With the season being roughly one-tenth of the way through, I figured we could do a check-in on the two of the major offseason acquisitions, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Marcus Smart, who were signed to contracts paying them $3,524,115 and $6,064,00 this season, respectively.

Marcus Smart brings a lot more to the table for the Rockets than what appears in the box score. His defensive abilities, constant energy, and ability to make opposing guards miserable earned him Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022. He brings another veteran presence to a young Rockets locker room. He will not be expected to score each night, but his ball-handling, shot creation, and the ability to make timely shots will make him a key piece of the Rockets’ rotation.

So far this season, Marcus is averaging 9.8 points, 2.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals while shooting 38.7% from three and 44.2% from the field. The field goal percentage is trending higher than his career average, as it three-point shooting, which is incredibly encouraging. Smart also had a stellar game vs. the Thunder, where he scored 24 points and made 7 three-pointers.

Bogdan Bogdanovic provides the Rockets with a specific set of skills

Houston needs perimeter shooting, and the 38% three-point shooter for his entire NBA career provides that. Bogdanovic can also create off the dribble at the second level of the offense and make shots when the main offensive players are on the bench or under heavy defensive pressure. He can create off the dribble at the second level of the offense and can make shots when the main offensive players are on the bench or under heavy pressure from the defense. This season, Bogdanovic is averaging 5.6 points per game, which does not seem like a lot, but he is shooting a blistering 45.5% from three. Any team can use that.

Bogdanovic is an excellent attacking addition to this year’s sqaud. He can shoot, create off the dribble and space the floor, so he meets many of the Rockets’ needs. However, his health and consistency will determine the effectiveness of this signing.

What is interesting about both of these acquisitions is the varying amounts of impact that each can bring to a game. Smart is brought in for his defense, energy, and leadership. Bogdanovic brings shooting, creation on offense, and floor spacing. Both players bring experience to Houston’s young core and can help ease the transition of some of the young players into more rotation minutes as they continue to grow. They can be of use to players like Reed Sheppard by having veteran players on the team to help support the young players and to allow for more flexibility with lineups.

Ultimately, the value of both of these players will be determined by how they perform in games of consequence. Houston is trying to build a team of players that can help get them past the first round in the postseason, not just a collection of veterans and youngsters. If I had to give a grade for the two signings so far, I would give the Bogdonovic signing an A, and the Marcus Smart signing an A- only because Smart has missed time with an injury already.

Thats all for today! Make sure to let me know what you all think about the signings in the comments, and as always make sure to check back at The Dream Shake for all things Houston Rockets coverage.

One of the standouts of the early stages of the preseason was Adou Thiero, who looked to have built on a strong Summer League and was ready to be part of the Lakers’ rotation.

However, an ill-timed injury halted Thiero’s progress and kept him out of the opening weeks of the regular season. After some patience to allow swelling in his knee to go down, Thiero finally made his season debut in Friday’s win over the Blazers and looked like he hadn’t missed a beat from the preseason.

In only six minutes, Thiero’s impact was felt as he tallied four points, four rebounds and two assists. After the game, head coach JJ Redick was asked about his performance and got rave reviews.

“I thought his first two defensive possessions, he made mistakes and then after that he was awesome,” Redick said. “He literally did everything we asked him to do. He was great on the offensive glass. Even sometimes when we didn’t necessarily get the possession, he was tapping the ball and crashing.

“I thought the read he made out of the short roll, I think they blitzed three times in the first half and two of those were against him. He makes the short roll and he gets the lob. I thought he played a great game and, defensively, he was really good in the second half.”

Thiero came in late in the first quarter in the role previously held by Jarred Vanderbilt and immediately made an impact. Given his leaping ability, Thiero being the ball screener and roll man felt like an obvious fit.

The Blazers immediately tested him as they blitzed Luka Dončić, forcing Thiero to not just be in the right spot in the short roll, but then make a decision. He nailed both aspects, setting up Ziaire Williams for a dunk.

Adou Thiero roll draws two tags (Mamu and Ziaire's men). Thiero finds Ziaire for the lob. https://t.co/eAxPLWNKy7pic.twitter.com/0FIBwwHwBV

— Connor Moreno (@cmorenoNBA) November 7, 2026

Shortly after, the Blazers opted for a more traditional pick-and-roll coverage. This time, Thiero rolled hard to the rim and caught the lob for an athletic finish.

LUKA TO ADOU pic.twitter.com/NuoLMrAlcN

— Lakers Empire (@LakersEmpire) November 7, 2026

“He did great,” Walker Kessler said of Thiero. “Obviously, we value Adou a lot. He’s a very physical player. Really talented, athletic player. I mean, that lob he caught is very, very impressive. He had a really good debut for the season.”

Thiero’s athleticism is unparalleled on the roster — and among the elites of the elite in the league as a whole — and offers the Lakers a different dynamic. Thiero as a screener and roller won’t always work as it did on Friday, but his athleticism and activity level will continue to jump off the screen.

The Lakers’ hope now is that he can stay healthy and start to stack positive performances in the regular season.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Welcome back to the Den. The Wolves are ten games in and their record stands at 7-3. Over that time the Wolves sprinted out of the gates, lost Anthony Edwards to dirty knees in need of a cleaning, and have mostly righted the ship. Their losses are on travel back-to-backs and their first game without Edwards where they didn’t even have a chance to practice before tip-off.

This team found something special in their first four games and then had their literal knees cut from them. Through the mire of the early season, as the rest of the league reels from their own injuries, the Wolves are looking for another new identity. An identity that does not include Edwards but prepares for his return.

As you can imagine, there are a lot of questions for this team to answer. Here are some of them.

Note: So much of this is small sample size theater.

1. Can Jonathan Kuminga keep this up?

It’s just flashes. He had similar highs in Golden State before cooling down. There’s no way he can keep this up. Here he goes again driving into traffic to get blocked… huh, nice pass. No no no, don’t shoot tha…SPLASH! Oh my gawd, he got up so high for that rebound.

This short-staged drama has occurred inside my head in nearly every game this year. In good games and bad, Jonathan Kuminga has shown up to do whatever is asked of him.

In every counting stat except points per game, Kuminga is averaging career bests; rebounds (5.7), assists (2.9), steals (1.2) and blocks (1.0). His highest BPM through his first five seasons was 0.1. This season he is at 2.9 and has his career first positive for Offensive Box Plus Minus (0.6).

Head Coach Chris Finch has heaped praise on JK. In Minnesota’s more read and react, flow, style, the Wolves starting power forward is emboldened to make a play when the ball finds him. His cuts aren’t always rewarded but it sends the defense into a panic and opens things up for his teammates. It also puts him in the middle of the floor to grab or poke out offensive rebounds.

I am running out of excuses for why it won’t last. After the first few games, I thought his play would disappear once the initial novelty of the season’s start wore off. It didn’t.

I thought he’d become more shot hungry and ball dominant when Ant went down. He hasn’t.

I thought he’d get worn down having to guard some of the best players in the league night after night. This might happen as the overlong season grinds on, but so far Kuminga seems to get up for the battle.

The hardest question might be coming, “Can the Wolves afford to keep Kuminga?“

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2. What is Rudy’s purpose on offense?

The start of the season has seen a dramatic drop in Rudy Gobert’s points per game and his near league-best shooting efficiency. Gobert is averaging his fourth fewest shot attempts, second least points per game, the worst shooting percentage, and worst free throw percentage of his career.

It took one of the smartest basketball minds in Mike Conley over a year to learn how to play with Rudy. LaMelo Ball has had a scant few weeks to build chemistry. Combine that with the geometry of the floor and the defensive attention he is getting due to the sidelined Edwards, and it’s no surprise the lack of consistency.

The Wolves need Rudy to be effective on offense. The book is out on the big man. Good defenses know how to bait Minnesota into thinking Rudy is open and recover quick enough to force a turnover or an errant shot.

Which brings us to the question of how to effectively use Gobert on offense. There is space to use him in the pick n’ roll, but that has rarely been Finch’s play style of choice. He is averaging a career high in offensive rebounds and this is primarily where I want him to find his points.

Finishing those misses just as they bounce off or tipping them out to teammates to try again when defenders are too close to him. Don’t give them a chance to send him to the line.

He is very good at screening his teammates open and should continue to be used as the effective body in the way. This opens up Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, and Bones Hyland to get a screen assist into open triples. But this also pulls Rudy away from the hoop and the offensive boards that are his best offense.

Simple as it sounds his threat to roll is only as effective as his chemistry with his point guard. Until that firms up, he’s on cleanup duty.

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3. What is a Ghost Screen?

The Wolves are getting spooky with a lot more ghost screens this season. This gambit, that asks a shooting threat to feint a screen before sprinting to the other side of the point-of-attack (POA) defender, is meant to short circuit a defense. In a fraction of a second, the ghost screener’s defender has to determine if they need to call for a switch if the screen gets set, or to chase after the shooter who has suddenly burst to a preferred place to spot up.

The Wolves are loaded with players who can quickly turn on the jets (I can’t recommend Ayo Dosumnu’s Player’s Tribune piece enough) and make this decision that much harder. Screens are overcome best when a defense is communicating. The threat of a ghost screen shortens that window for effective communication.

If the POA defender thinks a screen is about to be set, they might get ready to hedge for the incoming contact giving the ball handler enough wiggle room to drive. If the chase defender thinks a screen is being set, they might slow up enough to give the ghost screener a chance to find an open look. If a screen is set, the game flows into common pick n’ roll, one of the most tried and true means of creating advantages.

In the clip below, the Wolves use a combination of screens to break Orlando’s zone, a past bugaboo for Minnesota.

Armed with better outside shooting than the past two years, look for the Wolves to continue to haunt perimeter defenders with these scary non-screens.

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4. Who else has come back from dirty knees?

Note: Every injury to a player is unique. No timeline to return or level of ability when returning is the same. An Achilles tear for Donte DiVincenzo and his play style is a completely different injury that an Achilles tear for Ariel Hukporti and how he approaches the game, despite hurting the same tendon.

The day after it was announced that Ant would get arthroscopic knee surgery, a friend of mine sent me a grim text. All he could think of was Grant Hill, Brandon Roy, and Penny Hardaway and the possibility that Ant’s career would be sapped from him like it had from those elite athletes.

I immediately texted back “What about DWade, Kobe, CP3?” After a brief internet search here are several NBA players who have undergone arthroscopic knee surgery who had some of their best years after the fact.

• Kobe Bryant – Kobe had his first knee surgery in 2003, another in 2006, and another in 2010. In the midst of this string of surgeries he was an All-Star every year (despite the Laker bump, these were earned), won an MVP and was top five in MVP voting in all but one year, and made All-Defensive Teams in every year but one.
• Dwyane Wade – DWade (a frequent Ant comp) had his entire left meniscus removed in 2002 while in college and went on to have a Hall of Fame career where he was unwillingly nicknamed Flash for how quick he was despite playing sans knee cartilage.
• Chris Paul – Snitch Paul had arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a meniscus tear in 2010 while still with the New Orleans Hornets. As fun as he was on those Hornets teams, the Point God emerged into a force in the years after with the Lob City Clippers, Hardenball Rockets, and even made his first Finals with the Phoenix Suns, 11 years after the surgery.
• Jimmy Butler – General Soreness had surgery on his right knee in 2018 while the Wolves were third in the Western Conference. He returned to help break the 14 year playoff drought. Jimmy has since been the driving force to two NBA finalist teams, never winning one. He adds multiple All-Star selection, an All-NBA selection, and an All-Defensive Team honor to his otherwise championship barren trophy case. I’m not bitter.
• Jaylen Brown – Mr. Lamb Chops and Gravy had a knee procedure in the summer of 2025 and was back by training camp en route to being an All-Star, All-NBA 2nd Team, and sixth in MVP voting.

This surgery to clean up Ant’s knee will likely diminish Ant’s burst athleticism. He has moved his game to more outside shooting while maintaining a rim presence. If his downhill game is not as quick, it will hurt, but he’s also added a midrange for if the defender goes too far under that leaves him a three level problem for any defense.

Plenty of NBA greats have bounced back, here’s hoping Ant joins this laudable list.

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5. What does this rotation look like fully healthy?

Ant is out for roughly two months. Terrance Shannon Jr. has missed two games with a hip contusion. Donte DiVincenzo is recovering from an Achilles tear with every intention of coming back this season.

In their absence the Wolves have slotted Ayo Dosunmu into the starting lineup. Bones Hyland is scoring the ball well. Jaylen Clark is getting into guys jerseys and hitting 41.2% of his threes on 2.1 attempts a game.

All of these players are competing with each other for minutes. While the deeper bench has done yeomen’s work to keep the Wolves head above water, they are not as good as the players whose minutes they are sopping up.

Finch is strict in his rotations. In the last three years, his starting lineups are in the top five for most used lineups in the NBA. If he gets a fully healthy team, Bones and Clark’s minutes will likely disappear all together. Ayo will move back into his sixth man role ready to be whatever his team needs of him.

Donte is the biggest question mark. He started all 82 games last season, but there is not a spot for him in this starting lineup. We also don’t know what he will look like coming back from such a devastating injury.

Sans LaMelo foul trouble giving Bones more minutes in the Raptors game, Finch has only given double digit minutes out to nine players before the injuries started. Joan Beringer’s minutes aren’t going anywhere. Trey Lyles has size, outside shooting, and has shown a predilection for being in the right place at the right time. Unless countering a specific lineup, his minutes stay the same.

Shannon figures to be the first cut in playtime with the Big Ragu’s return unless Finch expands his bench to ten. And yet, there are few players who could elevate TJ’s game better than Donte. An attacking TJ off a Beringer screen with Donte, Ayo, and Trey spreading the floor is tailormade to confound defenses.

On those nights where the injury report is blank, I hope Finch keeps the pedal to the metal with frequent rotations in the vein of Memphis Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo. The Grizz have 13 players averaging double digit minutes and only two players over 30 minutes a game, Cameron Boozer (32.3) and Ty Jerome (30.7).

The NBA season is grueling. We have seen year after year the Wolves struggle as the playoffs wear on. TJ, Bones, and Clark are good players, deserving of minutes that will keep the starters fresh for when they are needed most.

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6. How do the Wolves compare to the rest of the league (through 10)?

Look here for the inarguable answers through the first ten games.

The Wolves are presently top five in the league in the following team categories:

• Points per Game (5th)
• Rebounds Per Game (1st)
• Three Pointers Made (2nd)
• Net Rating (1st)
• Defensive Rating (3rd)
• 2nd Chance Points (5th)
• Pull Up Shooting (5th)
• Loose Balls Recovered (2nd)

The Net Rating stat is leaning heavily on Minnesota’s first three blow out wins. That said, they have only lost their games by a combined 17 points thus far. They are hitting plenty of threes. They are defending with energy and diving for loose balls. They don’t treat the game as something that should be handed to them like some legacy Ivy Leaguer applying at his dad’s company. They are battling for the ball and snatching it from less hungry competition.

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7. What is the ranking of the Wolves’ ticket package/giveaways this season?

Gone are the days of XL T-Shirts and Howl Towels. The Wolves have overloaded this season with all manner of tchotchke, curio and baseball jersey to lure fans and collectors alike to home games. Most of these do not have an image released but give you just enough information to send your imagination whirring.

There is an entire series of baseball hats with design help from former Wolves vets. For Kevin Garnett’s jersey retirement, Minnesota has five unique pieces of career spanning collectible celebrating the Big Ticket’s accomplishments wearing 21. There are bobbleheads, blankets, and backpacks and way way way too many baseball jerseys. And here they all are, definitively ranked.

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8. Why are there so many baseball jersey giveaway nights?

To begin, I know:

There are seven ticket package giveaways featuring a baseball jersey this season. In collaboration with local artists, this is what the Wolves are doing for their Artist’s Series this year. Each jersey, for a sport different than the one it is honoring, celebrates a societal cross-section; Latino Noche, Military Appreciation, Native American Heritage, Pride Night, Asian American and Pacific Islander Night, Black Excellence, and Inspiring Women.

I think the designs are fun. Each one is a variation with pin stripes in a variety of colors. Some of them have designs on the sleeve nodding to the theme of the night. All of them have “Wolves Basketball” on the back. And all of them are baseball jerseys.

I love the Artist’s series. I have purchased at least one shirt each of the last two seasons. I love that a local artist gets to put their stamp on the Wolves design. I love that several of the local artists are BIPOC and women creators. I love that they came in a variety of T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats.

I just don’t understand the thought process in making seven different baseball jerseys. I don’t know enough about production costs, or textiles, so forgive my potentially ignorant question, but, wouldn’t a jersey with two less sleeves of material be cheaper while closer to the topic at hand? Can they not do basketball jerseys because of some contractual stuff with Nike? WHY!?

All that said, I think the Native American design is my favorite and I might need to get one.

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9. Where are we at in the marathon?

The Wolves have played ten games in 17 days. If losing Ant and TJ wasn’t enough, they have not had more than a day between games and twice have played in travel back-to-backs. All marathons are tough. Some like to remind you of that fact in the first few miles.

The giddy win streak to start the season, like those first marathon steps past gathered supporters, can make you feel invincible. Before you know it, you’re running faster than you can sustain and its only mile two.

This is not to say that what we saw in the first three games is unsustainable, but with Ant out, the team is grasping for an identity while still playing fast and loose. LaMelo is trying to play aggressive defense and fouling like crazy.

The race is still young though. The stored ATP that let the Wolves sprint out of the gate may be spent, but they have years of experience and the benefits of youth. In the first full month of the season, they are searching for a pace they can maintain.

The challenge of racing a marathon is knowing the line between speed and overheating. The Wolves need to keep chasing after rebounds and through screens without losing anyone else to injury. If the news of Donte’s return holds true, and Ant and TJ bounce back, they’ll get an injection of energy better than any banana or unsavory gel packet found along the march.

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10. Where will the Wolves be at Game 21?

From now until the day after Thanksgiving (no it is not a holiday and you can’t make me recognize it as one) the Wolves take on a mix of the top and bottom of both conferences. They play nine of them at home. Here’s a snap shot of who they got.

The promise that the Utah Jazz were going to try this year has landed on its face due to injury and their inability to defend the point of attack. The Bulls are finally rebuilding. The Nets have five players in their sophomore season and only two of them get playing time despite their abysmal record.

On the challenging side of the opposition, Cooper Flagg looks incredible alongside the returned Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks are a deep squad and can hang around in any game. The Memphis Grizzlies, on the back of Ty Jerome’s electric start and the connective play of rookie Cam Boozer are near the top of the conference.

Portland Trail Blazer’s head coach Micah Nori returns to Minnesota for a home back-to-back. Nori has his team cooking, bolstered by Blazer legend, the renewed Damian Lillard.

The Knicks have started off shaky but can find their championship form on any given night. Finally, the Thunder are a battered and broken team that still boasts seven players that could earn starter’s minutes on most teams in the league.

With the Wolves only having one back to back in this stretch, and three days of rest between game 11 and 12 to rest and practice, I see the Wolves going into the month of December playing at the same pace, 14-6.

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So Canis, what questions do you have?

The Dallas Mavericks were in a funk for their past two games, with Kyrie Irving sitting one and Cooper Flagg having arguably the worst two-game stretch of his young career. Emirates Cup action raised the intensity and the Mavs stepped up to the tune of a 112-100 win Friday night.

63-45: Rebound disparity in favor of Dallas

For what felt like the first time in a long time, the Mavs dominated on the boards to the tune of +18 for the night. Dallas knew this was something they needed to work on and they answered the call Friday night. The cherry on top was that rookie Morez Johnson, Jr. led all players 17 boards!

20-5: Mavs’ second chance points advantage

All of those rebounds led to plenty of points for Dallas. They made the most of ending Utah possessions and extending their own possessions, outscoring the Jazz by 15 in second chance points.

31-14: Free throw disparity in favor of Dallas

The Mavericks got themselves to the line early and often, allowing them to keep the game tight in the first half. Utah was more efficient from the line, missing only a single attempt, but Dallas’ 80.6% (25-of-31) was more than enough of an edge, giving the Mavs a +12 advantage from the charity stripe.

9: Number of traveling calls

The game had an inordinate number of traveling calls; nine to be exact. In the flow of the game, it was quite noticeable and somewhat bizarre. The travel-happy referees were equal opportunity penalizers, handing Utah five of the infractions, and Dallas four of their own.

28-6: Mavericks scoring run

Dallas opened up a tight game in the third quarter and early part of the fourth. Reeling off a 28-6 scoring run, Dallas extended a one possession game to a 20-point lead. Utah responded with a couple of three-point makes and a smaller run of their own, but that 28-6 run proved to be the deciding factor in a Mavericks’ win.

The Mavs needed a win to wash away a bit of the stink from the prior two games and they did all the little things to make it happen against the Jazz. Dallas was locked in on the boards, got to the line, and put together a nice run to build a cushion that proved insurmountable for the Jazz.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.

The Phoenix Suns moved Oso Ighodaro into the starting lineup for Thursday’s win against the Orlando Magic. Many called for a change to the lineup (or multiple changes, which is another article for another day). He is a somewhat polarizing player, with staunch fans and outspoken skeptics. I’ll make a case for this being absolutely the right move for this team, right now.

Khaman Maluach is learning game by game. Working on his body (and hopefully hands) to get stronger. He has an awesome frame and, at 20 years old, is just beginning to learn the nuances of NBA success. He has a mostly high effort level and wants to be good. However, the NBA is littered with players thrust into action before developing properly – and then losing confidence, picking up bad habits. Time on the court in meaningful minutes is needed to progress toward the objective of becoming a solid NBA starting center. The current situation with Mark Williams out well into 2027 allows for consistent 15-20 minute nights. Handing the “starter” keys could put him on a path more closely aligned to former Suns top-10 pick Josh Jackson (sorry to those with draft PTSD here).

Back to Oso. The Phoenix starting lineup needs more connectivity and flow on offense? Check. Struggling horrifically on defense? Check. Per HoopsJunkie.io, Ighodaro’s on/off defensive rating of -17.2 points per 100 possessions ranks EIGHTH in the NBA! This is in spite of being a below-average defensive rebounder (141st in the NBA in DREB%). Keep in mind, he suffered a right oblique strain in the opener and is likely just rounding back into form now. I’ve referenced DARKO several times as a great tool to project overall player value at a moment in time.

Through last season, his projected value was steadily growing. Once fully healthy, it is reasonable to expect that progression to continue. He looks bigger and stronger. His turnovers are down. While the results are not there yet at the free-throw line, he looks smoother (and commentators have noticed the same). With a DARKO of 1.0, compared to a -1.6 for Maluach, the model predicts more positive impact on winning in the present.

Oso and Ryan Dunn, to an even greater extent early this season, are developing players. They show what development can look like for players drafted 40th and 28th, respectively. With his raw talents (drafted 10th) and willingness to work, Maluach’s ultimate success depends on development done the right way. This franchise needs Man Man to get there for the long run – and needs Oso right now to stabilize a starting lineup that was in disarray.

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Ten games is too early for most valuable player conversation. Just don’t tell fans at Crypto.com Arena.

“M-V-P! M-V-P!” the Lakers faithful chant at Luka Doncic every time the Lakers guard toes the free-throw line.

After dropping a season-high 53 points during the Lakers’ 124-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Doncic is averaging 40.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists in a scoring binge for the ages. He’s the fourth Laker to have four consecutive games of 40 or more points. He’s the third to have seven games of 35 or more points.

And he’s doing it efficiently: Doncic’s sky-high shooting percentage dipped to 49.8% after an unusually cold 5-for-15 shooting night from three-point range Friday. He was still 12 for 18 from two-point range.

Here are three takeaways from Friday’s win:

Too early to tell?

Walker Kessler just shook his head as he grasped for the right words. There might not be many more left to describe what Doncic is doing.

“He’s my MVP,” the Lakers center said eventually.

Being in the most valuable player conversation isn’t new for Doncic. The two-time scoring champion finished third in MVP voting in 2024 with Dallas. He averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists during the regular season, then led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals.

Each season the do-it-all guard is among the favorites to win the award. But Doncic’s early-season campaign feels different. Not only is Doncic in great shape, Portland coach Micah Nori said before Friday’s game, but Doncic also has the right pieces around him after the Lakers remade their roster to complement the star with floor-spacing shooters, strong perimeter defenders and a rolling center.

“It’s a perfect offensive storm,” Nori said. “He’s the MVP right now. Hands down.”

LUKA JUST SANK IT FROM 3/4 COURT 🤯

Bruce Springsteen can’t believe what he just witnessed! pic.twitter.com/D0a9aSnwuX

— NBA (@NBA) November 7, 2026

Lakers coach JJ Redick does not engage in MVP discussion until 50 games in, he said. When told Doncic topped NBA.com’s first MVP ladder Friday, the Lakers coach brushed aside any chance to make a grand proclamation.

In the premature MVP rankings, Doncic was ahead of San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. The 22-year-old is averaging 29.1 points, 12.6 rebounds, three assists and 4.2 blocks per game.

Doncic’s 53-point outburst eclipsed Wembanyama’s 52 points the star center scored Wednesday for the highest single-game scoring performance this season. But Wembanyama also grabbed 24 rebounds with eight blocks in a historic statline matched only by Wilt Chamberlain.

The French superstar finished second in MVP voting last year and was the first unanimous defensive player of the year in league history. His outsized defensive impact was a significant part of why he entered the season as the betting favorite to win his first MVP.

Read more:Swanson: Luka Doncic can lead Lakers to a title, but only if his teammates pull their weight

Doncic, who didn’t get any votes from NBA general managers when asked in a preseason survey who they thought would win the MVP, said he’s determined to step up on defense for his team. He is averaging 1.7 steals per game, which ranks second among Lakers players. His four drawn charges is tied for most in the league.

“He has a pride and he has a hunger,” Lakers forward Sandro Mamukelashvili said of Doncic’s defense. “He has a will to not be labeled as that guy who you can just attack.”

Doncic is challenging Chamberlain’s stats on the offensive end. His 361 points through his first nine games are the most for a player since Chamberlain’s 472 points in 1962-63. No one has averaged 40 points over a season since the legendary center in 1963. The possibility has barely crossed Doncic’s mind.

“As long as we win, I’m good,” Doncic said.

The Lakers are 8-2 with the best record in the Western Conference. They have not started 8-2 since their last championship season.

Welcome back

Adou Thiero had a loud four points, four rebounds and two assists in his long-awaited season debut Friday. The energetic forward missed the first nine games of the season because of swelling in his left knee. He didn’t waste any time reintroducing himself to the team, keeping a loose ball alive on his first offensive possession that led to an offensive rebound and a put-back from Mamukelashvili.

“He literally did everything we asked him to do,” Redick said.

The second-year forward has been hampered by his balky left knee since college, when he missed the end of his junior season after surgery. The procedure delayed the beginning of his rookie season and when he returned, a sprained MCL in his right knee knocked him out for six more weeks.

The injuries prevented Thiero from gaining any traction. This summer, when he had the longest stretch of sustained health during his short professional career, he could finally show teammates and coaches what he could do.

Thiero jumped out of the gym during practices. He smothered teammates while guarding the ball. He brought the same energy to the court Friday when it counted.

“We value Adou a lot,” Kessler said. “He’s a very physical player, really talented, athletic player.”

Defensive backup plan

The Lakers missed their first 15 three-point shots. It felt like a minor miracle they trailed by only seven at halftime.

The most dynamic offense in the league had to rely on its defense. The Lakers forced 24 turnovers and held the Trail Blazers (6-2) to 15 points in the third quarter.

“It’s nice to know when you’re not making shots that you can also rely on your defense to help keep you in the game,” said forward Jake LaRavia, who had seven points, eight rebounds and one steal.

The Lakers rank 21st in defensive rating, giving up 113.6 points per 100 possessions. They are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, ranking 29th despite outrebounding the Trail Blazers by three. Their defense instead relies on blocks and steals.

The Lakers are tied for third in the NBA with 10.7 steals per game. Matisse Thybulle leads the team with 1.8 steals per game. Austin Reaves had a team-high four steals Friday.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Before the season and even into the first few games, critics have questioned the San Antonio Spurs’ four-guard starting lineup. However, through 9 games, that lineup has a +25.4 net rating in 95 minutes and has led the Spurs to a 7-2 start. The bench lineups, especially those without Victor Wembanyama, have caused the team issues. That was never more apparent than in San Antonio’s 124-109 thrashing of the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

Let’s be honest about the Kings for a moment. They are a bad basketball team, perhaps not in talent, but in discipline and execution. They lose people on defense and take errant shots on offense. Yet, multiple times on Friday, they gained back ground with most of San Antonio’s starters off the floor.

Most of San Antonio’s mistakes come from defense, where too often players, especially on the wings, overhelp on a drive or watch the ball, letting the offensive player get an open three or cut to the rim and score over the top of Luke Kornet. San Antonio’s defensive lapses were a big reason the Kings shot 49% from the field and hit 46% from three. That second unit’s defensive issues don’t flip the game against the worst in the league, but against a legitimate, deep team, it could lead to a loss.

The Spurs will take a 15-point win on the road in their first NBA Cup game. But it’s hard to come out of that game feeling overly confident about the performance. San Antonio has won seven games in a row, but over half of those have come against teams under .500. A real test awaits them on Saturday in the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers. The Spurs’ second unit will need to step up its defensive play if they want to compete with another Western Conference leader.

Takeaways:

• Devin Vassell is one of the most important players on the Spurs. Vassell is shooting 34.1% from three this season, well below his usual average, which has hurt San Antonio’s offense. When he’s hitting shots, like he did against Sacramento, the offense opens up a ton for the guards and Wembanyama to dominate the paint. Vassell had 19 points, hitting 5 of his 6 threes on Friday. His off-ball defense was solid, too. He did about all you can ask from a glue guy in the starting lineup. San Antonio will need more performances like these moving forward.
• The Kings ran one of the weakest zones I’ve seen this season, and it led to a big run from the Spurs in the first half. That said, it made me realize that San Antonio is basically built to bust zone defenses. One, Wembanyama is kind of the ultimate cheat code to beat a zone. He can stretch it out on the perimeter or punish smaller players who get caught helping around the basket in the zone. Then, the Spurs have dynamic playmaking guards who are big and physical and can operate in the middle of the zone, a common weak spot in many zone defenses. Add in a couple of knockdown shooters like Vassell and Champagnie, and it becomes nearly impossible to run zone against San Antonio. The Kings tried, and failed to do so on Friday.
• Stephon Castle had a rough defensive night, but made up for it with some of the best playmaking we’ve seen from him this season. He had 19 points, 7 assists, and 1 turnover in the win. One of those assists came on a beautiful inverted pick-and-roll with Wembanyama as the ball handler and Castle as the screener. Castle caught the ball on the short roll, did a 180-degree turn, and fired the ball to a wide-open Vassell for three. It was as close to the Beautiful Game Spurs as San Antonio got on Friday.
• Harrison Barnes has earned his spot in the rotation lately, and one could argue he should be getting more minutes than some other bench forward on the roster. He had 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting on Friday against his former team. Offensively, he’s a savvy connective player who can take advantage of a defense that is out of position after one of the Spurs’ guards creates an advantage. He looks more like the Barnes we saw in his first season with San Antonio, rather than last year. He has essentially replaced Carter Bryant in the rotation, and it doesn’t look like he will be giving up that spot any time soon with how he is playing.
• I’m interested to see how this team will look once Tobias Harris comes back (hopefully this month?). They desperately need another shot creator and capable defender in that second unit. I know a lot of people want to see him replace Vassell in the starting lineup, but it seems like he could provide even more value as one of the first subs in the game, then playing for a prolonged stretch alongside Kornet and one or two of the guards. The Spurs’ top free-agent acquisition should give them more of the versatility many thought the team would have going into the season.

Coming off a thrilling win against the Dallas Mavericks, the Spurs traveled to Sacramento to take on the Kings in their first NBA Cup game of the season. From the opening tip, the Spurs’ offense showed no rust from Wednesday. They outscored the Kings 38-29 in the first quarter and took a 19-point lead into halftime. Despite a low-scoring third quarter, the lead remained the same as the Kings’ defense had no answer for the Spurs’ hot shooting from three-point range. They shot 50% (15-30) after shooting an abysmal 15% (5-36) against Dallas. The Spurs ultimately won 124-109, and extended their winning streak to seven.

Victor Wembanyama followed up his career-best performance of 52 points, 24 rebounds, and 8 blocks with 30 points (10-for-18 FG, 4-for-6 3PT, 6-for-9 FT), 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists. Despite Wemby’s Wilt Chamberlain-esque performance this past Wednesday, his three-point shooting was forgettable (1-8 3PT). Wemby quieted the critics who have wanted him to stop shooting threes by shooting a scorching 66% on four-for-six against the Kings.

W3MBY 👌

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/x2V7c4gbpn

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 7, 2026

He continued to control the glass on both ends and demonstrated that no one can guard him in the paint, especially on lob attempts and putbacks.

no rim is safe 👽

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/m1hLjMaTmE

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 7, 2026

Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Devin Vassell each dropped 19 points to balance out the Spurs’ offensive attack. All three of them shot efficiently from the field: Castle shot 7 for 13 (54%), Harper shot 5 for 10 (50%), and Vassell shot 6 for 10 (60%), with five for six from three-point range (83%). It was a great sign to see Devin light the nets on fire after going almost scoreless against Dallas. His ability to spread the floor and get to his spots helps the three guards penetrate and kick out to him for an easy three-point laser. In some cases, his range might surprise you.

DEV FROM THE CUP LOGO TO BEAT THE BUZZER 🚨

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/DSdOFmrnWb

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 7, 2026

Dylan continues to be one of the best finishers in the league, and he got most of his buckets with ease against a Kings team with not a lot of defensive resistance. In transition, Dylan made rookie Darius Acuff Jr. look silly with a eurostep into a layup for two.

this @dy1anharper euro in transition 😮‍💨

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/HDikNJpQyq

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 7, 2026

HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Steph not only got his fair share of tough finishes and dimes (seven assists), but he put Dylan Cardwell on a poster. Cardwell had just scored on the other end and celebrated by wiggling his tongue out and slapping the floor in a defensive stance. Wemby and Steph both decided to humble with an AREA 51 lob but with Wemby as the passer. And one!

STEPHON CASTLE OMG 😱😤

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/E78x3XUB2p

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 7, 2026

Here’s another angle of the staredown Steph gives Cardwell afterwards.

⚠️ AREA 51 POSTER MY GOODNESS ⚠️

📺 @DAZNpic.twitter.com/F4O2Ap3bM8

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 7, 2026

As stated earlier, the silver and black shot uber-efficiently from three, including down the stretch to close the game out. Harrison Barnes even chipped in 13 points with a pair of threes. This is when the team’s offense is at its best. Swinging the rock around and punishing the defense with open threes and great looks inside.

squad was dialed in from deep down the stretch 🔥👌 pic.twitter.com/fJERcIs45m

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 7, 2026

Finally, here are the full game highlights.

The Spurs face a SEGABABA against the Portland Trail Blazers in the Moda Center later tonight at 9:00 P.M. (CST) on DAZN.

Hey, a win! The Brooklyn Nets entered Wednesday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets searching for their first home win of the season. Thankfully for them, it finally came thanks to a big fourth quarter run as Brooklyn came away with a 114-104 victory.

Now, Brooklyn takes that momentum on the road, beginning a four-game trip against an Atlanta team coming off an offensive explosion. The Atlanta Hawks are hoping to go far in the postseason this year and position themselves for a promising future. They helped the cause with a 139-132 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

Game Info and Details

• Matchup: Brooklyn Nets (2-6) vs. Atlanta Hawks (6-4)
• Time: 7:30 PM EST
• Location: State Farm Arena (Atlanta, GA)
• Watch: YES Network, DAZN, NBA League Pass
• Listen: WFAN Radio

Nets vs. Hawks Injury Report

Brooklyn Nets

• OUT – Egor Demin (right bone bruise)
• Questionable – Drake Powell (G-League assignment)

Atlanta Hawks

• OUT – Jalen Johnson (left ankle sprain)
• OUT – Jock Landale (left hip strain)
• OUT – Mouhamed Gueye (left foot fracture)
• OUT – Keshon Gilbert (left knee inflammation)
• OUT – Asa Newell (left great toe hyperextension)
• OUT – Henri Veesaar (right ACL tear)

This night one of a back-to-back for Brooklyn. We’ll see if anything changes before tip-off.

The Game

The Nets are on the first night of a back-to-back and first game of a four game road trip. They’ll head to Dallas for a Sunday evening matchup with the Mavericks.

The Hawks are on the second night of a home back-to-back. They wrap up their brief three game homestand on Monday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. They hope to do something big this spring, but they have their doubters. From Ricky O’Donnell at the mothership:

“This team doesn’t have enough force going to the basket, and the defense isn’t anything special despite generating a lot of takeaways and forcing misses from three. The Hawks look mid as always.“

We shall see.

It takes time to get used to someone in a new role. We’ve spent so much time with Nickeil Alexander-Walker being a solid bench role player that it’s still somewhat surprising to see him operate as a high(er) usage wing as a starter. Alexander-Walker won the Most Improved Player award last year and he’s carried that success over to this year. He’s averaging a career best 22.3 points per game, and most impressively is getting to the line over four times a game. When Johnson returns, we’ll see how the Hawks look to climb the standings.

Nolan Traore keeps stacking good days together. The second year guard had another good game as a starter on Wednesday night and he’s making a great case to remain the starter once Egor returns. Traore can get to the rim and is second on the team in drives per game.

Player to watch: Kingston Flemings

We’ll get to watch a rookie who finally made his way into the starting lineup.

CJ McCollum requested that he come off the bench and the kid gets to start. With the Hawks looking to establish their future, a selfless decision like that from McCollum will go a long way in establishing Flemings as a key player going forward. For Atlanta, finding out what they have in Flemings will go a long way in determining their future. He’s played over 23 minutes in four out of the last five games and with this being night two of the b2b, we’ll see how long Quin Snyder plays him for.

Mikel Brown Jr is not on the injury report, so he’ll play tonight and will more than likely sit tomorrow night in Dallas. The Nets are continuing to build Brown Jr and trust that his growth will lead to an exciting future. The drives are there, but if the three pointers start to become consistent, the sky is the limit for him and the Nets. It’s all about making the most of the opportunities that are available to you.

From the Vault

Last weekend, the Atlanta Dream fell short in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries. The last do-or-die game to decide the W Finals was a pretty celebratory occasion around these parts.

More reading: Peachtree Hoops, Soaring Down South, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation NBA, New York Post, New York Daily News, Clutch Points, Nets Wire, Nets Insider, SNY, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Steve’s Newsletter

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
• Atlanta Hawks Game Notes – Atlanta Hawks
• Julius Randle knew when to step aside, and the Nets were better for it ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Julius Randle to Jordi Fernandez: Let Nets’ hot bench unit ‘roll’ – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets rookie Mikel Brown Jr. has critical reaction to season-best performance – Erik Slater – Clutch Points

Welcome to Winners & Sinners, where we reflect on the week that was for the Milwaukee Bucks. Week 3 saw the Bucks go 0-3, with the team losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, and Toronto Raptors, despite some valiant efforts that put them in positions to win. But who’s deserving of the hardware?

MVB

Prior to the Raptors game, this was a legitimate conversation between Myles Turner and Tyler Herro. Then Turner pulled one of his all-too-common vanishing acts. Meanwhile, Herro put in his best playmaking performance as a Buck to make it a no contest. And although he’s struggled in first quarters—zero first-quarter points this week—it hasn’t really mattered. He heats up. Quickly. But as Nate O. said in our staff thread, “he’s definitely more than just a microwave—he’s an air fryer.”

And so the nickname was born: Tyler Herro, the Air Fryer. Please make this a thing.

Defensive Belt

Defending Champion: Vacated.

The Contenders: Myles Turner, Ryan Rollins.

The Decision: I was so ready to anoint Turner as the defensive champion following his showings against the Timberwolves and Celtics, where he was a force blocking shots, accumulating seven across the two games, and also doing yeoman’s work on the boards (at least for him). Then he made it look like the Bucks would have to give up picks in any swap for Jakob Poeltl. Rollins had his moments too, especially when hounding Derrick White. But this belt ain’t no participation award; folks need to take it. And so it’s still collecting dust in the locker room.

The People’s Champ

This week’s champion is Sausagemahoney, who raised a very thought-provoking question about the Bucks’ decision to take Brayden Burries over Yaxel Lendeborg, who’s since given the zombie Golden State Warriors new life—and who legend Chris Mullin thinks is “going to be a perennial All-Star and just an All-NBA type”:

Truthfully, I’m just jealous I didn’t pose the question for this week’s Bucks Reacts Survey.

Run That Back

If, prior to the season, someone told you that Nate Ament would play fourth-quarter minutes for the Bucks—not the Herd—in the third week of the season, you’d have assumed it would come in garbage time. If they told you he would be a key contributor in a 22-point comeback, splashing an above-the-break three-pointer to cut the lead to two, you’d have called them crazy. Yeah, the Bucks didn’t go on to win this one. And, yes, the Bucks are in the trenches. But moments like this give you a reason to believe.

No hesitation, no rim. No ceiling. Not for this rookie.

Nate Ament from deep again! pic.twitter.com/lwhllndMFY

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 5, 2026

Sinner(s)

Whoever coined “Kuzmania” absolutely nailed it—even if it was originally intended as a positive. Like “mania’s” psychiatric denotation, Kyle Kuzma’s game is just all over the place far too often for a tenth-year veteran. This week’s case in point came at the 2:59 mark of the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics when, after coming back from a 22-point deficit and down only two, Kuzma decides to take a corner three with19 seconds left on the shot-clock. 19! It wasn’t even as if he was hot—he’d hit only two field goals all game. Of course, after it clanks off rim, the Celtics go on to collect multiple offensive rebounds on the next possession, before Derrick White makes an and-one layup to extend the lead to five. Game over. But the most infuriating thing isn’t even that it cost the Bucks the win, it’s that Kuzma is supposed to be a veteran presence teaching the Bucks’ youth. Some lesson.

If… Then…

If Taylor Jenkins moving Brayden Burries into the starting lineup is a signpost of his willingness to tinker, then he has to do so elsewhere too. There is absolutely no reason to continue to start Kuzma and play him heavy minutes. None!

---

That’s all for Week 3. Share your winners and sinners in the comments!

We were in the middle of a good, slow late-week break…

…only for Tyler Kolek, of all people, to force the Knicks PR into releasing a statement.

Here’s that and more before the Knights host the Knickerbockers tonight.

Knicks report Josh Hart OUT Saturday in Cleveland

Hart will miss his second straight game on a sore right ankle pic.twitter.com/Kvx89EQAP4

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 6, 2026

Mike Brown

On Karl-Anthony Towns’ strong start and the areas where he still needs to improve:

“I say those two things because he’s been doing so many things well for us. He’s rebounding, he’s running, he’ s shooting the ball well from 3, he is passing when he doesn’t go for the home run ball, he’s communicating. The energy he’s bringing is great.”

On Towns’ professionalism amid his contract situation:

“Yeah, I didn’t have any doubt on it, you know? And obviously the contract stuff, that’s something that Leon [Rose] and at the end of the day, Jim [Dolan], will handle. But for me as his coach, I can’t even tell. I can’t tell. He’s played really well and not just during the games, but practices, too.”

On Towns’ pick-and-roll defense, turnovers and overall performance:

“Man, I tell you what, KAT’s been great. He has been great in practice. Really everything. It would be easier for him to say the areas that he needs to be better in. And the first one is just putting his chest in front of the ball in pick-and-roll situations and activity in that regard. And then not looking for the home run pass all the time when he has the ball as our hub. And I say those two things because he’s been doing so many things well for us.

“He’s rebounding. He’s running. He’s shooting the ball well from three. He is passing when he doesn’t go for a home run all the time. He’s communicating. So there’s the energy that he’s bringing that’s great . . . So I’m really pleased with the way that KAT is playing overall.”

On unexpectedly giving Dalton Knecht playing time against Chicago:

“It’s just a gut feel. Like, [Knecht’s] on my, quote-unquote, minutes sheet. He’s down for zero minutes, you know?”

Knicks spokesperson: “Taylor Swift has been a Knicks fan for many years, has a long history with Madison Square Garden, and we are incredibly appreciative of her support of the organization” pic.twitter.com/r7ZGZzlgG6https://t.co/4ZbEt7R8sF

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 6, 2026

Jalen Brunson

On Dalton Knecht’s impressive debut and encouraging him to play aggressively:

“He played great. I think the way he was rebounding and getting out in transition, and just telling him to be aggressive no matter what the situation is. And whether you know a player or not, being aggressive is important. And so aggressive mistakes are fine, so just stay aggressive, and he hit a big shot in the second quarter. He’s going to be comfortable, and once he is, he’s going to play even better.”

Video clip by Tellyo pic.twitter.com/k27920u0Lk

— New York (@newyork5ny) November 6, 2026

Karl-Anthony Towns

On the Knicks’ title defense and his motivation to win another one:

“I came into the season wanting to defend the championship at all costs. Like I said before, the city hasn’t seen that trophy here in New York for 53 years, and all of us in this locker room, especially myself, don’t intend for it to leave.

“Being the No. 1 pick, [reaching] the Finals and getting your title, and having to go out there and try to figure out how to do it again, that’s enough motivation for me.”

On his rebounding numbers and compensating for Mitchell Robinson’s departure:

“I just always want to impact winning, and I always try to get every rebound possible for our team so we don’t give up any second-chance points or we give ourselves more chances at second-chance points on offense.

“Obviously, with [Mitchell Robinson] gone, I had to pick up the effort, especially the rebounding effort. When you have one of the greatest offensive rebounders the NBA has ever seen in Mitchell Robinson, it’s a team effort. I just want to do my part to help with rebounding.”

On putting the Knicks ahead of his contract situation and personal interests:

“Me and Jalen [Brunson] are here to lead the team. I want to do my part as best as I possibly can. I can’t allow outside distractions and ego to get in the way.

“We won last year because we put our egos to the side and we did what’s best for this city, best for this team, this organization, and we sacrificed, and I’m always going to be willing to sacrifice for my brothers and this family that we’ve built here.”

On focusing on winning rather than his contract and individual statistics:

“I want to do my job as the best possible way and I want to impact winning. And every single time I put that jersey on, I step on the court, I want to impact winning and help my team be the best they could be. So, you know, obviously I’ve got more work to do so I could help our team more. But I’m happy that right now recently, especially last game, we showed glimpses of that team from last year.”

Q “Who’s the fakest celeb fan you’ve seen courtside?”

Tyler Kolek “Maybe Taylor Swift?”

Deuce McBride “I would agree…Swifties not gonna like that answer”

Kolek “I’m gonna get some hate…I guess she’s got a lot going on…can’t come all the time…but it’s a little performative” pic.twitter.com/r7v4AJBK04

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 5, 2026

Tyler Kolek

On fake Knicks fans:

“At the Knicks games, I would say it’s very performative. Because they just want to be seen at the game. They’re not necessarily fans.”

On the absolute fakest Knicks celebrity fan:

“Maybe Taylor Swift? I don’t know if I’ve seen her at any other games. I guess she has a lot going on so she can’t come all the time. But it’s a little performative.”

On the truth of it all:

“I’m going to get some hate from the Swifties.”

My baby cousin Darius “Cheeks” Acuff Jr dropped 40pts and 8ast playing with 8th graders yesterday. This little dude so much better than me it’s ridiculous 😂me and his dad argue about this but man he’s like a miniature Greg Anthony from Oak Hill. The next Detroit PG. Talk soon. pic.twitter.com/3SOBpCMIuw

— Rashad Phillips (@RP3natural) February 4, 2019

Despite being hundreds of miles away from Boston, Jayson Tatum had no trouble feeling at ease in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday night. For a moment, the Spectrum Center even began to sound like TD Garden.

Chants of ‘Let’s go Celtics’ began filling the arena. In response, the Hornets began turning up the volume on their signature buzzing sound effect in an attempt to drown out the Celtics fans taking over Charlotte. It didn’t work. When Tatum arrived at the free-throw line in the third quarter, he was greeted by a chorus of loud ‘MVP’ chants.

“It definitely feels like home,” Tatum confessed after Boston’s 119-80 NBA Cup win, per CLNS Media.

Tatum found his footing and began painting his latest masterpiece early on. He scored or assisted on 30 of the Celtics’ first 40 first-quarter points, which tied Paul Pierce for the most 15-point first quarters (106) in the franchise’s play-by-play history, according to ESPN Insights. By halftime, he had reached 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, surpassing his combined 3-point makes from his three previous games.

JAYSON TATUM GETTING MVP CHANTS IN CHARLOTTE 🗣️

34 PTS | 8 REB | 9 AST

Tatum got checked out from the game after three quarters. pic.twitter.com/nqm2JXrbid

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 7, 2026

If he wanted to, Tatum could’ve pursued his career-high (60 points). But instead, his night was called off after three quarters as the Celtics held a 96-57 runaway lead.

At that point, the damage was already done. Tatum only needed three frames to finish with 34 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, falling a hair shy of securing his first triple-double of the season. He earned a fourth quarter of rest, watching from the bench as head coach Joe Mazzulla allowed reserves including Luka Garza, Mike Conley, and Ron Harper Jr. to get their reps in until the final buzzer.

The Celtics found a way to turn a trip to Charlotte into a home-away-from-home experience. For Tatum, as uplifting as the Boston fans in attendance may have been, the 28-year-old had other reasons to feel comfortable in North Carolina, dating back to his teenage years.

“I have a lot of connections here in this state, this area,” he explained. “I came here as an 18-year-old kid, my first time spending real time away from home. I was here for a little under a year, and obviously the connection I have here with Duke and the relationships that I’ve been able to build. I always love coming back to North Carolina and love playing here. A lot of Celtics fans, a lot of Duke fans. It’s always a good time coming back.”

Throughout his career, Tatum has always flipped the switch in Charlotte. He’s averaged 29.9 points with eight rebounds and 3.7 assists across 15 career games — not including Friday nights — against the Hornets on the road.

For as many ‘MVP’ chants as Tatum has drawn and will continue to draw this season, this performance certainly lived up to the billing. He did everything. He entered the night shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 22.9 percent from three before going 56.3 percent and 62.5 percent, respectively, in Charlotte.

“It was a pretty damn good night,” Payton Pritchard told reporters, per CLNS Media. “34 is pretty good.”

Tatum unleashed his dominance, both as a scorer and as a playmaker. He was the undisputed leader, carrying out a belt-to-backside thrashing that took Hornets head coach Charles Lee’s group out of contention well before the game had reached its end.

He also got to the line plenty, going a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe.

Pritchard continued: “He plays the right way, and he makes great decisions and [he’s] one heck of a ball player for sure.”

In each of his first eight appearances this season, Tatum has recorded six-plus assists.

It’s been only eight months since Tatum returned from his ruptured Achilles tendon last season, which is much more recent than it might sound. He’s still working toward completing his first full season since returning, and as much as he’s continued to pass the eye test, Tatum still doesn’t consider himself 100 percent just yet.

“Hell no,” Tatum told CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell. “I wish. I’m getting there, but no. How I felt before I got hurt was really, really good. I don’t feel too far, and again, I still only played less than 40 games since I’ve been back, so still in the quote-unquote rehab phase of returning to play.”

Still, he isn’t discouraged by the process.

“We’re gonna get there, though,” Tatum added.

On Wednesday, the Celtics survived letting go of a 22-point lead against the Milwaukee Bucks as Tatum rested on the sidelines. In Charlotte, they witnessed Tatum make the most of his additional rest and take another step toward becoming the leader Boston will need this season.

In their first NBA Cup game, the Milwaukee Bucks followed a terrific first half with a disappointing second half and lost to the wounded Toronto Raptors, 121-107. The Bucks led most of the game and at one point were up 15; their first-half defence was great, which let them get out and score easily in transition. However, the second half, in which the Raptors scored 70 points, was what got the home side. Now, it doesn’t take much for me to get invested in the Bucks—whatever stage they’re at—but for whatever reason, this loss made me feel pretty damn bleak. Against a team without most of its primary offensive engines, Milwaukee should have been able to pull it out, and losing was really disheartening. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.

Player Grades

Ryan Rollins

14 minutes, 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 5 turnovers, 3/3 FG, 1/1 3P, -12

Annnnnd we’re back to the bad version of Rollins. The issue in this one was obviously his turnovers; the Raptors like to apply heaps of pressure to the ball handler, so you have to stay composed with the ball. Rollins was rushed and, at times, just plain nonchalant; I mentioned in the Rapid Recap one instance in the fourth where he threw a left-handed whip pass across the middle of the floor that ended up in a layup down the other end. The other problem was Rollins’ defence. There were a few instances where his positioning was off, and he allowed his man to reject the screen and knife into the lane; Jenkins threw his hands up in disgust on one of them.

Grade: D

Tyler Herro

35 minutes, 23 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 turnovers, 7/16 FG, 1/5 3P, 0

Herro’s best playmaking game as a Buck, with five assists in the second quarter alone. The team had much more direction and flow when Herro was on the floor—evidenced by him being one of just two Bucks without a negative plus/minus—which they completely lost when he was off the floor.

Grade: B+

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

27 minutes, 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 4/10 FG, 2/7 3P , 4/4 FT, -6

Jaquez started like a house on fire, scoring half of his points in the first few minutes of the game. I liked his use of “stampede cuts” in this one as well, where the player starts moving to the rim before the ball reaches their hands, catching their defender off guard. Jaquez had a few nice instances using stampedes to get into the lane and create. Unfortunately, his three-point shooting failed him for the most part.

Grade: C-

Kyle Kuzma

32 minutes, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 6/9 FG, 1/4 3P, +3

Overall, Kuzma played a solid game and, in particular, a great first half; he scored all 13 of his points on 5/6 shooting in the first, which included some very instinctive tip-ins. I liked how active he was as a screener, sprinting into the screen and getting himself in the right spots to receive the ball and finish around the rim. Additionally, Kuzma was basically their only credible defender for RJ Barrett, and for the most part, he did a good job with that assignment. BUT, as I seem to say every game, Kuzma did some enraging stuff too. He did his nightly drive to the rim with no vision for what else was going on, and most of his turnovers seemed to be live-ball. Moreover, I’ve noticed a trend where he makes a mistake and then gets pissy at his teammates for some reason, as if it were their fault.

Grade: C+

Myles Turner

23 minutes, 0 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 0/7 FG, 0/4 3P, -4

Good golly. I don’t know, man, sometimes I want to shake Turner, but as Zac replied to me, “He’d probably break; his hands seem to shatter on every rebound or catch attempt.” Like, why is it so hard for a seven-footer like him to play more physically? The Raptors made Turner look like a child last night, which I was hoping wouldn’t happen because Toronto was meant to be one of the trade suitors for him! Myles, this was your audition, SMH.

Grade: F

Kel’el Ware

13 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 2/7 FG, 0/4 3P, 0

Another rough game for Ware, who seemingly can’t hit a three in a Bucks uniform, down to 20% on the year. Also not great to see him throw a fit on the sidelines after getting subbed off.

Grade: D-

Kasparas Jakucionis

10 minutes, 3 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1/2 FG, 0/1 3P, -9

Kind of a nothing-y game from Jakucionis. Again, he didn’t do much wrong, but his niche of finding angles and getting into the lane looked harder against a gritty squad like the Raptors. KJ did make a great cut in the first half for his only field goal, though, which I loved.

Grade: C-

Brayden Burries

38 minutes, 21 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 8/14 FG, 1/5 3P, 4/6 FT, -5

Burries had his “I’ve arrived” game. I mean, we can talk about the scoring and athleticism around the rim, but I’m more interested in how he seems to grab every rebound in sight. It’s surreal to watch. Grabbing six boards in the first quarter, Burries had this “I’m not losing tonight, so jump on my back” vibe about him. The kid just has this nose for the ball and a will to pursue it like very few players I’ve seen. Burries is showing he’s a winner, and I can’t wait for him to gain confidence from this game and give us more like it in the future.

Grade: A+

AJ Green

24 minutes, 12 points, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 4/9 FG, 4/8 3P, -19

Whenever the Raptors looked like they were about to get the game out of reach, Green would hit a three. One thing I will always appreciate about Green is that, despite his unassuming nature, he is never scared of the moment. Hit two huge ones in the fourth.

Grade: B

Nate Ament

15 minutes, 7 points, 1 block, 3/5 FG, -11

Ament got two of his three buckets in transition, while the other came on a nice baseline cut where he smartly waited for the defender to jump, then calmly put in the and-one. Not many other notes, other than that I thought Ament’s minutes were generally quite positive.

Grade: B-

Jericho Sims

7 minutes, 0 points, 0/0 FG, -7

Sims was forced into extended minutes because Turner had early foul trouble and Ware looked borderline unplayable at times. He did his job defensively, but you could tell the Raptors were happy to double all on-ball screens Sims set because they didn’t trust his decision-making out of the short roll, which is a strategy we saw from opponents last year too.

Grade: C

Taylor Jenkins

Based on Jenkins’s postgame comments, the team clearly wasn’t doing much of what they had been instructed to do in practice. His decision to close with no centre was the right one, but that then made it tough to rebound. Part of the issue is that the Bucks are leaning on flawed veterans; you don’t want to turn to Kuzma to close as a two-way wing, but there aren’t many other great options, especially when you needed someone beefy enough to deal with Barrett. Jaquez is a fine player, but he’s a seventh man on a good team. Turner is a great locker room guy, but he drives you mad with his lack of physicality. I say this to reiterate that Jenkins is working with a rough set of cards right now, and I struggle to think another coach could have got a different result with this same group of personnel.

Grade: C

DNP-CD: Ousmane Dieng, Caris LeVert, Gary Trent Jr.

Inactive: Kam Jones, Cormac Ryan, Pete Nance, Bogoljub Markovic,

What We Learnt

Milwaukee’s centre rotation might be the league’s worst when both play poorly.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• Jenkins was hot in his postgame presser, cutting off a reporter’s question about what he saw from his struggling offence in the second half: “We were getting stops in the first half. We were playing fast. We didn’t have to call sets. But then we just gave up second-chance opportunities, fouled them way too much, and they were taking the ball out of the net, so we couldn’t play as fast as we needed to.”
• Jenkins also mentioned that the Bucks didn’t “tag up,” which means that when the shot goes up, all five players get to their man, which, when done right, impedes the opponent’s ability to advance the ball up the floor and score in transition.
• Jenkins said that after the game, Turner owned his bad performance to the group.
• The broadcast showed a stat that over the last three games, Herro had scored 0 points in the first quarter and 62 in all other quarters. Crazy.
• Speaking of Herro, I noticed he subbed back in earlier than usual in the fourth, which resulted in him breaking the ~30-minute pseudo-limit he had seemingly been operating under previously.

Up Next

The Bucks return to Fiserv on Sunday night to face the Boston Celtics. Watch at 7:00 p.m. CST on MY24.

Some members from Generation Z might believe that the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers started and ended with a man named LeBron James (not once but twice). They couldn’t be more wrong. The Cavs joined the NBA in 1970 and accumulated plenty of interesting anecdotes through the years, especially early on. For example, they scouted the players for their expansion Draft with the help of trading cards that assistant coach Jim Lessig discovered while shopping for a few gallons of milk.

On that understandably subpar inaugural roster was also a man named Gary Suiter, whose biggest contributions were eating hot dogs in the stands during warmups and calling the front office disguised as a fan, lobbying for more playing time for—you guessed it—Gary Suiter. When the well-known bachelor tried to shake down the Cavs for bigger travel expenses by hiring a prostitute to play his wife, even the desperate Cavaliers had enough and kicked him out.

Later on, though, basketball really took off in Ohio. The Cavs featured some really exciting teams, especially when the aforementioned James came to town and then came again to actually win a title. Other teams that are fondly remembered in “The Land” are the squads from the late 1980s and 1990s that featured stalwarts like Mark Price, Ron Harper, Brad Daugherty, or Craig Ehlo. Exactly: the guy who is mostly remembered for crumbling to the floor after Michael Jordan’s famous first “shot”, one of the most iconic images in league history.

Facing familiar faces on the Cavaliers

How history and Cleveland will remember the current iteration of Cavaliers remains to be seen, yet it might very well be decided this year. The headliners on Kenny Atkinson’s team are mostly unchanged from last year’s Eastern Conference Finals sweep at the hands our Knickerbockers. That result could be described as another conquered mountain ledge on the Knicks’ way to the NBA summit, or seen as just another failure by a Cavs’ core that’s been trying to win it all for about three years now.

At the heart of that core has been Donovan Mitchell and he is still the headliner at Rocket Arena this season. The stocky highflyer is scoring an efficient 22.5 points per game while probably sporting one of the more explosive games in the league these days. Fans are lamenting his decision making though, criticizing his constant hero ball and what they get for a massive $273 million dollar deal he signed in the summer. Next to Mitchell, a now 37-year-old James Harden runs the point for the Cavaliers, which might also impact “Spida” negatively. The former MVP is showing his age early on, only connects on 38 percent of his shots, and looks disinterested doing it every second night out.

THE ENDING OF REGULATION IN CAVS-KNICKS. ABSOLUTE MADNESS. pic.twitter.com/Synu1jsCY5

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 20, 2026

Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen still form Cleveland’s frontline—with all their shortcomings, yet also with plenty of talent. The ultra versatile Mobley has taken his physique and his game to another level in recent years, sports a much better jumper from the outside, and the former Defensive Player of the Year isn’t moved off his spots as easily he used to be. If you want a big to switch effortlessly on Jalen Brunson, he’s your man. His current season has been particularly promising with shooting splits of 56/48.6 (we’ll ignore the 63 percent from the line this time around). Allen is kind of there: big, athletic, and skilled, yet you won’t see him in any Strongman or Tough Mudder competitions any time soon.

A new supporting cast for Kenny Atkinson

After their four starters from last year, Cleveland has mixed it up a bit. They got emerging defensive specialist Peyton Watson from Denver (he is struggling early on with barely 10 points per game), found the talented Meleek Thomas (13.0 points) in the second round of the NBA Draft, and subscribed to the “Super Mario” Hezonja (8.6 points) experience. Sharpshooter Sam Merril and Jaylon Tyson are leftovers from last season and still contribute fairly consistently.

Even if Cleveland got a bit longer and a bit more athletic, you still have to wonder where all of this is really going. They are good but how good really? Can they really compete with the top teams in the East? So far there is just a lot of “meh” in their profile. Standing at 5-4 they rank 9th in offensive rating and 14th in defensive rating. They play with a solid yet unspectacular pace (thank you, James Harden) and are average at best on the boards or from the field. Cleveland doesn’t turn the ball over, which is good, yet doesn’t force any turnovers either, which is bad (only the Bucks and Knicks make the opponent cough the ball up fewer times than Cleveland).

To be fair, Cleveland is a team that for the most part knows who it is, and such groups can take a little time shaking off the rust, especially after a long last season—we as Bocker buddies know all about it. The Cavaliers, just like the Knicks again, have a lot of things going for them, but it seems like Cleveland unlike New York also has a definitive ceiling. I’d mostly call it James Harden as he has never shown that he can be the ultimate difference maker in the postseason, at least not in a good way. Until then of course the Cavaliers are a perfectly fine, quality opponent, especially at home. They just proved it in their NBA cup last night against the Philadelphia 76ers, dismantling the fighting Nurses 119-95.

Let’s hope our Knicks fare a little better tonight and that the biggest historical significance of this game is another win for the good guys. At the very least we don’t have to worry about any of our players binge eating in the stands before the game, I guess. As funny as that would be.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks (4-4) at Cleveland Cavaliers (5-4)
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Place: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
TV: MSG, NBATV
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky

CLEVELAND — The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s apathy.

LeBron James has gotten many receptions from Cleveland Cavaliers fans over his 24 seasons in the league. None have been as half-hearted and uncarring as Friday’s.

There’s always been a certain buzz in the arena when James plays in Cleveland. That has been the case since he was in high school.

That juice, however, was lacking in his first trip back home in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform. There were empty seats before tip-off. The ovation for him when he was announced in the starting lineups was positive, but hardly more than respectful. No tribute video was played, as has been the case for the last eight seasons. There were smatterings of boos and cheers throughout the night, but nothing more than what any other high-profile player gets at Rocket Arena. And a good number of fans were content heading out while James was still on the court.

In short, LeBron was just another guy participating in one of 41 home games against the Cavs.

LeBron James receives a positive reception from Cleveland during player introductions. pic.twitter.com/t4q94ZneSr

— Jackson Flickinger (@JacksFlickinger) November 7, 2026

“At this point it’s become normal,” Donovan Mitchell said of James’s return. “My first year, you see it, and now it’s just, we’re playing the Sixers, to be honest. You obviously understand that the stands are going to be packed and obviously cheer for him, and rightfully so. He’s a champion, he’s from here, and he deserves all that and more for what he’s done for the city. At this point it’s just regular. … For us it’s normal.”

The normality of this reception stands in stark contrast to what we saw last year. Then, the crowd showered him with praise all game, ultimately moving him to tears. At the time, it seemed unfathomable that he would receive anything but love in the building he called home for 11 years. This summer, however, changed that.

James chose to leave the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency at the end of June. He then spent the first three weeks in July dragging his feet, leading those within the city and organization to believe he was returning to Cleveland. But then James threw a curveball and decided to go to a city he had no previous connection with and build a super team with the 76ers.

LeBron has earned the right to ring chase at the age of 41. But that comes with consequences, especially when you choose a conference rival over returning to a good team back home that also has a chance of winning a championship.

We saw the fallout of that choice on Friday night. There wasn’t the pain and vitriol from 2010. There wasn’t the love in all of his returns since 2018. Just emptiness.

LeBron understandably preferred this reaction to what he got when he first returned as a member of the Miami Heat. “Nothing can get as worse as December 2, 2010, from a reception standpoint,” James said. “I’ve seen the end of the depths of hell when it comes to a reception here.”

That night in 2010 was an absolute disaster. Cleveland should’ve handled that moment better. They have deserved all of the blame and condemnation that has come from how they handled that. Yet, hate comes from a place of passion. It comes from pain, an emotion that’s real. Fans cared about what happened that night.

On Friday, I’m not sure if anyone cared too much anymore. There was appreciation, but there wasn’t undying love. There was frustration, but not enough to actually voice that displeasure. Just a tiredness of a decades-long relationship that keeps oscillating back and forth, without either side really being sure how much they mean to the other.

That uncarrying is the saddest place a relationship can find itself, especially one as personal as this. Arguably no professional athlete has meant more to a region than LeBron to Northeast Ohio. The journey from being the teenage prodigy from Akron to delivering the first professional championship in over half a century for a sports-starved region is truly impossible to put into words.

The relationship between LeBron and northeast Ohio will continue in some form beyond this. Maybe that appreciation is there if he plays future games in Cleveland. And most likely, that outpouring of love will return for the inevitable statue and jersey retirement ceremonies.

But then again, that isn’t guaranteed. James’s choice to presumably end his career in a different uniform could just be the straw that broke the camel’s back. The rift that caused both sides to continue drifting apart forever.

Friday could have been LeBron’s last professional game in Northeast Ohio. Nothing about the future is guaranteed. And if so, there couldn’t have been a more pitiful way for things to end in Cleveland.