Category: NBA

The Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball program is enjoying an excellent start to the season. The current ’Hoos earned a statement win over No. 12 Arkansas in Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon to improve to 3-0, while a handful of former Virginia stars are enjoying strong starts to their seasons at the next level.

With most NBA teams reaching the 10-game checkpoint over the weekend, here’s how the former faces of UVA basketball have been faring in The Association so far.

Ty Jerome (Memphis Grizzlies)

There’s no better place to start than with Ty Jerome, who has become one of the NBA’s feel-good stories early in the season. While Virginia fans have long known what Jerome is capable of, the national basketball audience is finally getting its formal introduction to the 6-foot-5 assassin from New Rochelle, New York.

After years of dealing with injury while intermittently posting stretches of highly efficient and majorly underappreciated play, Jerome has erupted in the early going for Memphis, averaging 26.6 points and 5.3 assists per game while piloting the Grizzlies to an unexpected 6-3 start.

The former Virginia star is playing the best basketball of his pro career, and Memphis is reaping the rewards. Jerome has already racked up two 40+ point performances this season plus a highlight reel’s worth of clutch shots. Averaging a league-best 14 points per game on drives, Jerome’s signature floater has become one of the league’s deadliest weapons.

Ty Jerome loves shooting floaters.

Through 8 games:
– 5.8 floaters per game (1st in the NBA)
– Shooting 63% on floaters
– Average floater distance of 12.2 ft (league average is 8.8 feet)
– Average height of 12.4 feet on his floaters pic.twitter.com/nIUdLDVbkF

— Ryan Joseph (@rjanalytics7002) November 8, 2026

Trey Murphy III (New Orleans Pelicans)

Coming off back-to-back seasons averaging north of 20 points per game, Trey Murphy III is back to knocking down threes and throwing down eye-popping dunks for the Pelicans.

ZION LOB FROM HALF-COURT TO TREY MURPHY III 💥 pic.twitter.com/S4l1t2nslv

— NBA (@NBA) November 7, 2026

Though his raw numbers are down slightly this season (15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds per game), his three-point efficiency (37.7%) remains sky-high.

Once again, Murphy’s name is also swirling around the NBA rumor mill, frequently coming up in trade talks as New Orleans looks to rebuild. If given the chance to play for a contending team, Murphy’s status as one of the league’s most valuable 3-and-D weapons could finally be solidified over the back half of the 2026-27 campaign.

De’Andre Hunter (Sacramento Kings)

Now playing for his third different team in three seasons, the former fourth-overall pick has made nine starts for the Kings this season.

After an uncharacteristically poor season from three-point range in 2025-26, De’Andre Hunter is knocking down 35.3% of his attempts from downtown so far this season, propelling him to 13.1 points per game thus far. Unfortunately, despite four double-digit scoring efforts from Hunter — including back-to-back 24-point games on Oct. 27 and 29 — Sacramento is off to a frigid 1-9 start.

Jay Huff (Indana Pacers)

After a breakout campaign in Indiana last season in which he appeared in all 82 games, Jay Huff is back at it throwing down reverse slams for the Pacers.

The 7-footer, now in his sixth NBA season, has made five starts and nine total appearances this season, averaging 7.1 points per game on 49% shooting from the field. The ever-efficient Huff went off for a season-high 22 points (8-for-14 FG) and eight rebounds last Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks.

Another Hoo with a big night ⚔️
Jay Huff finished with 22pts and of course put his signature dunk on display again 🔸🔸🔹🔹 pic.twitter.com/F14vwwAviS

— Hoos In The NBA (@hoosinthenba) November 3, 2026

Sam Hauser (Boston Celtics)

The sharp-shooting Sam Hauser continues to be one of the league’s most valuable three-point specialists for the Boston Celtics. Playing 21 minutes per game (mostly off the bench, though he did start one game for Boston last week against the Milwaukee Bucks), Hauser is averaging 7.7 points per game on 40.4% shooting from the outside.

Sam Hauser has hit multiple threes in 7 of the Celtics' first 9 games and is shooting 40.8% from deep this season

He and Paul George are the only two Celtics to do so

Don't take consistently elite shooting for granted! pic.twitter.com/amNwipdMot

— SleeperCeltics (@SleeperCeltics) November 7, 2026

Ryan Dunn (Phoenix Suns)

A 2024 first-round pick by Phoenix, Ryan Dunn’s third professional season is off to an efficient start despite a somewhat limited role in the Suns’ rotation.

The 6-foot-7 defensive ace is averaging 5.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 stocks per game while playing 16 minutes per game for the 3-5 Suns and is coming off his best week of the season, posting a season-high 11 points in Thursday night’s win against the Orlando Magic and 8 points in a weekend victory over the Houston Rockets.

With Dunn, the question is always going to be his three-point shooting. And so far this season, he’s knocked down 7-of-13 attempts from distance.

The former ACC All-Defensive Team selection at Virginia in 2023-24 has yet to shoot better than 33.1% from deep in a season, but if he can keep his early-season stroke going, ’Hoos fans are well aware of the eye-popping athleticism that made Dunn such an intriguing pro prospect coming out of Charlottesville.

Want to know how impactful Ryan Dunn has been?

Suns net rating with Dunn ON: +24.1
With Dunn OFF: -18.6

That +42.7 differential ranks 2nd in the NBA, behind only Alex Caruso. He also leads PHX with a +40 total +/-.

Suns are a completely different team with Dunn on the floor. pic.twitter.com/PjlEsZPzG8

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) November 8, 2026

Reece Beekman & Anthony Gill (Washington Wizards)

Beekman, now a third-year pro, signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards this past offseason after a year in the G-League in 2025-26. Unfortunately, Beekman is currently dealing with an acromioclavicular joint injury that will keep him sidelined for at least three weeks.

Meanwhile, the other former ’Hoo in the Nation’s Capital, Anthony Gill, is the longest-tenured player on the Washington Wizards’ roster. Gill has become the ultimate locker-room presence and player-coach for a franchise trying to transition from a rebuild to contention in the Eastern Conference. The seventh-year NBA vet has appeared in just two games this season, but his wisdom and steadying presence are immeasurable for the young Wizards.

Since teaming up in the fall of 2017, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum forged on in Beantown as the Boston Celtics shuffled through name after name around them. 

Kyrie Irving. Gordon Hayward. Kemba Walker. Robert Williams III. Marcus Smart. Al Horford. Jrue Holiday. Kristaps Porzingis. 

All of them came and went while Boston pursued a title — and eventually claimed one in emphatic fashion — behind its two young, then budding, and, finally, established stars on the wing.

A year after winning a championship in 2024, the Tatum-Brown-Holiday-Horford-Porzingis core dissolved as the latter three departed. Despite Tatum missing much of 2025-26 while recovering from a torn Achilles, the Celtics pivoted toward a new group around their two pillars. Then, after a bountiful nine-year partnership, Tatum and Brown split.

In exchange for Paul George and two first-round picks (and two swaps), Boston dealt Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers over the summer. Brown’s exit represented the Celtics’ most dramatic roster reshaping in recent years. Sure, the year prior marked a wider exodus of names but none of them helped define Boston’s vision and identity like Brown. 

Through nine games, that’s proven true on both ends of the floor. The Celtics have altered how they elect to deploy their offensive figureheads and spotlight George’s defensive splendor — the product of Brown’s absence (for better and worse) and George’s arrival (for better and worse).

Without Brown, Boston does not sport a creator equipped to soak up mammoth on-ball volume beyond Tatum, who sports a career-high 36% usage rate (third league-wide, per Cleaning the Glass) and is averaging 27.9 points, 8.0 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game this season.

But the Celtics have not spiked Tatum’s responsibilities by simply handing him the ball up top and demanding he stir more of their drink. His 27.2% on-ball rate is lower than in 2025-26 (28.3%) and 2024-25 (28.8%) while his 20.0 creation true shot attempts per 100 possessions (pick-and-rolls, isolation, post-ups) align with the previous two years as well (19.0, 19.4), per databallr.

Instead, they’re leveraging his size, strength and fluidity to garner advantageous touches inside, dive to the rim around off-ball screens and attack tilted defenses on the move. A 33% rim frequency is his highest since 2022-23 and tied for the second-gaudiest mark of his career.  

Tatum relishes contact these days and will bludgeon through any defender to finish or draw fouls. His .510 free-throw rate is obliterating a previous career-high of .399. Only Luka Doncic (102) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (83) have attempted more free throws than his 80 this season. 

He is huge, strong and emboldened. The Celtics are wielding that to their benefit. 

Plays like those emphasize another crucial detail in how Tatum’s reached such towering usage: teammates are setting up him more often. Forty-seven percent of all his field goals are assisted, his highest rate since 2022-23, including 53% at the rim and 41% from midrange — also his highest rates since 2022-23, per Cleaning the Glass. 

In contrast to their guard-sized contemporaries, wing-sized initiators often incur drawbacks with their burst, handle and flexibility. They are bigger and stronger, so they are slower and less adept maneuvering through tight windows. Yet they are bigger and stronger than their diminutive peers, traits that present their own upshots. As best they can, the Celtics are embracing the upshots to help mitigate the drawbacks while still bestowing Tatum cream-of-the-crop usage.

He is logging plenty of traditional creation reps, though, too. And when he is commandeering Boston’s offense, he’s looked spectacular as a facilitator. His 40.5% assist rate dwarfs his previous career-high of 26.5%.

His 16.7 potential assists per 100 are also a career high, besting his 15.8 in 2024-25. When he returned last season, he was mighty punctual and precise as a distributor, reliably dissecting opponents if they sent too many limbs into his orbit. That’s continued this year. 

Most notably, he’s amended his playmaking patterns. Whereas he’s typically erred for kickout passes to shooters against gap help or blitzes — partly because he’s played with many below-the-rim and/or floor-spacing centers — he’s prioritizing more interior reads this season and averaging a career-high 5.2 at-rim assists per 100 possessions (99th percentile). 

That shatters last year’s career-high of 3.0, which already trounced his then-career-high of 2.2 in 2024-25. Boston’s rim frequency is 9.3% higher with him on the floor this season (per Cleaning the Glass), the result of his interior-oriented style and preferences as a passer.

Whether he’s playing alongside Neemias Queta or Mitchell Robinson, he’s utilizing his 84-inch acrobats to generate easy shots as the Celtics’ primary initiator. His own height empowers him to disregard extra attention over the top and he’s increasingly manipulating help defenders with his eyes to open up passes inside, particularly when George or Sam Hauser — Boston’s most vaunted off-ball shooters — are stationed in the weak-side corner. 

In totality, Tatum receiving newfound off-ball opportunities is a positive for his game. But a focus operating downhill and starting touches inside the arc has somewhat damaged his shot profile. According to Cleaning the Glass, 19% of his field goals are long midrange attempts (14 feet to the 3-point line) and 35% of his field goals fall under the broader midrange designation (beyond 4 feet to the 3-point line). The former is highest since 2018-19 and the latter is his highest since 2020-21. 

Of course, there are a handful of voluminous scorers who flourish in the intermediate region. Tatum is not among them. He’s shooting 39% from midrange and has only eclipsed 40% once in his decade-long NBA tenure. 

Too routinely, he will catch the ball in the post or against a switch and squander the chance with an arduous pull-up 2, turnaround jumper or fadeaway. He’s shooting 51.5% inside the arc, his worst mark since 2020-21, when he shot 52.4% — last year’s abbreviated, post-injury stretch excluded.

An uptick in looks around the rim and from midrange has seen Tatum’s 3-point rate dwindle to 30%, his lowest mark since 2018-19. And he’s been anemic from deep thus far, shooting 28.6%. That should perk up as the sample swells and 51.5% on 2s isn’t such a deviation from recent years that any long-range pulse, when paired with his premier foul-drawing emergence, should allow him to approximate or exceed the 60% true shooting he accrued from 2022-23 to 2024-25 (a very respectable 58% this year). 

If Tatum has not suddenly devolved into a Thompson Twins-level outside shooter, the tweaks to his usage and passing upswing should set the stage for a career-best campaign offensively. And he is not the only Celtics wing embarking on a new offensive journey. 

Boston recognizes it requires a substantial role for George offensively but cannot just hand him Brown’s shoes and tell him to fit in them. He is nowhere near the shot creator or explosive driver of Brown but does have some advantages, such as size, versatile off-ball play and passing. 

So, head coach Joe Mazzulla is constantly rotating George through various jobs to influence possessions without overtaxing him on the ball — and the early returns are excellent. He’s averaging 19.6 points (58% true shooting), 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.4 steals while shooting 41.3% beyond the arc. 

Despite a career-high 75% of his field goals coming via assists, he touts a 27.6% usage rate, his highest since 2022-23, and is averaging 9.1 creation true shooting attempts per 100, his lowest in the stat’s database spanning back to 2013-14; his time of possession is also its lowest since 2017-18, per NBA.com. Similar to Tatum, Boston is granting George touches in favorable contexts by leaning on its blend of elite screening, decision-making and spacing around them.

As George has aged, he’s lost much of his spunk as a driver. That physical decline has resigned him into many challenging midrange jumpers over defenders who he can no longer scoot past or chisel through to the rim. The Celtics don’t want that as a basis of their offense, so they’re implementing plenty of actions that manufacture advantages for George, whether it be off-ball screens to help him pressure the paint, forcing smaller defenders onto him or letting him catch the ball on the move to ease his creation burden.

His .508 3-point rate is a career high and he’s hoisting a career-high 13.0 triples per 100 possessions. They’re also utilizing him as a screener and roller more than any other team has in his career. According to databallr, his 3.7 finishing true shooting attempts (cuts, putbacks, rolls) per 100 is a career-high. Related: a 21% rim frequency is his highest since 2022-23. Boston’s offense is helping George optimize his shot profile and he’s taking his fewest share of midrange jumpers (31%) since 2011-12.

Reinvigorating George and Tatum as forces inside — and Tatum’s playmaking pivot — feels like an intentional effort to replace Brown’s driving prowess. The Celtics’ 30.2% rim frequency is their highest since 2021-22 and ranks 16th league-wide, their highest standing since 2019-20. That 30.2% mark is loftier than anything they posted with Brown on the floor over his final three years in Boston, which isn’t to frame Brown negatively but to underscore the Celtics’ revamped approach offensively. 

*Billy Beane voice* Boston is aiming to recreate Brown in the aggregate. 

Tatum has commanded a heftier workload and is calling the rim home more often. George is the secondary creator, albeit a lesser one than Brown. Because Tatum’s offensive role has expanded to help replace Brown, the Celtics are asking less of him defensively and calling upon George to fill that void and some of the void Brown left behind.

He’s assuming Brown’s former point-of-attack duties while doubling as an off-ball roamer who can guard bigs (Tatum’s tasks) when Queta ignores a non-shooter to patrol the paint. He’s third in the NBA in deflections per game (5.3) and fifth in steals (2.4), and owns a career-high STOP% of 4.7 (steals, blocks recovered and offensive fouls drawn per 100). 

Just as Boston is highlighting Tatum’s enormity on offense, it’s doing the same with George on defense. His blend of size, screen navigation, instincts and off-ball disruption puts him in rare air defensively. He is huge and mobile. The Celtics are wielding that to their benefit. 

Despite a 7-2 start with their leading men generally thriving, there is much to still sort out and navigate for the Celtics as the season further unfolds. Although I was higher than most on George’s entire Sixers tenure and his pre-suspension performance in 2025-26, it is undeniable he played much better last year once returning from a 25-game layoff. 

An offseason of recuperation offered a similar reprieve. And his scoring numbers since a 38-point barrage to open the year aren’t as rosy: 17.0 points on 53.6% true shooting (37.3% from 3) over the past seven games. How will he fare on both ends as the grind of a long season mounts and transitions to a grueling playoff environment? 

As splendid as Tatum’s been offensively and wondrous as George has been defensively, I still believe Boston, to etch a deep postseason run, will need more of its franchise superstar defensively. His rim protection, general activity and rebounding on that end are at career-worst levels, the last of which is bleeding into Boston’s 24th-ranked defensive rebounding rate (it’s never finished worse than 11th in the Mazzulla era). 

Perhaps, that is a conscious decision from him and the coaching staff, given his prolific offensive scope. But he is, ideally, capable of more. Will he dial it up at some point? Can he? It’s a ton to ask, particularly because I don’t believe this offensive setting has an off-ramp for him to effectively scale back.

And for as cohesive and cunning as the Celtics’ offense is, I’m unsure of its playoff translation. They win on the margins with early flare screens, back-screens and drag screens that catch less-alert defenses off guard in the regular season — all details Tatum and George have ridden to early success. 

When the stakes are raised in the postseason, countering schematic advantages is easier than countering talent advantages. The 2025-26 and 2026-27 Celtics have typically won because of the former, not the latter; their title team merged both components for dominance. This iteration lacks the ball-handling abundance and malleable center play the 2023-24 and 2024-25 squads enjoyed. 

It is also possible a championship is not Boston’s utmost goal or one the organization internally deems plausible this year. Building a team unable to do so during its All-NBA superstar’s prime may warrant criticism but is a separate conversation. 

This is Tatum’s first full year back from a torn Achilles. George, while still very good, is 36 years old and not an All-Star-caliber player anymore. His lucrative contract will be an expiring deal next summer. Derrick White, while a pillar of Boston’s prosperous last half-decade, is 32 and potentially trending downward. 

Maybe, the Celtics are content to see what this Tatum-led group can achieve before parlaying George’s expiring deal and their wealth of first-round picks into a better, younger upgrade over the offseason. Maybe, they continue piling up wins and feel compelled to make a splash at this season’s deadline. 

Regardless, this team is good but different than years past and still spearheaded by Tatum — who, for the first time in his career, is flanked by a new running mate on the wing. 

All stats accurate prior to games played on Nov. 8.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to reestablish some positive momentum as they take on an injured and struggling Charlotte Hornets team.

Things aren’t going well for the Hornets. They have been one of the worst teams in the league based on their point differential. It doesn’t help that they’ve been without one of their best players for most of the season, and their second-best player has struggled mightily.

Kon Knueppel will be missing this game with a hamstring injury. He has played just six minutes so far this season for Charlotte. The Hornets will also be without Brandon Miller (hip), who’s gotten off to a rough start to the season as he’s been unable to find his range from beyond the arc (26%).

This is a prime opportunity for the Cavs to pick up a win and start another busy week on the right foot.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (5-5) at Charlotte Hornets (3-7)

Where: Spectrum Center – Charlotte, NC

When: Monday, Nov. 9 at 7 PM

TV: DAZN, NBA League Pass

Point spread: Cavs -8.5

Cavs injury report: Sam Merrill – OUT (elbow) , Jarrett Allen – QUESTIONABLE (knee), Jaylon Tyson – OUT (ankle), Nae’Qwan Tomlin – OUT (back), Khalifa Diop – OUT (G League), Ernest Udeh, Jr. – OUT (G League)

Hornets injury report: Kon Kneuppel – OUT (hamstring), Brandon Miller – OUT (hip), Dennis Schroder – OUT (hamstring), Grant Williams – OUT (hamstring), Moussa Diabate – QUESTIONABLE (quad)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Meleek Thomas, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley

Hornets expected starting lineup: Coby White, Grayson Allen, Sion James, Naz Reid, Ryan Kalkbrenner

Cavs jersey:Black Statement Edition uniform

Previous matchup: The Cavs have won three straight over the Hornets, including a 118-113 win at the end of last February.

Here’s a look at both teams’ regular-season impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.

	Offensive Rating	Defensive Rating	Net Rating
Cavs	116.3 (9th)	112.1 (10th)	+4.2 (11th)
Hornets	102 (30th)	116.1 (24th)	-14.1 (29th)

The Houston Rockets are having an identity crisis.

Think Fight Club (which, as an aside, I only watched for the first time a few years ago, and if you haven’t seen it, don’t bother; it’s been caricatured to the point that it feels like a parody of itself), in reverse. The Rockets were a rugged, fist-wielding Brad Pitt in 2025-26. Pesky social conventions like “getting good shots” and “running offensive sets” were boring and beneath them. The Rockets were winning fights instead of playing games.

In 2026-27, they’re more like the neutered, emasculated Edward Norton. They’ve mostly been doing all the right things, and it’s mostly been working, but they’re just lacking some kind of cliched, overly white-male-privileged (blue wavy baby, we’re back) existential purpose.

Let’s park the analogy. It’s good that the Rockets’ offense has looked more sophisticated in 2026-27. They shouldn’t abandon that. Instead, they need to synthesize last season’s approach with this one.

In their last contest, the old 2025-26 offense reared its ugly (or maybe ruggedly handsome if we’re Brad Pitt) head. The floor shrank. Instead of zipping high post passes to a cutting Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun settled for a bunch of bad floaters that he’s never been proficient with, in large part because the Thompson cuts weren’t coming. The Rockets’ offense fell apart:

Yet, if they’d just dominated the Suns on the glass, they would have won anyway.

Rockets need to get back to their former selves

Rest assured, this offense will fall apart again.

Ultimately, it’s the same old chestnut: The Rockets don’t have an every-night, carry-the-offense, even if he’s missing, he’s making something happen superstar. Sorry, Sengun fans, and Thompson isn’t even close, and it’s just not how the team is using Kevin Durant this year, which makes sense from a longer-term developmental perspective and a shorter-term, preserve him for the playoffs perspective.

Last year, the Rockets compensated for that lack of top-end talent by dominating physically. They were number one by a long shot in Offensive Rebounding %. This year, they’re fourth (36.0%). They’re fifth in overall Rebounding % (52.5th), which they also led the NBA in last season.

Sure, the Rockets are still a great rebounding team. If they have 2026-27 NBA championship aspirations, great isn’t great enough. They need to be the best rebounding team in the NBA, or else they will lose in the playoffs to a team with better players.

It’s not just rebounding, either. The Rockets’ 109.4 Defensive Rating ranks 10th in the NBA. Last year, they had the league’s sixth-best defense (112.1). This year’s mark is actually better, but that feels like a small-sample quirk. Their placement relative to the league seems more relevant.

Of course, they also have the second-best Offensive Rating in the NBA (118.6). Make no mistake: This year’s team looks better than last year’s team. It would also be wise to avoid overreacting to one game, but against the Suns, it felt like some offensive regression was due. If it is, they need to regress to the mean (a confusing phrase when something is improving; it ought to be progress to the mean, why don’t we say that?) in rebounding and defense.

Some of this is due to Steven Adams’ absence, but let’s not make excuses. If Adams can’t regularly play, the Rockets need a new backup five, and he needs to be the best rebounder they can find. The Rockets need to rediscover their identity:

After all, the things you do own, end up owning you.

For as bad as last Friday’s game was in Cleveland, the Sixers probably deserve a mulligan. At 9-2 after Sunday’s win in Chicago, Philly has not only looked the part of a championship contender, but they’ve done it against lots of fellow contenders, Sunday notwithstanding. The schedule is about to lighten up for the Sixers, but they still have two more games this week against playoff teams from last season. They’ll host Boston on Tuesday and Toronto on Thursday.

If the Sixers can get to 11-2, they’ll be set up to face a slew of sub-.500 teams for the rest of November. They’ve already got the attention of the entire NBA world given that they’ve lived up to the preseason hype thus far. Think about what the narrative could be in 3-4 week’s time surrounding this team. The wins should continue to be piled up, and they would have already beaten all the top challengers in the Eastern Conference once already and it wouldn’t even be Christmas yet.

Oddly enough, the Sixers have not had home-court advantage in a playoff series since the 2023 first round when they swept Brooklyn. That means it hasn’t happened in three previous seasons under Nick Nurse. As they continue to stockpile victories early in the season, the reality of a deep playoff run becomes increasingly plausible. In two postseasons under Nurse, the Sixers have had grueling first-round matchups, losing a tight series to New York in 2024 and having to rally from 3-1 down to eliminate Boston in 2026. The drain of having to dig out of the 3-1 hole against Boston clearly showed itself in the second round last spring when the Sixers got whitewashed by the Knicks in a quick four-game sweep.

In 2023, Philly was ahead 3-2 after five games against Boston and on the precipice of making the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001. We all know how the series ended, but the point remains that getting through an easy first-round series would do wonders for getting Joel Embiid — and LeBron James at his advanced age, for that matter — through an entire four rounds of the postseason.

As the Sixers continue to stack victories early in the 2026-27 season, they’ll continue to make the path to an NBA Championship easier for themselves. Not only have they been stacking victories but finishing off such a challenging first three weeks of the season with two more wins this week against Boston and Toronto would only be the icing on a cake that’s already baking pretty good. In addition to making their postseason path easier, Philly could be as selective as possible in determining when to load manage Embiid and James.

The NBA regular season has often come with a label of irrelevance thanks in part to the load managing we see around the league with superstars and their playing time. While it feels like the Sixers have washed away a lot of the negative labels surrounding their ability to make a deep playoff run, there probably is a segment of the fanbase that is still very much in “Wake me up in April” mode and, to some extent, that’s an understandable sentiment to feel.

But the Sixers are doing all they can possibly do now to make fans believe that this could be the year they play into June. They’re beating every contender in front of them. Remember, despite Friday’s drubbing in Cleveland, they came back from a 29-point deficit to beat the Cavaliers earlier in the season. Simply put, it’s a great time to be a Sixers fan, even if it’s only November.

It seemed like the past week for the Atlanta Hawks may have been a tough one. After being dominated by the New Orleans Pelicans, the Hawks would be without Jalen Johnson, who went down with a sprained ankle. With four games upcoming, missing their star would not be conducive to shaking their slow start to the year, as the Hawks were 3-4 headed into Monday’s matchup against the Pacers.

While it’s never good when athletes who put their bodies on the line have to miss competition, the Pacers being down to only six players on the roster due to a litany of injuries was a positive omen for the undermanned Hawks, who were looking to get back to .500 on the season with a win. Though the Hawks led 95% of the game and came out victorious, the win didn’t feel as good as it should have.

There was no season a team with only six guys in rotation should have had a second of life in this contest. The 12-point lead over the Pacers at halftime was the saving grace for Atlanta, who was outscored by a depleted Indiana roster in the second half. With under 30 seconds to go, the Hawks only held a two-point lead. If not for recovering a blocked Nickeil Alexander-Walker three-point attempt with 13 seconds left, the game could have had an entirely different outcome.

Despite the close finish, the Hawks overcame their three-point shooting woes that plagued their prior losing streak. The team shot 45% from behind the arc, with Lu Dort shooting 4-for-6 and ‘NAW’ becoming unconscious from deep, shooting an unprecedented 9-for-16 on his way to a game high 34 points.

Corey Kispert was also the light of a struggling bench, who scored 14 on 4-of-7 from three. CJ McCollum was ice cold from the field, shooting 4-of-17, but uncharacteristically turned into the team’s facilitator with 12 assists, tying his career high. These impressive performances were nearly wasted by more subpar interior defense, as the Hawks were outscored 54-22 in the paint.

This performance was not a positive omen heading into back-to-back matchups against the Washington Wizards, led by former Hawk-star Trae Young, Anthony Davis, and the number one pick of his rookie class, AJ Dybansta. Along with the increased competition, Jalen Johnson was still inactive and ultimately missed both matchups.

The first Wizards game featured a new wrinkle in the rotation, as head coach Quin Snyder gave rookie Kingston Flemings his first career start and moved CJ McCollum to the bench. The move proved wise, as Flemings had a stellar night, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting with four assists. The bench also stepped up, with McCollum and Wiggins combining for 30 points along with the debut of their other first round rookie from this year, Zuby Ejiofor.

The forward from St. John’s contributed with 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting in his debut, providing an additional boost while bench staples Joc Landale and Dorian Finney-Smith were sidelined with injuries. Aided by dominating the boards, another strong team three-point performance, and a horrific deep shooting night for the home team (6-of-26), the Hawks defeated the Wizards on the road, 120-105.

The following matchup against Washington would provide new wave emotions for members of both teams. This occasion was Trae Young’s first time playing against his former team in Atlanta. Though he received a touching tribute while the Wizards played in Atlanta last February as he was still out with an injury, the tune from the crowd was much different in his on-court debut, as Young was serenaded by a sea of boos, letting the point guard know that the lovey-dovey admiration was out the window as he made the transition from fan favorite to a full-blown enemy.

Though he notched a double-double, the Hawks kept Young from taking over the game and forced him to nearly accrue an infamous triple-double, as he had nine turnovers. Anthony Davis was absent from the game along with AJ Dybantsa having another poor shooting night, shooting 3-of-13. A 33-point performance from Kayshawn George wasn’t enough for the Wizards to pull out the victory.

The Hawks were clicking on all cylinders offensively, joining the nightly 50/40/90 club as a team. ‘NAW’ once again led all scorers with 28, but 22 points from Onyeka Okongwu and 25 from Lou Dort on 5-of-7 shooting from three was just too much for the Wizards to overcome. Aaron Wiggins also had a strong night off the bench, contributing 19 points on 8-for-12 from the field. The impressive performance spoiled what Trae Young hoped to be a pleasant homecoming and ultimately led to a clearly defined line in the sand of where Hawks fans stand with him.

Despite the reaction from the fans, Young walked off the court doing his signature handshakes with his former teammates and embracing Quin Snyder and other former staffers.

The week wrapped up with the second of a three-game homestand against the perennially struggling Brooklyn Nets. This matchup hosted the return of Jalen Johnson from his injury, who finished with a game high 30 points. Despite his return, the Hawks hot shooting morphed into an ice rink, shooting an abysmal 26% from deep. The Hawks were also dominated on the glass, being outclassed by 13 boards.

Despite the Nets poor record, they were the better team for most of the game. After finishing the first quarter with a ten-point lead, they maintained their advantage on the scoreboard until the game had just a minute and a half left after a pair of free throws from ‘NAW’ gave Atlanta the lead. Clutch shotmaking and two huge blocks from Kinston Flemings iced the win for the Hawks and certified the team’s newest lottery pick as a mainstay in the lineups going forward. The final score was 124-121.

While the game may have been too close for comfort, the Hawks ultimately came out on top and impressively ended the week 4-0. The regular season is a long, grueling grind, and not all wins are going to be pretty. At the end of the day, what matters most is stacking victories and creating momentum as the season progresses. The Hawks currently sit at fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. Heading into a three-game week, the Hawks will look to build on their win streak and continue to establish continuity.

While the end of the week features matchups against the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks, who are the two worst teams in the conference and have an improbable two combined wins, they begin the week against the Los Angeles Lakers, who will be coming off a back-to-back after beating the Detroit Pistons last night.

Though he sat in last night’s matchup, the Hawks will likely be tasked with the seemingly impossible task of slowing down Luka Doncic, who is on an all-time tear and averaging an eye-popping 40 points per game. While the Hawks are certainly equipped with the bodies to make life difficult for Doncic, the All-NBA guard has been a chore for every team to solve, and he shows no signs of slowing down. If the Hawks are able to minimize his impact and leave with a victory, they could be well on their way to winning seven games in a row and establishing themselves as one of the premier teams in the conference.

Mitchell Robinson seemed destined to miss Sunday night’s Celtics-Bucks matchup before the team upgraded him to active just hours before tipoff in Milwaukee. The 28-year-old, who had been struggling to find his footing in his first year with Boston, instead turned a corner.

“It’s tough,” Robinson admitted after Boston’s 117-97 victory over Milwaukee, per CLNS Media. “Been in New York for eight years and year nine I’m in Boston. Totally two different game plays, and it’s something that I’ve gotta learn, but I feel like it’s going well.”

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla played Robinson off the bench, and he found his rhythm immediately as he checked in for Derrick White with 7:03 left in the first quarter. In his first minute on the floor, Robinson secured a defensive rebound, raced to the other end, grabbed an offensive rebound and cleanly finished the putback layup. Two possessions later, he connected with Jayson Tatum for an alley-oop dunk, something the two had struggled to execute for the past few weeks.

“We’re working on it,” Robinson acknowledged, laughing. “JT be throwing it to the moon sometimes. But we’re working on it.”

Robinson’s toughness engine kicked in, as did a side of him the Celtics hadn’t seen through his first eight appearances. In the final minute of the first quarter, he recorded two steals — before setting a season-high with four — and two more rebounds. He went on to finish a perfect 6-for-6 from the field with 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block in just over 18 minutes.

For the first time all season, Robinson finally looked like Big Mitch.

Inside the locker room, he had plenty of support from those thrilled for his breakthrough.

“A great bounceback game for Big Mitch,” Paul George told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin. “I thought he was amazing with his effort, his energy, keeping balls alive, screening. I thought he was vocal out here. He was a presence at the rim. Everything that he does well, he put it on display here, and he made a big impact.”

Robinson had been frustrated and brutally honest with himself since joining the Celtics — traits Mazzulla has openly commended him for. He had been struggling to produce offensively, as his six field goal makes also set a new season-high in Milwaukee, giving Robinson plenty to build on moving forward.

Everyone around him understands the challenge that comes with a player in his situation, acclimating himself to a new system while playing alongside an entirely new group of teammates. But rest assured, he has plenty of support from those in Boston who believe in him and will continue pulling for him.

“It’s a learning curve,” Tatum told reporters. “New system, new teammates. Taking more ownership, just understanding that we really want him involved in things we’re doing, especially on the offensive end. So [he’s] just kind of getting comfortable in that role.”

It’s easy to nitpick the missed shot attempts or the misfired free throws, but Mazzulla doesn’t dissect Robinson’s performances that simply. He pays attention to the little details that add up, and based on his observations, he’s not the least bit concerned about Robinson’s ability to adapt to what the Celtics need from him.

Watching Robinson closely, Mazzulla has noticed his progress.

“A lot of times, he’s picking things up on his own,” Mazzulla told reporters. “Instead of me talking to him in games, he’s seeing things. He’s seeing the timing of screening, he’s seeing the timing of rolls, he’s seeing the timing of the angles he needs to set, he’s seeing the reads that we’re trying to run in our early offense, he’s seeing the defensive communication.”

Even though the Celtics understand Robinson is still adjusting, Mazzulla made it clear that he and Neemias Queta are integral to Boston’s success, capable of elevating the team to another level.

“Those two guys are the anchor of what we do on both ends,” Mazzulla added, “and when they play with the personality and the communication, it just makes our team different.”

Even as Robinson continues to hold himself accountable whenever he feels he’s underachieving, the Celtics will be right there alongside him, pushing him to meet the standard they’re both aware he’s capable of meeting.

In the Celtics second game against the Bucks in their last three games, Boston once again took care of business in Milwaukee, winning 117-97. After a slow start, Boston was able to turn it on and eventually take down the Bucks with some hot three point shooting and great defense. This was easily the only game that mattered today when it came to teams from Massachusetts and Wisconsin facing off. Everyone knows a Celtics regular season win over the Bucks means more than a Packers win over the Patriots.

1. Celtics Locked In

The Celtics had every reason to overlook this game on the schedule with their looming matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday November 10th, and early on it might have looked like the case. The Bucks started the game on a 20-6 run including Kyle Kuzma exploding for 14 points. Unlike the Patriots, the Celtics did not let an early deficit dictate their game, as Boston fought back to make it a 2 point game at the end of the first quarter.

Boston would proceed to go on a 20-7 run to begin the second quarter and that was essentially the game. The Celtics would open it up to a 23-point lead in the third quarter and close out with a 20-point win in the forth quarter. It’s always good to see a team bounce back early after facing adversity early and the Celtics were able to pull it off in this matchup.

2. Running Out of Words for Paul George

After the Celtics last game against the Bucks where Paul George scored 25 points and hit the dagger in the fourth quarter, I wrote an article talking about how important he was to this team and how he is still playing at an elite level. I am back to say, Paul George is still elite. George led Boston with 27 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals on 11-18 shooting from the field and 5-10 from three.

George made his presence known on the scoring end, finishing with 20 points in the first half alone. In the second quarter specifically, he went off for 16 points on 6-9 shooting from the field and 4-6 shooting from three. The Bucks defensive game plan of leaving Jamie Jaquez Jr on an island did not work out well for him as George just looked like he was playing at his own pace. The midrange shot was a thing of beauty and his work in the pick and roll was a good way of getting the Celtics offense going early on.

PG DROPPED 20 PTS IN THE 1H 🔥

Celtics lead at the break! pic.twitter.com/SIl7DPtYIo

— NBA (@NBA) November 9, 2026

This was a good opening act for the main show on Tuesday as George goes back to Philadelphia for the first time since he was traded to Boston in the offseason. In the postgame interview on NBC Sports Boston, George was his asked his thoughts on the game where he said, “It will be fun…great relationships over there…a rough tenure in my 2 years there but it will be special to be in the building.” I am all in on the Paul George Redemption Arc in Boston and this game gave me everything love about PG so far. Would love to see it carry over against Philly.

Paul George on returning to Philadelphia for the first time on Tuesday:

“It will be fun…great relationships over there…a rough tenure in my 2 years there but it will be special to be in the building pic.twitter.com/JRQD3eYwvA

— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) November 9, 2026

3. Jayson Tatum’s Three Ball is Coming Back

Jayson Tatum is having an MVP-level start to his 2026-27 season and his offensive game looks a lot more advanced than it did last season coming off the Torn Achilles. However, the only thing that hasn’t looked great to start the season is his three-point shooting. It doesn’t look like there is anything structurally wrong with his jump shot, they just aren’t going in.

Tatum was shooting 28.6% from three going into this matchup against Milwaukee but they were falling in this game as he finished with 21 points on 5-11 shooting from beyond the arc. Tatum was on fire from beyond the arc to begin the game, finishing the first quarter 4-6 from three. He didn’t shoot another one until the third quarter where he hit his fifth three of the night. The final box score number won’t reflect it, but Tatum is shooting 10-19 in his last two games and is looking more and more like his old self every game. We are due for Tatum three-point avalanche soon, and it will be glorious when it happens.

Jayson Tatum's three ball is looking better and better every day. 10-19 from beyond the arc in his last 2 games pic.twitter.com/k5XFyf5Ebb

— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) November 9, 2026

One thing that has continued to impress me about Tatum this year is his passing. Even shots the Celtics don’t hit, it feels like Tatum is always making the right decision when it comes to finding the open guy at the perimeter when he is driving to the basket. This game marks the 10th straight game where he has had 6 or more assists, and is the longest such streak since the little guy, Isaiah Thomas back in the 2015-16 season. We are really continuing to see Jayson Tatum get better as a player and I would say that he is the best passing forward in the entire NBA.

Jayson Tatum has recorded 6+ assists in 10 straight games dating back to last season.

It's the longest such streak by a Celtic since Isaiah Thomas (10 straight games) in 2015-16. pic.twitter.com/kacW0beIKp

— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) November 9, 2026

4. Mitchell Robinson’s Best Game as a Celtic

There has been some scrutiny with the early season play of Mitchell Robinson so far this year and there were times where just didn’t look like he fit at all on the Celtics. Whether it was injury or just getting into shape, he just hasn’t looked to have found his footing in Boston’s system. However, Robinson showed out with the best game of his Celtics tenure so far, finishing with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals in 18 minutes on 6-6 shooting and a +19.

The first quarter saw Robinson looking engaged early on the glass. He got a put-back layup in his first opportunity on the offensive end and had 2 steals, one of which on an inbound pass that led to a Tatum three. As the game went on we saw him get more and more comfortable on the offensive end, resulting in arguably the play of the night. He found Tatum on the block with a bounce pass and then cut hard to the basket to catch an alley-oop slam in a play that looked straight out of NBA Street. Hopefully, we get to see more of this version of Mitch moving forward. If he continues to play like this, the Celtics offense will be unstoppable.

JAYSON TATUM TO MITCHELL ROBINSON OH MYYYY pic.twitter.com/DmVd2MfIq1

— Brody (@celtsallday_) November 9, 2026

5. Derrick White Hustle Plays

One thing we know about Derrick White is that he always going to do the little things on the court well. He stuffed the stat-sheet in this game against the Bucks, finishing with 9 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on 4-10 shooting. One of the best parts of his game in this one was the fact he made so many plays he had no business getting to.

The first play came in the second quarter and was worthy of a Tommy Point. Baylor Scheierman was blocked on a fast break layup and the ball was rolling out of bounds. Then Derrick White teleported from the three point line to the base line in seconds, saving the ball and finding Paul George underneath the basket for a layup. This was just an incredible acrobatic feat by White and you know Tommy Heinsohn would be freaking out on the broadcast if he saw it. Something like “My goodness, this Derrick White guy is incredible.”

The other play I wanted to highlight came in the same quarter with the Bucks on the fast break. Milwaukee’s rookie Nate Ament only had Jayson Tatum to beat for a fast break bucket but Derrick White came out of no where to make an incredible block. It was initially called a foul and overturned on review but this was the definition of White’s performance in this game. Just out working and out hustling everyone else on the court and it lead to Celtics success.

We got one! Derrick White block, but they call a foul. Celtics are challenging. pic.twitter.com/gmjJwDsFFT

— Danielle H. (@DanielleHobeika) November 9, 2026

6. Offensive Rebounding

One of the biggest reasons why the Celtics were able to beat the Bucks in this game had to do with their offensive rebounding. Boston thoroughly out-rebounded Milwaukee in this matchup, 48-36 and you could tell just by watching. But the biggest thing for the Celtics was that out of their 48 rebounds, 20 of them came as offensive rebounds.

Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta combined for 9 of those boards and almost every player in the Celtics rotation had multiple. This led to more second chance opportunities for Boston to capitalize and resulted in them running up the score against Milwaukee. It was a big stand out for me and it further cemented the great play of the Celtics bigs in this game.

7. Neemias Queta Shot Creation

I just praised Queta’s rebounding ability in this game, but his scoring was also an interesting watch. He finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists on 6-11 shooting in 22 minutes. This game started about as bad as it could for Queta, with only 1 point on 0-4 shooting in the first quarter and almost all of this missed shots were easy layups or defended well by Myles Turner.

However, he found a groove as the game went on and it was his pick and roll navigation that got him going. The Iberian Peninsula connects on a lob where Hugo Gonzalez made a great pass to Queta for a slam. We saw him then be more aggressive when it came to going downhill, including a dunk where the entire Bucks team just watched him go down the lane. We also saw a midrange fadeaway out of him in this game and that shocked me the most. We know he’s already taking threes this season, but I feel like the midrange shot could be an even more dangerous weapon in Queta’s arsenal. Would love to see it come out more this season and I just like the fact he has been able to showcase more of his skills on offense when it comes to creatitng his own shot.

8. Sam Hauser Sorcery

Sam Hauser has sneakily had a very good start to his season so far, averaging 7.7 points on 45.2% shooting from three point range. He played a good game for Boston in this one as well, finishing with 7 points on 3-5 shooting but there was one play in the third quarter that he made me incredibly shocked.

As the final seconds were ticking down, normally Boston would go to Tatum or Pritchard for a buzzer beating shot. But this time, the ball ended up in Hauser’s hands and he put up an insane left handed running layup and it was good. Definitely not the play that would have been drawn up in this situation, but it worked. As Hauser hit the 2022 Marcus Smart staring at his left hand going back to the bench, I had no idea how he made that shot.

I don’t know if it was being back in his home state of Wisconsin, playing in the arena where he played most of his college ball at Marquette, or maybe it was the Packers win today, but Hauser was moving different on this shot. It had me quoting John Wall in his postgame interview to Bradley Beal, “I ain’t never ever seen you act like this before.” We need to see more And-1 Mixtape Sam Hauser this season, just because it is such a great surprise when it happens.

9. Is Payton Pritchard Finding His Shot?

One thing about garbage time during the fourth quarter is that it gives bench guys an opportunity to play and show off their skills that they could use as momentum moving forward. One guy who got a lot of time to play in the fourth today was Payton Pritchard and he might have found something with his shot. On the season Pritchard has not lived up to a lot of the “all-star” expectations some people had and its mostly because of his shooting and is shooting 35% from three.

He has was shooting 3-24 from beyond the arc before he went 4-6 against Charlotte in this Celtics last game, seemingly looking like he fixed it. However, he was 4-11 against the Bucks in this matchup but in the fourth quarter he started to turn it on. Pritchard shot 3-5 from three in 8 minutes of the fourth quarter and looked a lot more comfortable than he had in the past. Hopefully this unlocked his shooting ability again as the Celtics are really going to need him to be an impact scorer again.

10. Mike Conley First Start

I love when Mike Conley gets to play for the Celtics but I never thought we would be seeing him start for the Celtics in the month of November. However, he did start in this game and was serviceable, finishing with 3 points and 3 rebounds on 1-2 shooting from three and even started the third quarter with Boston as well.

One thing I liked about Conley is his passing. He can still get it to guys on the roll in a hurry and it is obvious to see all of the experience he has had in the NBA so far. He kind of reminds me of when Blake Griffin was on the Celtics in the 2022-23 season. It’s just cool to see him in a Celtics uniform. However, I do not think he should be a main stay in the Celtics starting lineup. It does feel like this might have been a “throwaway game” and that’s why Conley got the start but who knows. Either way, good to see Conley out there contributing for Boston.

Mike Conley for threeee pic.twitter.com/rMcouCrIkA

— Danielle H. (@DanielleHobeika) November 9, 2026

When the Toronto Raptors take the court at Scotiabank Arena to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, it’ll be a matchup between two teams that, for better or worse, have been subverting expectations.

Here are three storylines to consider ahead of the 7:30 p.m. EST tip-off on Sportsnet.

Travelling down a similar path

For the most part, when the Raptors square up against teams they should beat, results typically go in their favour. Toronto is 5-1 against teams under .500. Unfortunately, when the competition level shifts into a higher gear, that’s when things begin to unravel for the Raptors. Toronto is a lowly 0-4 against teams above .500.

That specific trend will have to change when the Raptors defend home court against the Grizzlies. The silver lining is that the Raptors are 2-1 at home, albeit during a stretch when teams are still shaking off their pre-season rust.

There’s noticeable discourse surrounding the Raptors’ current record against better competition, but looking back at their 2019 championship season, it wasn’t that different of an experience.

While Toronto was 17-5 in games without Kawhi Leonard, ten of those wins came against non-playoff teams. The quality of their wins obviously didn’t matter at the finish line in 2019, and by default, this year’s team shouldn’t be criticized for it either.

As long as the Raptors continue to take care of business and Leonard is healthy during the post-season, they’ll have a chance. Once Leonard returns, that’s when the bar should be raised.

Life without Kawhi

The Raptors and Leonard experience has always meant that there are two iterations of the team. In 2019, it was a multi-pronged attack fuelled by one of the deepest rosters in league history.

But what does that mean for the 2026-27 Raptors?

While it’s an unreliable two-game sample size with Leonard, the results in shot distribution is a bit surprising.

Field goal attempts per game with Leonard and without

• Scottie Barnes: 22.5 / 18.8
• Jakob Poeltl: 2.0 / 4.5
• Immanuel Quickley: 14.0 / 13.7
• RJ Barrett: 15.0 / 17.2
• Ja’Kobe Walter: 8.0 / 8.7
• Allen Graves: 3.0 / 3.7
• Collin Murray-Boyles: 6.5 / 8.0
• Jamal Shead: 2.5 / 5.7
• Jamison Battle: 0.5 / 2.2

It turns out that Barnes is more aggressive when Leonard is on the court. This revelation might lean into the theory that a superstar raises everyone’s game. Ideally, Barnes is at least being just as involved in the offence, regardless of whether Leonard is playing.

Using this smaller sample size, Quickley, Walter and Graves are involved in the same way with or without Leonard. The most shocking player is Walter, who is universally accepted as visually looking more involved, especially as the default starter when Leonard is missing.

The largest uptick in usage applies to Poeltl, Barrett, Murray-Boyles, Battle and Shead. Poeltl’s involvement can be somewhat attributed to health. It makes sense that Barrett is taking advantage of the opportunities and his aggressive approach leans into a Leonard-less environment.

Murray-Boyles should always see more attempts, as should Battle. While Shead’s added usage can sometimes work against the Raptors, it’s great seeing him be more aggressive.

Grit and Cold Grizzlies

After reeling off six consecutive victories to begin the season, the Grizzlies have come back to Earth. Memphis is 0-3 in November, with losses against the New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Grizzlies boast a fun team capable of unexpected performances. Ty Jerome might be a household name by the end of the year and is an early fantasy basketball league winner. Meanwhile, Cameron Boozer is authoring one of the most impressive starts to a rookie campaign.

It’s the exact kind of team capable of catching the Raptors by surprise.

After a blinding start in which they led by 14 early, the Milwaukee Bucks ultimately succumbed to the Boston Celtics, losing 117-97. Put simply, the Celtics were the more physical team, and they dictated the game for most of it. A key reason for this was that Milwaukee’s primary big men were both horrendous, so much so that Jenkins turned to Jericho Sims in the second half over Kel’el Ware. I will say that the C’s made a bunch of tough shots—Paul George in particular—and you can’t really do much about that. 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

20 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 2/4 FG, 2/3 3P, -7

Rollins wasn’t horrible, but like Jakucionis, he just couldn’t find any separation to attack. And when he did try to attack, he was swallowed up and turned the ball over, or he threw a grenade to someone else. I also didn’t feel like Rollins’ point-of-attack defence was any great shakes.

Grade: C-

Tyler Herro

26 minutes, 13 points, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 5/12 FG, 1/5 3P, -3

The Celtics seemed much more prepared for Herro than they were for the last matchup, picking him up higher on the floor and waiting more intently in the gaps. They wanted to squeeze the floor on Herro, make him a passer, and bet they could recover to shooters, which they did for the most part. Again, Herro is not a real number one option, and when he comes up against teams who can send guys in waves at him, this can be the result. Not sure how much the knee injury—which he did come back and play with—impacted his performance.

Grade: C-

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

22 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1/3 FG, 0/2 3P , 4/4 FT, -6

Jaquez just made no impact whatsoever. Had no ability even to generate shots, let alone make them. At least he wasn’t just chucking for the hell of it, though. Jaquez was tasked with guarding Paul George and got lit up, but honestly, I thought a lot of PG’s shots were well contested.

Grade: D+

Kyle Kuzma

31 minutes, 27 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 10/17 FG, 6/13 3P, -4

Kuzma started like a house on fire with 16 points in the first quarter, then scored 11 for the rest of the game. I liked his shot selection to start the game, which helped him get hot and then make a few tough ones. However, once you miss your second heat check, it’s time to put the cue in the rack and run real offence. Kuzma didn’t do that; he took like three or four horrendous shots in the first quarter while the floor wasn’t set, which is exactly what allowed the Celtics to get back into the game so quickly. To be clear, Kuzma was far from the biggest issue, but his recklessness late in the quarter sullied his terrific start. On the plus side, his defence on Tatum was excellent for majority of the game.

Grade: B

Myles Turner

24 minutes, 3 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1/8 FG, 0/3 3P, -3

I mean, while he contributed in other areas—including getting four of his seven assists in the first quarter—this was, by and large, another horrendous game from Turner, who once again looked like a boy among men. And it’s not like he was matching up with Hakeem Olajuwon; this was Neemias Queta, who, with all due respect, is a low-end starter. Turner had some truly horrendous sequences where he looked a step late on every decision. I hate to get into these areas, but Turner doesn’t look fit to me; he looks out of shape and is moving worse than he did even last year.

Grade: D-

Kel’el Ware

9 minutes, 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0/2 FG, -15

I’ve seen some online chatter about whether Ware should start over Turner, and honestly, I’m not on board because he’s been even worse! Struggling to catch basic passes, poor drop defence in the pick-and-roll, and no rebounding presence. Didn’t play in the second half, and rightfully so.

Grade: F

Kasparas Jakucionis

7 minutes, 1 point, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 0/1 FG, 0/1 3P, -11

Jakucionis struggled to get anywhere; he looked outmatched by the Celtics’ physical guards, which is exactly what happened when they last played Boston.

Grade: D+

Brayden Burries

28 minutes, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 5/11 FG, 1/4 3P, -12

As usual, Burries made an impact as a rebounder, with four of his eight boards coming on the offensive glass. Also got to some great mid-range looks against a bevy of tough defenders. Remains a struggle from three, but that will come. Yet again, Burries was one of the biggest cheerleaders from the bench; doesn’t go unnoticed.

Grade: B+

AJ Green

18 minutes, 5 points, 2/6 FG, 1/5 3P, -21

Made a nice up-and-under move, but otherwise nothing all that noteworthy from Green in this one.

Grade: C-

Nate Ament

23 minutes, 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 5/9 FG, 2/4 3P, -14

Another solid game for Ament, who punished the Celtics for helping off him. I said before the season that Ament had to find his niche as an NBA player, and the path of least resistance was to build from the outside in; well, he seems to be doing that. I’ve also noted that I wanted to see Ament make teams feel his presence more, and he’s starting to do that. Showed some great stuff as a rebounder, grabbing two O-boards and putting shots back in around the rim, along with a nice finish in traffic and more great wing defence possessions guarding Tatum.

Grade: B

Ousmane Dieng

15 minutes, 10 points, 3/3 FG, 2/2 3P, -2

A nice get-right game for Dieng, who finally saw the ball go through the hoop in this one. He didn’t show much of the enticing creation ability we saw toward the back end of last season—mainly because the ball wasn’t really in his hands—but it was a nice starting point for Dieng to build confidence.

Grade: B-

Jericho Sims

15 minutes, 2 points, 1/3 FG, -2

I thought Sims gave them a defensive boost; he also set solid screens to get guys open and moving downhill. Shot a three, which was interesting. Other than that, nothing much to report.

Grade: C

Taylor Jenkins

Let’s move off the bigs and talk about the guard rotation. They’ve struggled to get multiple of the four guards—Herro, Burries, Rollins, and Jakucionis—working well together. I understand starting Herro and Burries for a range of reasons, but neither is a true point guard, and there seems to be a weird push-and-pull where neither feels like they can play their natural game. I don’t love the fit, but I also don’t know that I’d mess with it; after all, the team has started great in each of the last two games. That said, I do think that getting Rollins more minutes alongside one or both of these players would have a net positive effect on the team (even if their individual scoring numbers might go down). Of course, they’re also trying to play Jakucionis, whose minutes are dwindling by the game. Honestly, I might sit KJ completely for a few games, give his minutes to Rollins, and see if that works. The other option would be sitting Green, but he’s been largely quite good, so that feels undeserved (plus, I think they’d like to keep Green in the rotation for trade value purposes). In any event, Jenkins needs to find answers for the lack of overall guard production in recent games, even though, yes, there’s no panacea staring him in the face. I would also look at incorporating more sets to get the guards going downhill more and playing one-on-one less; things have felt pretty stagnant at times over the last few games.

Grade: C-

DNP-CD: Caris LeVert,

Inactive: Kam Jones, Cormac Ryan, Pete Nance, Bogoljub Markovic, Gary Trent Jr.

What We Learnt

A key reason the Bucks can struggle to rebound—despite being a good rebounding team overall—is personnel. Turner seems to have lost much of his athleticism, Sims is undersized, and Ware’s attitude can wax and wane. When they’re not relying on their team-wide concepts (gang crashing, tagging up), they can get found out.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• Jenkins said they will evaluate how Tyler Herro feels today after a Celtics player landed on his knee. They don’t think it’s anything serious, but it sounds like missing a game or two is possible.
• Jenkins was much more subdued at last night’s presser than at the last game’s, highlighting the good things his team did to build the initial lead rather than the bad things they did to give it up.
• Jenkins also backed Turner, pointing out his non-scoring contributions: “He’s just going through a rough patch right now… Two games ago against Boston, he had a heck of a game. He’s just got to stay the course.”
• Jakucionis’ minutes over his last three games: 12, 10, and seven.
• From the end of the first to the start of the second, Boston went on an 18-0 run.
• Interior defence was an issue yet again; the Celtics destroyed the Bucks 44-28 in that area.

After holding their own to start the season, the Bucks have gotten crushed in the possession battle of late.

Last 3 Games:
True Shot Attempt Difference: -39.8 (-13.3/game)

First 7 Games:
True Shot Attempt Difference: -18.68 (-2.7/game)

— Justin García 🎙 | @justingarcianba.bsky.social (@JustinGarciaNBA) November 9, 2026

Up Next

The Bucks travel to the Big Apple today to face the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. Watch at 6:30 p.m. CST on MY24.

Start your week off with a feel-good story.

@Ed_Newton baptizes Spurs Rookie Tarris Reed at @CBCSocial San Antonio’s Community Bible Church pic.twitter.com/QRxlnzfKnA

— Don Harris (@DonHarris4) November 6, 2026

As posted by News 4 San Antonio’s Don Harris, Spurs draftee Tarris Reed, Jr. was recently baptized by Ed Newton, senior pastor at Community Bible Church here in San Antonio. The CBC as it commonly known, has a system of campuses and services throughout San Antonio. A sect of the Church of Jesus Christ, founded on the Day of Pentecost, serves an estimated 20,000 members across the city.

Reed, originally from St. Louis, Missouri, has only been in San Antonio a short time. The CBC, which offers baptism regularly, welcomed him and in late October, the Spurs new center joined the congregation through the symbolic spiritual cleansing ritual.

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As I sit back and reflect on the third week of the NBA season, I find myself pondering the same question I ask every week: What did we learn? 

The Phoenix Suns went 2-2 this week, and my biggest takeaway is a reminder that, despite the rocky and occasionally frustrating path they’ve taken to get here, this team is ultimately performing relatively close to what we expected from an overall perspective. Think about it. Las Vegas projected the Suns to win 38.5 games this season. Based on our polling here at Bright Side of the Sun, the majority of respondents believed Phoenix would finish somewhere between 44 and 47 wins. What does that tell us? Regardless of which projection you subscribe to, we’re talking about a team expected to hover somewhere around .500.

And what does a team hovering around .500 look like? Inconsistent. There are going to be lapses in execution, questions about schematic philosophies, frustrating rotations, and stretches where the team struggles to establish any semblance of consistency. There will be games you believe Phoenix should win, only for one of those deficiencies to rear its ugly head and derail the evening. Conversely, there will be nights that appear to be scheduled losses, only for the Suns to exceed expectations and deliver a performance that reminds you why you were optimistic about them in the first place. That’s the nature of a team living somewhere in the middle.

Yet because we experience the season one game at a time, dissecting every possession, rotation, adjustment, and coaching decision, our reactions tend to swing wildly from one extreme to the other. One night we’re questioning the direction of the franchise, and the next we’re convincing ourselves that perhaps this team has figured something out. It’s an emotional roller coaster, and when you’re invested in every outcome, it’s difficult to avoid getting caught up in the moment. But when you pull back and examine the bigger picture, the trajectory of this team remains relatively aligned with what we believed it would be before the season began.

Granted, I don’t think many of us anticipated this particular path. We might have expected different strengths, different weaknesses, or a more predictable formula for success. That’s the beauty of an NBA season. There is no predetermined route to reaching your expectations. The journey reveals itself through the games, the adjustments, the unexpected contributions, and the opportunities that emerge along the way. And that’s what makes watching it worthwhile.

The frustrations of one night and the elation of the next are all part of the experience. We can scrutinize the minutiae, debate what needs to change, and celebrate the moments when things finally click, but ultimately, the Suns are navigating a season that, so far, looks an awful lot like the one we anticipated.

It’s also worth remembering that Phoenix hasn’t exactly been handed an easy opening stretch. According to ESPN, the Suns have faced the toughest schedule in the NBA to begin the season. That context matters, particularly for a roster still developing chemistry, establishing rotations, and learning how to execute consistently within its systems.

Perhaps as that continuity develops, players accumulate more minutes together, and the schedule begins to soften, the Suns will find themselves moving closer to the winning percentage we expected when the season began.

Because while a 3-5 record might feel disappointing in the moment, it doesn’t necessarily indicate that this team is falling short of its projected destiny. It might simply be the early turbulence that comes with being exactly the kind of team we thought it was. And that is what I learned this week.

Week 3 Record: 2-2

@ Golden State Warriors, L, 116-113

vs. Portland Trail Blazers, L, 132-119

vs. Orlando Magic, W, 117-104

vs. Houston Rockets, W, 102-99

Malu-Watch

We’re beginning to see some progress from Khaman Maluach as the season continues. Much like our overall expectations for the Suns, inconsistency is going to be part of the equation, and that’s perfectly understandable for a young player still learning how to navigate the NBA. His hands aren’t always reliable, his positioning can be questionable, and there are moments when his inexperience is painfully evident. But his effectiveness, combined with his desire to compete, is creating opportunities, and he’s beginning to capitalize on them.

When we look at his restocks per 36, the combination of rebounds, steals, and blocks, Maluach posted a total of 16.6 this past week, his highest weekly mark of the season. Much of that production came against the Houston Rockets, when he delivered a stellar performance in 18 minutes off the bench, grabbing 10 rebounds, blocking two shots, and recording a steal. That performance translated to an impressive 25.5 restocks per 36 minutes.

Now, you can certainly point to the fact that Houston was without Steven Adams and Clint Capela, which created a favorable opportunity for Maluach to make an impact. And you’d be correct. Their absence opened a door that might otherwise have remained closed. But here’s the important part. Maluach walked through that door.

His rebounding percentage is gradually improving as well. Among NBA players who averaged at least 15 minutes per game this past week, Maluach ranked 22nd with a 16.6% rebound percentage. That same 16.6% mark leads the Suns for the season, further illustrating how valuable his presence can be on the glass for a team that desperately needs help in that department.

I  like the adjustment Jordan Ott has made by bringing Maluach off the bench. Do we ultimately want to see him become the starting center? Absolutely. But there’s value in allowing him to develop in a role that better suits where he is right now. Oso Ighodaro provides greater offensive stability with his ability to facilitate and operate within the flow of the system, while his defensive versatility gives Phoenix more flexibility when switching assignments.

After all, the Suns’ starting lineup with Maluach has posted a troubling -21 net rating. That’s a significant indicator that the original configuration wasn’t producing the desired results, regardless of how much we want to prioritize the rookie’s development.

Ott deserves credit for recognizing that and making the adjustment. Bringing Maluach off the bench allows him to continue gaining valuable experience, capitalize on favorable matchups, and build confidence without the immediate responsibility of anchoring a starting unit that’s still trying to establish its identity.It’s an adjustment that benefits both the team and the player, and as Maluach continues to develop, those opportunities should only become more meaningful.

Stat Me, Dave

I used up my Ryan Dunn stat yesterday, and that was a good one. So I’ll have to dig and find a different one…

Let’s do this one: Devin Booker is 5th in the NBA in high-leverage points per game.

We know clutch, right? 5 minutes, 5-point margin. “High leverage” goes a bit beyond that. Per HoopsJunkie, “high leverage possessions are the moments in a game where the outcome hangs in the balance. These are the plays that can meaningfully swing a game’s win probability and they tend to occur in close games as time winds down.”

I recommend delving into their metrics to how they determine it, but the fact that Booker is 5th in the NBA in the metric is of note.

Next Week

Four more games are on the slate for the Phoenix Suns in Week 4, beginning tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. This is a team that has won seven consecutive games after dropping its first two contests of the season, with its most recent victory coming against the Portland Trail Blazers. San Antonio is beginning to look like a machine, particularly with its three-guard combination of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper. That trio, alongside Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama, has produced a staggering +30.3 net rating in 100 minutes together. It’s a lineup that presents problems on both ends of the floor, and Phoenix will have its hands full trying to slow it down.

CAREER NIGHT FOR VICTOR WEMBANYAMA 🚨

🤯 52 PTS (CAREER-HIGH)
🤯 24 REB (CAREER-HIGH)
🤯 8 BLK

FIRST PLAYER WITH 50+ PTS, 20+ REB, 5+ BLK SINCE BOB MCADOO IN 1974. pic.twitter.com/lHzUhYYSTz

— NBA (@NBA) November 5, 2026

After that, the schedule begins to lighten up a bit as the Suns host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. The Clippers appear to be heading in the opposite direction of San Antonio, struggling to establish any meaningful momentum early in the season. And while Phoenix will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back, this is hopefully one of those opportunities where the Suns can take care of business without making things unnecessarily complicated.

Thursday brings a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, along with an opportunity to welcome Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen back to the friendly confines of Phoenix. Despite the impressive individual performances we’ve seen from Allen, Charlotte has lost six consecutive games and currently sits at 3-7. A team that reached the Play-In Tournament last season appears to be heading in the wrong direction, making this another matchup where Phoenix should have an opportunity to capitalize.

The week concludes next Sunday when the Suns face the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time this season, closing out their current seven-game homestand. And the Lakers, led by Luka Doncic, have been absolutely eviscerating opponents offensively. Los Angeles leads the NBA in scoring at 122.0 points per game, while also ranking third in steals at 10.7 and third in blocks at 6.5.

So while much of the attention surrounding the Lakers understandably centers on Luka and their offensive firepower, their defensive production deserves recognition as well. They possess the ability to overwhelm opponents with their scoring while generating enough defensive disruption to create additional opportunities on the other end.

It’s an interesting week ahead for Phoenix. The Spurs and Lakers present significant challenges, while the Clippers and Hornets offer opportunities to build momentum. If the Suns can continue developing the defensive identity we’ve witnessed over their past two victories, there’s a chance to turn a difficult opening stretch into something that begins to resemble the team we expected entering the season.

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Last week, the majority of the community voted that the Suns would finish 2-2. Where do they finish this week?

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That’s it for this week, Bright Siders. Stay frosty.