most of the night, but buried a triple when it mattered. He finished just 4-of-13 for 10 points. Jaylen Brown returned to the lineup. Though he was able to shake off a poor start, he wasn’t as impactful as he’s been this season. He was 6-of-15 for 16 points.

Anfernee Simons was great again off the bench with 19 points (including five triples). Dean Wade got the start and was excellent on both ends, dishing out 10 assists.

The Sixers were without LeBron James and Joel Embiid, both sitting out the backend of the back-to-back. Dominick Barlow (back) remains out. They’ll host the Chicago Bulls on Monday.

Here are a few takeaways from the night.

First quarter

• It was funny to see Dean Wade pass up another shot on the first possession and pass VJ Edgecombe a grenade … only for Edgecombe to bury a three.
• The Sixers had a tall task keeping Moussa Diabate off the offensive glass. Not only did Adem Bona do a great job there, but Bona was impactful on the offensive glass himself. Diabate had just one defensive rebound in the first half.
• Holy moly, Tyrese Maxey. To quote a former Sixer, he is just stupidly locked in right now.
• Jabari Walker got the backup five minutes, so it appears no Tacko Fall tonight.
• It was a rough start for Jaylen Brown in his return. He missed his first five shots and had two turnovers. Whether it was a rhythm issue or the knee still bothering him, he looked off.
• Justin Edwards got early minutes, but his stint didn’t last long. It was a little surprising to see Edwards get in there before Labaron Philon.
• The Hornets came in as one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA this season — so, naturally, they couldn’t miss against the Sixers, going 6-of-11 from deep and 73.7% from the floor in the first. They held a 37-27 lead. Maxey posted 15.

Second quarter

• Walker gave the Sixers strong minutes at the five. He drew a foul fighting for position with Diabate, then had a tough finish off a Maxey pass, then drove from the corner and had a nice reverse finish. Brown finally got a bucket to go and cut the deficit to 37-33.
• Well, hello, Dean Wade! You wanted him to shoot and what a beauty of a move on Naz Reid for a bucket at the rim.
• A decent stint for Philon. He hit a three and had a great defensive rep against fellow Alabama alum Brandon Miller. He then drew a foul on Miller before making a pretty dropstep move on fellow rookie Christian Anderson for a bucket. He missed a pair of free throws, but overall, good stuff from the rook.
• Bona fumbled a pass from Brown and of course calmly collected it and finished at the rim over Ryan Kalkbrenner to tie the game at 44-44. Brown was much better in his second stint, finding Maxey for another bucket to put the Sixers in front.
• The Sixers’ defense picked up big time. Another trio of threes from Anfernee Simons and Maxey buried another. Maxey led all scorers with 19. Some tremendous ball movement at times here. Grayson Allen’s red-shot shooting was the only thing keeping the Hornets in it. The Sixers were up 57-54 at the half.

Third quarter

• Credit where it’s due, more good Bona minutes and another pretty make in the post from Wade. It appeared Bona’s activity was starting to frustrate Diabate, as the Hornets’ big man threw an elbow into Bona’s gut. Diabate was called for an unsportsmanlike foul.
• The Sixers’ offense and defense started sagging. The ball stuck too much and Charlotte got way too many good looks at the rim. The Hornets pulled back in front, 67-65.
• Brown and Walker seem to have a little chemistry. Look at that, preseason reps paying off! Overall, the game became a slog. It looked like two teams playing the second half of a back-to-back. Charlotte continued to get to the paint with ease, building the lead to 73-67.
• Brutal night for Edgecombe so far. He was just 3-of-10 from the field. As we’ve seen though, Edgecombe can have three rough quarters and show up for the fourth…
• On a positive note, Brown has looked much bouncier as the game has gone on. He powered past Allen for a dunk and then had another nice finish at the rim on a drive. He kept the Sixers in it. The offense got bogged down again when he took a breather.
• Yet another three for Simons, cutting the Hornets’ advantage to 79-77. Wade notched his seventh assist on the play. Unfortunately, that was the last basket the Sixers made in the period. Charlotte pushed the lead back up to 83-77 as a Maxey three missed everything. You have to wonder if tired legs are a factor.

Fourth quarter

• Bona sort of turned back into a pumpkin here. It’s hard to even fault him. They’re asking him to play starter minutes and he simply doesn’t seem capable.
• Walker checked back in, buried a three and scored off an offensive rebound. After a steal, Maxey missed a transition three, but Bona gathered the rebound, got it back to Maxey who made a short fadeaway. For as poorly as the Sixers played in the second half, they hung around. It was a one-possession game with plenty of time left.
• In a different spot, I don’t mind Bona taking a corner three. Down six midway through the fourth with time on the shot clock? Yeah, I’d like a better shot.
• Wade’s so freaking good defensively. Hell of a possession on Reid. He really can guard anyone. Then a slick floater from Maxey. He’s doing all he can do keep them in it, but Edgecombe’s tough night continued. He grabbed a big offensive rebound, but was stuffed by Miller at the rim. The Hornets then got a Diabate dunk in transition.
• Another Maxey floater and a short turnaround jumper from Brown cut it to 98-94, but the Sixers continued to lose Allen on the perimeter, who made them pay with another three.
• More big time stuff from Wade, who grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked it out to Simons for another three. After a stop, Maxey was fouled, but split his free throws, an issue throughout the night. The defense was finally able to generate turnovers, one leading to a tough finish by Simons in transition to make it 101-100.
• A monster block by Wade and then the Sixers are bailed out as Dennis Schroder undercut Maxey going for a loose ball. Maxey made both free throws and the Sixers took a 102-101 lead.
• What a tremendous sequence for Maxey. He stands tough against Miller, who missed a fadeaway, then fought Diabate for the ensuing rebound, which the big man knocked out of bounds.
• How does he do it?! VJ Edgecombe got the ball with the shot clock winding down and what does he do? He buries a triple right in Allen’s eye. That’s a 13-0 run for the Sixers.
• Sion James missed a layup, Maxey grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Wow. Miller made another three to make it 107-104, but Charlotte fouled Brown with 5.2 left and he made both to seal it. Sixers win 109-104.

INDIANAPOLIS — Right now, every time the young Nets hit adversity, they go awry like a rudderless ship. 

That means their stars are going to have to do a better job steering them. 

That means Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. 

“[We’ve] just got to be mentally tougher, understand what’s going on in the game, understand what we’re trying to accomplish, what we can take advantage of, stuff like that,” Randle admitted. 

“But we just have to have better recognition in-game of what’s going on and just be better from there. But we get adversity right now as a group, and it just deflates us as a team. So I have to find a way to keep the group together, and get us out of those ruts when we’re facing those types of situations.” 

As the only winless team in the East coming into Sunday’s tilt at Indiana, the Nets have faced those types of situations every game. The result has been slumped shoulders, bad body language and the team coming unraveled. 

Granted, they played well at Cleveland and Boston. But more often than not, they haven’t handled adversity well. 

And while Randle and Porter are a 1-2 scoring punch, neither is a defender. But for the Nets to compete, they’ll have to be leaders. On a team this green, it’s not enough that they play well. They have to help their young teammates play well — or at least play together. 

“It’s easier said than done,” Porter said after Friday’s loss to Detroit. “In the NBA when you lose five straight, it can be tough. 

“But we’ve got to continue to watch film, and do our best to stay connected as a group, do our best to stay positive, to come out next game and do better than we did [the last] game. We took a step forward [in] the Boston game, a couple steps backwards [against Detroit]. We’ve just got to watch it and go from there.” 

The Nets have glaring personnel issues that may limit their defensive ceiling, but they’ve underachieved offensively due to a lack of chemistry and cohesion. They’ll need better cutting and spacing. 

Granted, Randle has done his job as a floor raiser. The Nets’ plus-22.9 net rating swing with him on and off the floor is the best of any Net that has logged over 30 minutes. But against Detroit, he shot 4-of-13 with three assists, five turnovers and too much ball-pounding. Porter finished a minus-25. 

Randle admits it’s on the veterans like himself and Porter to help guide this young team through its growing pains. But how? 

“That’s a great question. I don’t know. We’ve just got to find ways to keep making improvements,” Randle said. “We did that, [though] we didn’t get the result we wanted in Boston, we did it. I felt like we were on the path to doing that to start the [Detroit] game, and then we took steps back. So, I won’t accept it, but I understand it. 

“Taking bumps and bruises with the season, just gaining experience. But we’ve got to find a way collectively to be better and not let adversity affect us so much as a group. We keep talking about it, but we gotta find a way to come together. And yeah, it probably is on the vets. We gotta bring guys together in the moments of adversity and recognize those situations quicker than what we are right now.” 

It’s a tough ask with Porter set for unrestricted free agency and expected by many around the league to be on the market at the trade deadline. Meanwhile, Randle — soon to be 32 — can opt out as well. 

Head coach Jordi Fernández defended both, saying he can’t ask either to step outside their comfort zones leadership-wise. 

“I always want them to lead and it’s got to come out of an honest place. I cannot force them to be out of character,” Fernández said. “I think they’re both good people and they both mean well, so whatever they’re comfortable doing I’m very happy they’re trying their best to help the group. And they’ve done it from the beginning, so I’m not concerned about that.”

Guards Egor Dëmin (right leg bone bruise) and Mikel Brown Jr. (back, injury management) are both out for the Nets on Sunday in Indiana. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to get back on track as they take on the Milwaukee Bucks.

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When you find yourself struggling to win basketball games, every mistake is amplified and every possession is overanalyzed. Through four games to start the season, that’s certainly been the case for the Phoenix Suns, who sit at 1–3 and have struggled to play clean basketball.

While the offense has begun showing signs of life, along with some much-needed functionality and responsibility, and the team currently possesses the 10th-best offensive rating in the league, there’s still plenty that needs to be cleaned up. And defensively? The team is an absolute mess. Rotations are being missed, assignments are being blown, and quite frankly, it looks like a group of players who don’t fully trust one another yet.

Why do we consistently see weak-side defenders crashing into the paint whenever an opposing player drives to the basket? Because there’s a lack of trust that the primary defender can handle his assignment, leading teammates to abandon their own responsibilities to provide help. And what happens as a result? Wide-open shooters are left waiting on the perimeter. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why the Suns are currently allowing (easily) the highest opposing three-point percentage in the league.

The most frustrating aspect of watching this team thus far has been the numerous mental lapses and situational mistakes that you can attribute to poor judgment. But when you start seeing them over and over again, it raises a bigger question about whether this team possesses a high basketball IQ. We witnessed it numerous times from numerous players against Denver, and it’s been a recurring theme throughout the early portion of the season.

Examples? But of course. I’d show the actual plays, but the NBA has decided to negate the ability to share play-by-play videos. Because screw the fans, right? As long as they get their Emerites money, they’re satisfied. 

The Suns are down nine points late in the third quarter and Devin Booker misses a wide-open layup. That should’ve been the easiest birthday gift he received yesterday, and somehow, he missed it. How does the team respond? By committing a senseless foul in transition. And of course, Denver is already in the bonus, so the Nuggets head directly to the free-throw line.

Then there’s the Jalen Green possession. After the Suns fight their way back to within five points, Green decides it’s time to put on his superhero cape and drive into the lane rather than surveying the floor and setting up a quality offensive possession. What happens? Marvin Bagley rejects him, Denver takes possession, and the Nuggets promptly knock down a three-pointer on the other end. That’s a five-point swing at a moment when Phoenix had finally generated some momentum.

Dillon Brooks was your primary offensive weapon in the first half, scoring 20 points before getting tossed from the game for a Flagrant 2 after kicking Jamal Murray in the nuts. Now, I don’t agree with the call. I think it was reputation-based (and Tyler Ford hates the Suns…which is factual), and as somebody who’s watched Brooks play for over a season now, I know he routinely kicks his legs out on those turnaround jumpers. I genuinely don’t believe there was any malicious intent.

But part of being a high basketball IQ player is recognizing when you can’t afford to push the envelope, especially when you’ve been as valuable to your team’s offense as Brooks was in that game. You have to understand the situation and the potential consequences of putting yourself in that position. Stupid call? Yes. Stupid to put yourself in that situation? Also yes.

The same goes for the silly delay of game after knocking the ball away from Nikola Jokic following a Devin Booker running layup with the Suns down 7 in the third.  You know Tyler Ford is an official who has a tendency to officiate the Suns ridiculously. There is no team in the NBA that he has assessed more personal fouls against per game in his officiating career than the Phoenix Suns. The team he calls the least amount of fouls against? Yeah. The Nuggets. Why give him another opportunity to blow the whistle? It’s an entirely unnecessary play that once again handed Denver another free throw.

These are the kinds of mistakes that make winning basketball games considerably more difficult than it needs to be. And we’re not cherry-picking a couple of isolated possessions to manufacture a narrative. We’ve seen these mental lapses repeatedly throughout the first four games of the season, which is precisely why they’re becoming a concern. Side note: stop fouling three-point shooters! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

Every team makes mistakes. Every player has moments when their judgment fails them. That’s basketball. But when those mistakes become recurring behaviors rather than occasional lapses, you have to start asking some uncomfortable questions about this team’s decision-making and overall basketball IQ. That’s when the red flags start going up.

The Suns have put themselves in a situation where there’s plenty to clean up. This is a team that relies on hustle as its North Star, but that hustle has to be accompanied by responsibility and intelligent decision-making. They’re not going to overpower opponents physically, and they’re certainly not going to overwhelm anybody with their efficiency. That means they can’t afford to give away free points through careless mistakes and unnecessary fouls.

Playing smart basketball has to become a fundamental part of this team’s identity if the Suns ultimately want to start winning basketball games.