Category: NBA

Who needs Luka Doncic when you have the US equivalent from Newark, Arkansas, Austin Reaves? The Los Angeles Lakers guard scored a game-high 43 as his MVP-level teammate rested with a back injury, propelling LA past the Detroit Pistons 121-116.

Honestly, the game had no reason to be as close as it was in the end. The Lakers led 40-14 one basket into the second quarter courtesy of insane shotmaking (hitting 72% from the floor) and an insane amount of Pistons miscues, including having more turnovers (eight) than made baskets (six).

But the Pistons, being the Pistons, weren’t about to give up. While Detroit pulled within one point early in the fourth quarter, the Lakers led wire to wire. So while it was only marginally competitive from Detroit’s point of view, it was certainly an instructive game. Here are some of the things I learned:

1. Kevin Huerter

Kevin Huerter is going to be a critical component of the Pistons’ rotation this season. In a game where Detroit’s entire backcourt didn’t really show up to play (both Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson were largely no-shows until some fourth-quarter scoring), Huerter was by far the biggest bright spot for the Pistons.

It also happened to be his best game in a Detroit uniform. Huerter hit four three-pointers, scored 24 points overall, and added five rebounds, five assists, five blocks(?!) and two steals. Ever since the Pistons traded for him at the deadline last season, it was clear Huerter makes winning plays, and you were hoping he’d be able to combine that with rediscovering his 3-point shooting stroke from earlier in his career. The early returns indicate the shot might be back, as well as everything that goes with it. After tonight, he’s hitting 40% from deep this season.

2. John Collins and Paul Reed

Detroit’s starting front court simply does not work, and it will never work. For as long as Jalen Duren remains sidelined or off the floor this season, this is going to be a significant issue for the Pistons. Duren is ramping back up from a hamstring injury and will be out two more weeks. Detroit has been, and will continue to be able to weather that storm. But it ain’t pretty, and any additional time off from Duren will have me significantly worried.

Most will want to pin the blame on the newcomer John Collins, and he has certainly played worse than Reed, but I think it’s the combination that brings out the worst in both players. Each is the kind of big man that relies on the gravity from teammates that allows them to use their athleticism to create the chaos that makes them effective. With both of them on the floor, it’s two bouncy balls pinging around the floor with no semblance of a plan on how to actually get the ball to the rim. The defense is also bad, and the rebounding is even worse. It’s an ugly situation, and it was exacerbated tonight by both men getting out-physicaled by the behemoth seven-footer Walker Kessler. Kessler, the Lakers’ big offseason addition, had 12 points and 16 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. The Lakers also dominated the Pistons in the paint, 58-46.

Again, the lion’s share of the blame goes to Collins. He’s been quite bad all season, and it’s getting less clear by the day how he’s going to turn it around and be a positive force for the Pistons. I don’t think he’s ever met a 50-50 ball he couldn’t surrender to the opposition. But the pathway to him playing well lies with sharing the floor with Duren. Get well soon, JD.

3. Austin Reaves

The Pistons were correct in trying to give Austin Reaves the bag this offseason. Detroit reportedly was ready to give the wing a max contract this offseason as the second scorer and potential missing piece in a Detroit Pistons title run. Once the Lakers believed the pending RFA had a max offer on the table, they quickly moved to get an agreement to sign him on the eve of free agency so he’d never hit the market.

Reaves was insane tonight. The degree of difficulty on his shots begged belief. He was able to create space, get balanced, and score at all three levels. It was a sight to behold, and he was by far the best player on the floor for either team tonight.

4. Daniss Jenkins

Daniss has that dog in him, especially under two scenarios: 1. There is an impending buzzer. 2. He feels like his team is getting punked. Jenkins was truly the other hero of the game behind Huerter. He hit yet another buzzer-beater tonight, and he scored a career-high 31 points. When the Pistons were down huge, Jenkins got that look in his eye, as if to say, “This is not going to happen.”

From there, Jenkins started firing away from deep, and he was hitting. In the end, he canned eight three-pointers. He was also the ONLY Pistons player to go to the free-throw line more than once in the game. Really, Jenkins is like a better version of Marcus Sasser. He’s got scoring in his blood, and he’s more of an off-guard than a point guard, despite being stuck in a point guard’s body. He’s got three inches on Sasser and better floor vision, so he’s better overall and can cosplay as a point guard better than Sass, but Jenkins works best in this Pistons lineup when he’s not running the offense.

4. The refs.

The referees love the Lakers. Nothing else needs to be said.

The Lakers’ star guard banked in a fadeaway three-pointer. He nailed a clutch step-back with 44.5 seconds left. He trash-talked with fans.

Luka Doncic?

No, Austin Reaves.

Reaves embodied Doncic in almost every way Sunday, leading the Lakers to a 121-116 win over the Detroit Pistons as Doncic sat out with low back tightness. The Lakers replaced the guard averaging a league-high 40.1 points with Reaves’ season-high 43 points, four assists and five rebounds.

The Lakers (9-2) needed every bit of Reaves’ magic. Their 26-point second-quarter lead nearly evaporated under an avalanche of second-half turnovers and 53 combined points from Detroit bench guards Daniss Jenkins and Kevin Huerter.

Fresh off a max contract extension, Reaves has had a quiet, yet ruthlessly efficient start to the year in Doncic’s shadow. Doncic is getting most valuable player chants each time he steps to the free throw line. Reaves, averaging 25.3 points per game on 50.8% shooting from the field and 41.3% from three, has at times looked clumsy while getting comfortable with new teammates in the minutes without Doncic.

Read more:Luka Doncic's historic run jump-starts early MVP conversation

He looked comfortable in the starring role again Sunday. Reaves hit a seemingly impossible baseline fadeaway in the first quarter, flinging the ball almost over the backboard. When two fans sitting opposite the Lakers bench started chirping at Reaves, he bent down, put his hands on his knees during a stoppage of play and talked directly at them for several seconds.

Doncic, dressed in black pants and a gray jacket, took it all in from the sideline.

“Sometimes when they’re playing together, AR kind of has to take a secondary role,” said center Walker Kessler, who had 12 points and 16 rebounds, including a clutch put-back, three-point play that put the Lakers up by eight with 2:15 remaining. “But I mean, as you can see now, he’s very capable. He’s a heck of a playmaker, heck of a scorer and a competitor.”

On the front side of a back-to-back, Doncic missed his second game of the season with low back tightness, although Lakers coach JJ Redick said he didn’t anticipate it to affect Doncic significantly throughout the season.

The Slovenian superstar is averaging a league-high 40.1 points per game, but Doncic was doing more than just scoring at rates not seen since Wilt Chamberlain. His estimated on/off of 37.7 — the difference between the Lakers’ net rating when he was on the court compared to off — was the second-highest in the league, following only Victor Wembanyama’s 41.5. In addition to having the highest scoring average through nine games since Chamberlain, Doncic is the team’s second-leading rebounder at 7.8 per game and is second with 1.7 steals.

But the Lakers already showed they could compete without Doncic this season. They dominated the Clippers on Oct. 28 when he was sidelined, also with back tightness.

Just as they did against the Clippers, the Lakers needed contributions from everyone. Ziaire Williams hit four three-pointers and finished with 17 points. Collin Sexton, serving as the Lakers’ second ball-handler, had 17 points on five-of-10 shooting.

Jarred Vanderbilt’s energetic six rebounds, two assists and one block in less than six minutes during the first quarter helped lift the Lakers to a 26-point lead early in the second.

The Pistons, playing without All-NBA center Jalen Duren (hamstring), didn’t get their first points from star point guard Cade Cunningham until early in the third quarter. Instead, Jenkins nearly mounted the comeback on his own.

Jenkins, a familiar Lakers foe who scored 30 points in Detroit’s win over the Lakers here last year, scored 22 points of his career-high 31 in the first half, cutting the Lakers’ 26-point lead to 13 by halftime. He drained a three-pointer at the buzzer that injected life into the antsy home crowd. The Lakers, who have benefited from two halftime buzzer-beating heaves from Doncic this season, know what it’s like to be on the other side of that momentum swing.

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

Pistons fans banging inflatable thunder sticks erupted in the third quarter as Detroit ripped off an 11-0 run to close the lead to three with 1:03 remaining in the quarter. The Lakers, playing with Sexton as their primary ball-handler during the stretch, had four turnovers during the drought, including a shot clock violation after a timeout.

Reaves rested from the sideline during the slide, but Redick stayed committed to the pre-determined rotation matrix to ensure star players get their necessary breaks.

“If you start just overreacting in-game and saying ‘I gotta get this guy back in, I gotta get this guy back in,’ it’s just chaos,” Redick said. “And we’re trying to create consistency for our players.”

Redick called Reaves “Mr. Consistency” earlier this season. He had 13 points in the third quarter, including five straight on difficult fadeway jumpers that pushed the lead to 17 with 6:41 to go in the third. After his step-back three from the wing kissed off the glass and rattled through the rim, Reaves shrugged.

“It was 100% lucky,” Reaves said.

Reaves shot Doncic’s shots then talked Doncic’s talk. After hitting the dagger shot to put the Lakers up by eight with 44.5 seconds left, Reaves turned and waved goodbye directly to the two fans sitting courtside.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Spurs put together two of their finest wins during SEGABAGA road victories over Sacramento and Portland. When the NBA schedule came out, my sister and I reviewed which game that we’d want to go to, saw the airfare prices to and from Austin and San Antonio…. and concluded Sacramento made the most sense for both of us.

Some observations from an excellent night in the Golden Center:

Kings’ rookie guardDarius Acuff

The best comp that I could come up with was slightly slower and less athletic Allen Iverson with Jamal Murray’s shooting range on offense. However, he and the rest of his teammates seemed lost on most defensive possessions, which resulted in quite a few paint points for San Antonio.

(Lack of) Crowd Control

Not only were there wide swaths of the lower bowl that had empty seats, but there was entire rows in the second level that lacked humans, too. Though the Kings did themselves no favors by falling and staying behind by nearly 20 points most of the game, the ambience itself lacked the fervor of past seasons.

Things I saw in-person that I haven’t noticed on the good ole television:

• Luke Kornet seems 15-20 pounds heavier than last season.
• Domantas Sabonis tried a lot of his bull-in-a-china-shop physicality on Wembanyama in the paint – something that worked well in earlier seasons – but found it no longer works for him beyond occasionally.
• Dylan Harper (see highlights below) looked like the best guard out there.
• Wembanyama suffered his infamous face-plant during game 2 of the first-round series and turned his ankle rather gruesomely on Sabonis’ closeout tonight – so maybe I shouldn’t be going to these games in-person anymore.
• I’m sad I didn’t get video evidence of Jordan McLaughlin’s dunk attempt in the second half. It was impressive!
• Chik-Fil-A rewarded its fans with a free appetizer if a Spur missed two free throws in a row, and this might have been the biggest win tonight in Sacramento…. with the exception that fans had to claim their victory a) in the app and b) before 10 AM the next morning. I’ll take breakfast tacos anytime.
• What started as a bad omen but ultimately was a big nothing-burger: the Spurs’ rim was being repaired for over 20 minutes right after Wembanyama finished his pre-game prep, affecting the tip-off by roughly 15 minutes or so. Right before the repairs took place, I was impressed with Wembanyama’s (mostly) in-motion routine instead of just practicing stand-still jumpers:

Pregame wemby fullcourt pic.twitter.com/7ADKrE7TyZ

— Gary Q from San Jose (@pattythrills) November 9, 2026

Highlights:

The audacity AND accuracy of Stephon Castle’s re-direction here to Vassell in the first period will likely put this in the season-ending highglight rankings:

Q1 castle assist pic.twitter.com/QoKowQyVXB

— Gary Q from San Jose (@pattythrills) November 7, 2026

Speaking of Devin, this literally was a logo jumper late in the first quarter:

Q1 devin bailout pic.twitter.com/MzQqyXh86I

— Gary Q from San Jose (@pattythrills) November 7, 2026

There were shades of young Tony Parker on this and-1 by Harper.

Q1 Dylan and1 pic.twitter.com/lV993LwzBm

— Gary Q from San Jose (@pattythrills) November 7, 2026

About $90 million of salary failed to box out Wembanyama on this follow slam.

Q2 atrocious kings d pic.twitter.com/D3KNJEWZSl

— Gary Q from San Jose (@pattythrills) November 7, 2026

Castle – for my more mature audience – is like a latter generation Dominique Wilkins with these two-footed lob jams on anybody and everybody

Q3 vic to steph lob pic.twitter.com/z2XpSqdaY4

— Gary Q from San Jose (@pattythrills) November 7, 2026

These simple two-man motions with Victor and a guard and shooters on the other side are good enough to win a lot of regular season games while keeping both the big man and his teammates happy. Devin’s shotmaking ability late in the shotclock is exquisite.

Q4 Devin vic 2man pic.twitter.com/icsMWFHVzx

— Gary Q from San Jose (@pattythrills) November 7, 2026

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On a personal note, this was the first chance to watch the Spurs in-person with my sister and her two kids since my dad passed. During the last Spurs game here in Sacramento on March 17, my dad suffered his last major fall hurriedly trying to get into his TV room to watch the game. My Kings rep Gavin was kind enough to gift us post-game free throws, and Shirley credited my dad for willing her free throw into the net.

My attempt felt like a ham-fisted Shaq free throw coming out of my hands, but it also founds its way home:

I made my ft's tonight @poundingtherockpic.twitter.com/mcuS1dRfBO

— Gary Q from San Jose (@pattythrills) November 7, 2026

Closure.

The Lakers controlled most of Sunday afternoon’s game against the Pistons, including withstanding a furious rally in the second half to pick up a big road win, 121-116.

The purple and gold were without Luka Dončić for the contest as he was ruled out on Sunday morning with lower back tightness. Still, the team set the tone from the start and jumped out to a big lead in the first.

Detroit steadily chipped away at the lead before flying back into the contest in the fourth quarter with a big run with Austin Reaves on the bench. From there, it was a tight affair to the final buzzer.

LA finished with 16 turnovers but scored 23 points off Detroit’s 13 turnovers. They also outscored the Pistons 58-46 in the paint with many of those points from Detroit coming in garbage time.

LA got off to a solid start with Matisse Thybulle stealing the ball, leading to Austin Reaves converting a layup. Thybulle was also left wide open under the basket for an easy two points. Los Angeles continued their strong start, going on an 8-0 scoring run that featured two triples from Quentin Grimes. 

Grimes and Austin Reaves combined for 14 points. 

The Lakers built a 14-point lead. Detroit was shooting 26% from the field. LA scored 14 points off the Pistons’ seven turnovers. 

What a start. Lakers defense suffocating.

— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) November 8, 2026

An incredible quarter ended with Los Angeles getting help from each player who checked in. Sandro Mamukelashvili had five points and Ziaire Williams had eight off the bench. Grimes was in double figures with 10. 

Jarred Vanderbilt grabbed six rebounds and dished two dimes. The purple and gold were up by 24 at the end of the first.

Go ahead Q 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/kqX6XvhzSh

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 8, 2026

Detroit woke up offensively to start the second period. Daniss Jenkins and Kevin Huerter combined for nine points, slowly chipping away at LA’s lead. The Pistons had taken over the momentum, shooting 42% from the field, while the Lakers sh-ot 21%. 

Los Angeles’ 26-point lead dwindled to 12. 

Williams was a bright spot for LA. With Luka Dončić out, he and Grimes were stepping up with 11 points each. Los Angeles’ suffocating defense from the first quarter had evaporated as they continued to leave Jenkins open for triples.

It was a Jenkins takeover as he ended the quarter with 22 points and was 6-7 from behind the arc. The Lakers weathered the storm enough to lead by 12 at halftime. 

Can't double off of Jenkins in that guard to guard screen with Cade.

— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) November 9, 2026

Momentum reversed again with LA starting the third period, building on their lead once more on the shoulders of Reaves. Reaves scored 13 points, pushing his total to an insane 32.

Huerter tried to keep the Pistons in it with back-to-back buckets. Cade Cunningham also saw the ball go in the basket, scoring four points.

It was all Reaves, though. He helped put the Lakers up by 17 with 6:30 left in the quarter. Detroit responded with Jenkins and Duncan Robinson each draining triples. The Pistons were outscoring LA 25-23 in the quarter.

Austin Reaves is carrying the Lakers’ offense against the league’s best defense with some stellar shotmaking and mismatch-hunting. He’s up to a season-high 32 points on 12-for-19 shooting.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 9, 2026

Things took an absolute turn for the worse for the purple and gold as they fell apart and allowed Detroit to go on an 11-0 scoring run.

Collin Sexton restored some order for LA, scoring four in a row to put them up by seven at the end of the third. 

The final frame was all Pistons early as they tied the game on the shoulders of Jenkins, who continued to shoot ridiculous from behind the arc. He was 8-13 from three and had 28 points.

For Los Angeles, Sexton was feeling it, scoring four points, helping put the Lakers back up. It was a three-point game with 6:59 left.

Crunch time became a back-and-forth affair as the teams traded baskets. Detroit made it a one-point game, but Williams responded by draining a triple. Jake LaRavia further extended the lead with a pair of free throws.

Robinson then made it a three-point game with 3:16 left.

The Lakers answered the call with Reaves, Kessler and Williams taking over the scoring duties, combining for 10 points, including a massive three from Reaves in the final minute.

AUSTIN REAVES WITH A DAGGER THREE TO DETROIT pic.twitter.com/gxox4lrK4v

— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) November 9, 2026

Sexton had seemingly put the game away with free throws, but fouled Jenkins on the other end from behind the arc. Jenkins made all three free throws to make it a four-point game with 26 seconds left.

Sexton rectified the situation with two free throws. Detroit played the foul game and fouled Reaves, who then iced the win with a pair of free throws. 

Key Player Stats

Reaves finished with 41 points, five rebounds and four assists. Kessler ended with 12 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Grimes pitched in with 12 points and four assists. Williams had a stellar showing off the bench with 17 points. Vanderbilt did the dirty work with 10 rebounds and three dimes. 

Mamu logged seven points. Sexton scored 17 points. 

The Lakers’ next game will be against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday at 4:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

The Washington Wizards face off against the Detroit Pistons tomorrow. Let’s get to it.

Game info

When: Monday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m. ET

Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit

How to watch: Monumental Sports Network

How to listen: The Team 980 AM, 106.7-2 FM

Injury Report

Wizards: Reece Beekman, Tristan Vukcevic, Justin Champagnie and Jamir Watkins are out. Anthony Davis is day-to-day.

Pistons: Jalen Duren is out. Isaiah Joe is day-to-day.

Pregame notes

The Wizards will play the Pistons for the second time in the 2026-27 season tomorrow. Okay, I’ll clarify. The Wizards will play the Pistons for their first regular season game tomorrow on the road, but it isn’t their first match if you include preseason games.

Washington defeated Detroit 114-108 on Oct. 10 at home though … preseason is preseason. Though the Wizards are starting out better than the last couple seasons, they are now on a three game losing streak and this is not the time for them to fall further behind.

The Pistons are 6-2 as of the time of this writing, and will have a winning record regardless of what happens with their game against the Los Angeles Lakers. At least Washington will have the benefit of not being on a back-to-back. Detroit will. We’ll see what happens.

MILWAUKEE — Mike Conley will get his first start of the season when the Celtics face the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night. Conley, who has mostly been out of the rotation, played a season-high 11 minutes on Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets.

In his 20th NBA season, Conley is averaging career-lows across the board; he’s tallying just 3 points and 0.3 assists in 7 minutes per game across three appearances. But, on Sunday night, he’ll get a rare opportunity to see more extended minutes.

Conley, who has been a starter in the NBA for the majority of his career, told CelticsBlog before the season that he knew mentorship would be one of his important responsibilities while his on-court minutes vary.

“It’s part of the job at this stage of my career,” he said. “I understand it. I understand there’s going to be a lot of times where I don’t play. There’s going to be some times where I’m needed. There are other times where I’m just needed to be the voice for a big stretch of the season. Being comfortable with that, and being able to own that, is my role and my job.”

And, while Conley hasn’t played much so far, he has been a crucial voice in the locker room, particularly to Payton Pritchard, who has routinely asked him questions throughout the season.

“As somebody that’s looked up to Mike, [I ask him] how he thinks of the game and how he was able to create his shots and create shots for his teammates and maybe handle playing the point guard position, momentum swings,” Pritchard said. “He’s been in a lot of great environments, great playoff series. How was he able to kill in those moments and dominate the game?”

The Celtics’ starting lineup has changed quite a bit this season

The Celtics’ most popular starting lineup this season has been Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, and Neemias Queta. That group started Friday night in a 119-80 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

But Joe Mazzulla has tinkered with the starting lineup quite a bit; Hugo Gonzalez started 3 games in place of Walsh, while Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman have each gotten one start this season. Mitchell Robinson started the first five games of the season before Queta established himself as the team’s starting center.

The three guys who have mostly found themselves out of the regular rotation are Conley, Chris Cenac Jr., and Ron Harper Jr. Cenac Jr. is currently with the Maine Celtics, and Conley will get his first start of the season.

Bell Ringer Standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 3.5
VJ Edgecombe – 2
Jaylen Brown – 1.5
Joel Embiid – 1
LeBron James – 1
Anfernee Simons – 1

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The bad news is the Sixers’ defense looked like that of a veteran team closing a road trip with a Sunday afternoon game.

The good news is the offense was balanced and had bright spots in a 127-121 win over the Bulls in Chicago Sunday. The Sixers still hold the best record in the NBA at 9-2 and are 5-1 on the road to start the season.

The Bulls shot 52.3% from the field and were down one possession at multiple times late, but Jaylen Brown and the Sixers seemed to come away with big buckets and big stops when they desperately needed them.

Next up, the Sixers welcome Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics to town Tuesday night. No word if there will be any lamb chops and gravy served at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Let’s get to Bell Ringer.

Tyrese Maxey: 27 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds

Nick Nurse mixed up the way he staggered his starters Sunday, opting to give Maxey an extended look with the second unit. There were nice moments, but some struggles as well. Playing Maxey more with Joel Embiid seemed to help both players. Embiid didn’t have his most efficient night, but he was much better than he was in Cleveland.

It felt like an easy 27 points for Maxey, who seemed to take nothing but threes and shots at the rim. He tried to send Josh Giddey into the shadow realm with a dunk, but was fouled. He hit a big triple down the stretch off a ridiculous LeBron pass.

And, of course, he was a blur in transition.

VJMAXX steal & score pic.twitter.com/Hj9VUJhcdA

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 8, 2026

Jaylen Brown: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal

Brown was excellent throughout this game. The way he attacks downhill with physicality has to be such a welcome sight for Sixers fans. His ability to make tough fallaways in the paint is elite. The footwork on this play is an example of what the ability to make those short fadeaways opens up.

got it to fall. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/aqu0i7eHDt

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 8, 2026

This was another game where Brown simply made winning plays down the stretch. He made a couple big threes as the Sixers were leaking oil midway through the fourth. He also made four free throws and turned Giddey over in the final minute.

And two more stats: Brown had just one turnover and was a +8. Take that, nerds.

LeBron James: 22 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal

Coming off his worst game as a Sixer against the Cavs, James didn’t get off to a great start with a couple early turnovers. His second stint started with him settling for a midrange jumper while being guarded by Giddey.

From there, James stopped messing around.

RIM ROCKIN' pic.twitter.com/k8QKI4PHG7

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 8, 2026

LeBron was much more aggressive getting downhill, either finding teammates or finishing at the rim. It’s crazy that at 41 he can still take over games for extended stretches.

I know he’s played for a million years, but passes like this are still stunning.

Tyrese Maxey‼️ pic.twitter.com/dDL3QtBviX

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 8, 2026

Jabari Walker: 9 points, 11 rebounds

An honorable mention here for Walker who’s done a commendable job filling in for Adem Bona at the five. While there were sleepy moments throughout the day for the Sixers, Walker did what he always does — hustled, crashed the glass and brought energy.

He’s been popping up here as an honorable mention on what feels like a nightly basis. At this point, he should be in a competition for backup five minutes when Bona is healthy.

right to the h🏀🏀p pic.twitter.com/8QIoTRfBx2

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 8, 2026

There was a time not so long ago when the Brooklyn Nets were among the teams hoping to land Cooper Flagg. I even spotted one optimist on the Long Island Rail Road wearing DIY jerseys celebrating that very possibility after the 2024 NBA Draft.

That pipe dream turned into a miracle for the Dallas Mavericks, a team that contended for a play-in spot, fell into the lottery, then landed the No.1 overall pick after having a 1.8% chance at it. There’s no denying Brooklyn’s disappointment when the pick fell the No.8, but Egor Dëmin has seen his own success early in his career for fans to at least feel good.

Sunday will be a stark reminder of where the Nets are. They’re 2-7, they’ve dropped 118 games in the prior two years, and Houston is holding their pick. Rebuilding is one thing, compounding it with avoidable self-inflicted wounds is another. This is a young team and it’s a long season, but you play to win the game.

They played on Saturday night and lost a game that they should’ve won. Point blank. Nolan Traore has been playing like a star and it continued with 19 points against Atlanta, but Jordi Fernandez benched him the entire fourth quarter.

“Mikel had those five straight points, and I just let him roll,” Fernandez said after the game. “Because you cannot just keep taking them in and out. I think that when I was about to sub Nolan in, Mikel made two or three threes and a mid-range pull-up. So I thought that was the right thing to do. Was it right? I don’t know. Obviously, Nolan did very well. They scored 18 and 19. So that’s a very good contribution from your two point guards.”

Perhaps the strangest part in it all? They’re only one game out from a play-in spot. Mikel Brown Jr. is sitting this one out (back-to-back) alongside Egor Dëmin (bone bruise).

On the other side, Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving and the 5-4 Mavericks are coming off a 112-100 win over the Utah Jazz in NBA Cup play Friday night.

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Game Information

• Who: Brooklyn Nets at Dallas Mavericks
• When: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• TV: YES Network
• Streaming: DAZN, NBA League Pass
• Radio: WFAN

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Nets vs. Mavericks Injury Report

Brooklyn Nets

• OUT: Egor Dëmin (right bone bruise)
• OUT: Mikel Brown Jr. (back-to-back)

Dallas Mavericks

• OUT: Tarik Biberovic (right heel bursitis)
• OUT: Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery)
• OUT: Sergio de Larrea (right knee sprain)

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Preview

“If they want to win, they’ll need to slow down an old friend. Kyrie Irving is back after missing last year with an ACL tear. He’s averaging 21 points a night and the shooting splits are quality enough, but HOW he’s getting his buckets are a bit different than what we’re used to. His field goal attempts inside of three feet are at the lowest mark of his career and his three point rate is at the highest of his career. Chances are that’ll change the further he gets away from the injury, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on. Either way, Irving remains a magnetic scorer and a blast to watch when his game is on.” – Brian Fleurantin

Read more here

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The Dallas Mavericks (5-4) host the Brooklyn Nets (2-7) for an early Sunday game in the American Airlines Arena. The Mavericks last played on Friday night, pushing past the Utah Jazz in the second half to win decisively. Brooklyn is playing on the second night of a road back-to-back, losing to the Atlanta Hawks. Here are the main things you need to know:

• WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Brooklyn Nets
• WHAT: Pride Night at AAC
• WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
• WHEN: 6:30 pm CST
• HOW: KFAA

It’s a shockingly clean injury report for the Mavericks. As of this writing, Tarik is still out with the heel bursitis and Sergio De Larrea is out with his knee sprain. Obviously Dereck Lively is out too. Everyone else is playing. I expected Kyrie Irving to miss this one.

It’s not official yet, but the Nets are likely to be without Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Demin. The former is pretty disappointing as that was a player man Mavs fans were hoping to see in a Dallas uniform.

This is a trap game. Dallas needs to come focused and ready to play despite their opponent’s record. Here’s hoping they put this one away early.

Since you’re here checking out this post, it’s for one of two reasons.

• Injury report news
• Discussion and comment thread

If you’re part of the former, please consider signing up for an account. You get way fewer ads, and you can comment! If you’re part of the latter group: GO GET THE APP. I’m serious. The app has some real-time features specifically for game threads like this one and you can comment and get notified really, really easily. It’s part of what’s keeping this whole series of sites going. So go do it for us and in doing so, you’ll see why the experience is simply better.

Consider joining me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube; I will be going live tonight, and I need y’all to join and participate!

Observations after well-balanced Sixers hold off Bulls  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Still no losing streaks to speak of for the 2026-27 Sixers.

The Sixers earned a 127-121 win Sunday over the Bulls to wrap up a 2-1 road trip. They moved to 9-2 overall and Chicago fell to 1-8. 

Every Sixers starter scored in double figures. 

Three reached the 20-point mark in Jaylen Brown (29 points), Tyrese Maxey (27 points) and LeBron James (22). Joel Embiid had 18 points and 10 rebounds. 

Josh Giddey posted 19 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds for the Bulls.

The Sixers were without Adem Bona (cervical spine sprain), Dominick Barlow (lower back stress reaction) and Ariel Hukporti (right Achilles tendon tear). The Bulls’ absences included Norman Powell (right shoulder inflammation/soreness) and Zach Collins (respiratory illness). 

Next on the Sixers’ schedule is a home game Tuesday night vs. the Celtics. Here are observations on their win over Chicago:

Embiid sees one go down 

Following his 0-for-9 night Friday in the Sixers’ loss to the Cavaliers, Embiid did not snap right back into form. 

He was well short on his first shot attempt, a wide-open three-pointer. Embiid then failed to score in the post over Jalen Smith.

Embiid got a field goal to go at the 6:42 mark of the first quarter when he tipped in his own miss. However, Smith canned a three on the ensuing possession to give Chicago a 23-16 lead. 

James committed two early turnovers, although he did sink a corner three-pointer during a fast-paced first quarter. VJ Edgecombe added two long-range jumpers in the first.

Entering Sunday, the Sixers’ minus-9.6 net rating in the first quarter ranked 27th in the NBA. They managed to hold a one-point lead in Chicago after the first.

Walker, Sixers shine on the boards 

The Sixers’ offensive rebounding was their greatest strength in the first quarter. They poured in 17 second-chance points. Embiid had four offensive boards in the opening frame. 

Jabari Walker assumed backup center duties for the second straight game without Bona. He picked up where Embiid left off on the glass, grabbing seven rebounds (three offensive) in a great first stint. 

Though he’s undersized in the height department for an NBA center at 6-foot-7, Walker has plenty of rebounding tools. 

He’s listed at a strong 237 pounds, doesn’t mind contact whatsoever, hunts the ball, and has a knack for winning contested boards. Walker showed all of that Sunday. Very hard to overstate how well he rebounded.

Sixers hold off Bulls in final minutes

The Sixers’ first-shot offense also had many bright moments in the second quarter. 

James got rolling on his way to a 16-point first half, Embiid made a couple of mid-range jumpers, and Maxey hit two free throws put the Sixers up 60-50 late in the second period. 

Chicago evened the game at 68-all early in the third quarter on a Matas Buzelis three, but the Bulls couldn’t sustain that run.

The Bulls’ defense continued to look like one of the worst in the NBA and the Sixers’ well-balanced offense kept the scoreboard moving. Brown nailed a turnaround jumper to give his team a double-digit lead. Walker knocked down a top-of-the-key triple to extend the Sixers’ advantage to 12 points.

The Sixers had two apparent injury scares in the second half. Brown limped to the sideline with 6:55 to go in the third quarter, but he stayed in the game. Edgecombe headed to the locker room after subbing out at the 9:08 mark of the fourth quarter. He returned to the Sixers’ bench and ultimately returned for a final stint.

On the floor, the Sixers couldn’t ease to victory. Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson trimmed Chicago’s deficit to 116-113 by draining a three. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse called timeout.

The Sixers were efficient enough in the half court down the stretch.

Embiid made a put-back hoop and a pair of free throws. Maxey drilled a side-step three-ball after a wraparound feed from James. The Sixers converted their clutch free throws and secured a winning road trip.

The Phoenix Suns have won two consecutive games, and confidence is slowly beginning to build. Much of that confidence stems from the team’s newfound ability to play defense, something noticeably absent through the first six games of the season. Playing a shorthanded Orlando Magic team certainly helped, but for the first time all season, Phoenix held an opponent under 110 points. Two nights later, they followed that performance by holding the Houston Rockets, one of the NBA’s most productive offenses, under 100.

One of the more pleasant surprises early this season has been the play of Ryan Dunn, who currently leads the Suns in three-point shooting at 53.8%. And while every three-pointer he knocks down strengthens his case for additional opportunities and minutes, it’s his defense and rebounding that have truly stood out. Why? Because those have been, quite honestly, the two biggest deficiencies for this team.

Phoenix is undersized, and securing rebounds has been a persistent challenge. Dunn helps alleviate that problem through his athleticism, physicality, and willingness to pursue the basketball. He possesses the explosiveness to go up and meet a rebound at its highest point rather than standing around waiting for it to come to him. Defensively, he’s been everything the Suns hoped he would be when they drafted him out of Virginia. His confidence is clearly growing, and you can see that same confidence developing among his teammates when he’s on the floor.

Want to know how impactful Ryan Dunn has been? When Dunn is on the court, the Suns have a net rating of +24.1. When he’s off the floor, that number plummets to -18.6. That’s a staggering +42.7 differential, the second largest in the entire NBA behind only Alex Caruso. Dunn also leads Phoenix with a cumulative plus/minus of +40.

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

Those numbers are absurd, especially for a player whose offensive limitations were considered one of his biggest obstacles entering the league. And while we’re still dealing with a relatively small sample size, the difference in how this team performs with Dunn on the court is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

The Suns are a completely different team when Ryan Dunn is playing. They’re not world beaters by any stretch of the imagination, but what Dunn brings to the floor is precisely what made Phoenix so enjoyable to watch a season ago. The hustle, the grit, the tenacity, and the willingness to do the dirty work that doesn’t always show up in the box score.

Those qualities helped transform last year’s Suns into a team that was both likable and productive. And as Phoenix begins to rediscover that identity, Ryan Dunn is emerging as one of the players most responsible for bringing it back. His impact goes well beyond the numbers, although those numbers are becoming pretty damn difficult to ignore. Jordan Ott has spent the early season searching for combinations that work. At this point, the evidence suggests one thing is becoming increasingly clear. Ryan Dunn needs to be part of the equation.

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Sometimes in an afternoon road game you got to be happy just getting out of there with a win. The Sixers narrowly defeated the Chicago Bulls 127-121 Sunday afternoon.

Jaylen Brown went for a team-high 29 points and seven rebounds on 11-of-22 shooting. Tyrese Maxey zoomed his way to 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting with seven assists.

Joel Embiid labored his way to a better outing, finishing with 18 points shooting 7-of-19 from the floor along with 10 rebounds, eight of them coming on the offensive end. LeBron James bounced back in a big way, putting up 22 points, a Sixers high, going 8-of-16 from the floor along with five rebounds and five assists. Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 19 apiece.

The Sixers were again without Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow. Norm Powell was out for Chicago, but Nic Claxton made his first appearance for the Bulls in this one.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• The Sixers opened the game trying to get Embiid going from the field, but he missed a three and a post-up on their first two possessions. Chicago didn’t meet any resistance, starting the game 10-of-15 from the field. Embiid did grab an offensive rebound falling down and dove out of bounds to save a loose ball — the Sixers scored second-chance points on both of those opportunities. His first field goal was a putback of his own blocked shot.
• Edgecombe carried over his strong performance from the night before. He forced a steal and a tough shot on back-to-back possessions for their first quality stops on the night and helped kickstart a 7-0 Sixers run. His second corner three of the night added to that run on the other end of the floor.

VJMAXX steal & score pic.twitter.com/Hj9VUJhcdA

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 8, 2026

• Nick Nurse subbed out LeBron and Brown first rather than the usual Maxey and Brown, at least momentarily. Embiid got a much more comfortable post-up in a more familiar lineup and once again put back his own miss before being subbed out at the next dead ball. Brown checked into the game about 30 seconds later.
• It took a couple of minutes to get some results, but Jabari Walker did a lot good things in the 2:57 he played to close the quarter. He found a cutting Maxey down the baseline with a nice bounce pass but Maxey smoked the layup. A few possessions later, Walker grabbed an offensive rebound but also smoked the layup. Brown was able to get that offensive rebound and after getting his putback attempt blocked, he kicked the ball out to the perimeter where it was swung to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a three. KCP found Walker with a cut and he finally got on the board as well, helping the Sixers take a one-point lead after a high scoring first.

Second Quarter

• Brown started the game 1-of-5 on jumpshots, but was 4-of-6 to start the game at the basket. Walker continued to have really good hustle minutes, pulling down two much needed more offensive rebounds. After a slow start LeBron backed down Isaac Okoro and drew a foul on his hook shot for the and-1.
• That really seemed to do the trick as LeBron scored eight of the Sixers’ next 10 points. Brown got a tough pull-up to go, and after a long rebound he tried to hit LeBron with a touchdown pass that got broken up by Okoro. They were still able to find LeBron on the long ball as KCP stole it right back. LeBron then hit a three and got into the paint for both a floater and a trip to the line.

RIM ROCKIN' pic.twitter.com/k8QKI4PHG7

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 8, 2026

• Embiid checked back into the game and had a layup attempt blocked and missed an easy one on the next trip down the floor. Maxey did a good job to get each other involved, getting himself open off an Embiid post-up. His drive on the next possession got Embiid open under the free throw line and he finally buried a midrange jumper. Maxey nearly put Josh Giddey on a poster, but got fouled and threw his attempt off the back of the rim.
• Offensively, it was a good example of playing through your struggles for Embiid as he continued to post-up Chicago’s smaller bigs, putting him in great position to grab his misses and lay it back in. He also hit another jumper from the free throw line, helping the Sixers stay up seven at the half despite the Bulls scoring eight straight points right at the basket.

Third Quarter

• That didn’t carry over halves though as Embiid missed three jumpers to start the third as the Bulls ripped off seven straight. Maxey drilled a three to get the Sixers going and they seemed to settle back in. Embiid got himself an open reverse layup and Brown took advantage of a steal to get himself to the basket again.
• Right after LeBron picked up a tech, Brown hit an acrobatic layup through a lot of contact, and had a reasonable gripe that he didn’t get a foul called as well. Even without the foul, the Sixers’ offense started to run pretty smoothly. Brown still got to the line of the following possession, Edgecombe drilled another three for his first points since the first, and Embiid made a good read to find LeBron open on the block.

that gold medal connection. 🥇 pic.twitter.com/oYkTktUXE1

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 8, 2026

• This was definitely the Sixers’ best offensive rebounding performance of the season. Walker was a big reason for that, but it was a team-wide effort. Dean Wade became the fifth Sixer of the night to pull down an offensive rebound and when the Sixers came up empty again, Walker helped pop the fall up long enough for Anfernee Simons to grab his first offensive rebound of the night.
• Walker hit a three from the top of the key to punctuate the night he was having, which was good because the Sixers needed every point they could get. Just about everyone on Chicago was still able to get to the basket with ease. They shot 13-of-17 from the field in the third, ending the quarter on a 6-0 run to cut the Sixers lead to six.

Fourth Quarter

• Edgecombe got to the line for the first points of the fourth, but not before Brown missed two at the line to give the people of Chicago free hot dogs. Edgecombe had a big transition dunk, but left the game a few moments later after colliding with Giddey contesting a shot. Thankfully it was not a long trip to the locker room and he would eventually return to the game.

VJ MY GOSH. pic.twitter.com/i1kH3m74dS

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 8, 2026

• It remained a struggle to keep the Bulls down long enough to put the game away, but the Sixers did continue to go on spurts to keep themselves at arms’ length. Brown hit a couple of threes as he had found his jumper. LeBron went for a poster as well but also had to settle for a trip to the free throw line. James also hit a fadeaway midrange a few moments later.
• Embiid missed a couple more jumpers and had another blocked by Jalen Smith shortly after checking back into the game. KCP drilled a three for some momentary breathing room, but Caleb Wilson drilled his second three of the night to make it a one-possession game with three and a half minutes to go.
• After trying to buy a couple of minutes for Brown and LeBron while Edgecombe made sure he was good to go, Nurse put all the starters back in out of his timeout. Embiid did a great job to grab another offensive rebound off a missed James jumper and flip it back in for the layup. He got to the line on the following possession, but Maxey had given Okoro an easy and-1 in between to keep the Bulls right there.
• A LeBron drive gave Maxey open space to make up for it, and he did with a three for his first points of the quarter. The Bulls were in the bonus though and Edgecombe put Wilson on the line on a non-shooting foul. Giddey was able to find Matas Buzelis for another wide open dunk to once again cut it to a three-point game.
• Brown was able to get to the line on the following possession, but the Sixers not only came up empty off a LeBron steal, but Embiid was called for a foul trying to grab the rebound, putting Smith at the line. Smith was unable once again to keep it a one-score game, splitting the pair, and the Sixers were able to win the game from the line from there. A win too close for comfort, but afternoon games can always be funky especially on the road, so a win nonetheless.

MILWAUKEE — The Celtics could be without Mitchell Robinson on Sunday night when they face the Milwaukee Bucks. Robinson was a late addition to the injury report, listed as questionable with an illness earlier Sunday afternooon.

Robinson is coming off the best stretch of his season; he tallied a season-high 10 rebounds in 20 minutes against the Bucks on Wednesday, and followed that up with a 7-rebound, 6-point performance against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.

Luka Garza could see increased minutes on Sunday

If Robinson sits, it would likely mean more opportunity for Luka Garza, who is averaging 7.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 13.2 minutes off the bench this season. Garza is shooting a career-best 54.2% from the three-point line.

Garza has seen increased opportunities with the double-big lineup, typically playing alongside Robinson. Garza said he hasn’t played much double-big in the NBA, but he has experience playing the 4 from college and with the Bosnian national team.

“It just gives me another avenue to get on the floor, especially with the bigs that we have and the depth that we have,” Garza said at Celtics shootaround on Sunday morning. “So for me, it’s something I’m going to commit to and buy into trying to be the most effective at that position.”

Neemias Queta continues to lead the Celtics’ big men

The Celtics’ most popular starting lineup this season has been Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, and Neemias Queta. That group started Friday night in a 119-80 thrashing of the Hornets.

Neemias Queta, who came off the bench in the first five games of the season, has become a regular starter for Boston. Queta is averaging 9.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 56.6% from the field.

The last time the Celtics and Bucks met was Wednesday, and the Celtics won 109-102 as Jayson Tatum got a rest game. Paul George led the way with 25 points, while Derrick White added 24 points. The Bucks rallied back from a 22-point deficit to take a fourth-quarter lead behind 25 points from Tyler Herro and 18 points from Jaime Jaquez Jr.

The Celtics enter the game with a 7-2 record; the Buckers are 1-7.

Luka Dončić will miss tonight’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons with a back injury, and that’s great news for a Detroit defense looking to regroup after a disappointing showing against the Philadelphia 76ers. Dončić is the leading candidate for MVP, which should be no surprise to anyone considering he is averaging a mind-boggling 40 points per game in nine games this season. With him out of the lineup, it will be a good look at what the Lakers are able to accomplish with Dončić off the floor. The team has an offense 30 points better per 100 possessions with him on the floor. The Pistons, meanwhile, need to get their offense moving again. Detroit’s most recent game against the Sixers was an absolute slog. They tried to make a game of it by waking up in the second half, but they sabotaged themselves with a lack of ball movement, precision, and, frankly, interest. Detroit teams have always bounced back pretty well in the JB Bickerstaff era, so we will see what we are in for tonight.

GAME VITALS

When: 6 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: TV: TV20 Detroit| Streaming: DAZN-Det
Odds: Pistons -7.5

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (6-2)

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, John Collins, Paul Reed

Los Angeles Lakers (8-2)

Quentin Grimes, Austin Reaves, Matisse Thybulle, Zaire Williams, Walker Kessler

The Oklahoma City Thunder waived wing Dalen Terry on Sunday after acquiring a different wing (Niq Clifford) in a trade from the Sacramento Kings for a couple of second-round picks. Terry will likely go unclaimed on waivers and return to free agency less than a week after he first signed with Oklahoma City. Terry was slated to be the centerpiece of the Santa Cruz Warriors (the Golden State Warriors G-League affiliate). It’s worth wondering if he will return to Santa Cruz if he goes unclaimed.

Terry appeared in two games with the Thunder, recording 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers in 11 minutes. Terry’s deal with OKC was fully non-guaranteed so he will only receive a small pro-rated portion of the league minimum.

The Chicago Bulls drafted Terry with the 18th overall pick back in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Arizona. He appeared in 218 games over his first four seasons, but was unable to show enough potential to convince a team to dedicate a rotation spot for him heading into this season. The Bulls had declined Terry’s fifth-year option, and dealt him to the 76ers at last year’s deadline. After failing to get an NBA deal in free agency, he joined the Warriors a series of deals over the summer.

A 6’6 wing who just turned 24, Terry remains an intriguing 3-and-D prospect. The fact that an organization as renowned for scouting and development as the Thunder was willing to give him a trial window further endorses that side of things. Nevertheless, he has averaged just 3.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 44.3%/31.4%/63.8% shooting in 11.2 minutes per game over his career.