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The Cleveland Cavaliers will welcome the New York Knicks to town for the second end of a brutal back-to-back.
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Kenny Atkinson found himself trending for all the wrong reasons during the Cleveland Cavaliers matchup with the New York Knicks in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.
In case you missed it, here’s what Atkinson told reporters after the Cavs were already trailing the series 0-3.
“I think analytically, I think we’ve won the — I said three out of three [games in the series], we’re two out of three in the expected wins, I don’t know if you guys follow that — the expected score. We’ve won two out of three.”
Yeah… Cavs fans weren’t happy about that.
Jokes have followed Atkinson into the current season. Every loss is followed with a sarcastic rendition of ‘analytically, we actually won.’
Atkinson finally had a chance to clear the air before Cleveland’s rematch with the New York Knicks on Saturday night.
“I answered the question of ‘you’re down 3-o, what hope do you guys have?’ and I wasn’t lying, but in no sense was it like ‘oh, we deserve to be winning’; there was zero thought of that,” said Atkinson.
It’s not easy to give an optimistic spin when your team is trailing 0-3 in a series. Atkinson learned that the hard way.
“I think when you look back on it and take the context of the question, I’m not sure that was taken into account, which was a little bit of a lesson for me,” said Atkinson. “I would just say, there was no coach more complimentary of the Knicks and honest about our performance and how they dominated us.”
The Cavs were winning in some key expected margins during the series. Particularly in the first two games, where it felt like Cleveland was taking quality shots but just weren’t making them. All of that might help you sleep at night — but it doesn’t change the end result. Atkinson understands that.
“As coaches, we have to check our process, like, are we getting the right shots?” said Atkinson. “But it kind of doesn’t matter, right? Because there’s more than that. There is the mental toughness and physical toughness. The flow of the game, how aggressive you are, there’s all these other intangibles that go in with that.”
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without the services of sharpshooter Sam Merrill in their matchup against the defending champion New York Knicks on Saturday evening. Merrill suffered a right elbow injury that caused him to miss the second half of Friday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers. As of now, the severity of the injury is unknown.
“I noticed it (the injury) during the game last night, there’s something not right,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said on Saturday. “Of course, Sam said ‘I’m fine, I’m fine,’ and then he wasn’t fine.”
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This has been a difficult start to the season for Merrill. He’s struggled to find his three-point shot as he’s connecting on 32.6% from distance so far. How much of that slump is due to an injured shoulder is unknown. What the Cavs do know now, is that missing Merrill for an extended period would be an issue for the Cavs.
“Of course there’s a level of concern there,” Atkinson said. “He’s the ultimate connector for the Cavs. You know our record without him last year was not good. Him and J.A. (Jarrett Allen), those guys connect the game for us so hopefully it won’t be too long.”
Last season, the Cavs did struggle without Merrill. They were just 15-15 in games he didn’t play last season and 37-15 when he did play.
Saturday’s contest against the Knicks will be the first game Merrill has missed this season. Merrill has averaged 7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on .386/.326/.917 shooting splits in nine games.
The Nets are coming off one of their best team performances of the season, a 114-104 win over Charlotte on Wednesday. Danny Wolf made the most of his first real rotation opportunity, Nolan Traoré continued to show improvements, and Terance Mann gave Jordi Fernández another option off the bench.
Now, Brooklyn takes that momentum on the road to Atlanta — their first of four away from home.
Brooklyn Nets:
Atlanta Hawks:
“It takes time to get used to someone in a new role. We’ve spent so much time with Nickeil Alexander-Walker being a solid bench role player that it’s still somewhat surprising to see him operate as a high(er) usage wing as a starter. Alexander-Walker won the Most Improved Player award last year and he’s carried that success over to this year. He’s averaging a career best 22.3 points per game, and most impressively is getting to the line over four times a game. When Johnson returns, we’ll see how the Hawks look to climb the standings.”
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Rockets: Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun
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Kevin Durant, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks in a reunion tonight! Tune in tonight and come chat with us at TDS on on the SB Nation App!
Luka Dončić has been the talk of the NBA following a strong start with the Los Angeles Lakers this season.
Dončić and the Lakers are currently in first place in the Western Conference with an 8-2 record and lead the league in points scored, averaging 122 per game through the first 10 games this season.
Dončić has positioned himself as the leading candidate for MVP early this season. He's averaged 40.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists in nine games played.
The point guard's health will be something to monitor this weekend after appearing on the latest status report.
He was listed as questionable on Saturday, Nov. 7 for the Lakers' game against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, Nov. 8.
The Pistons have allowed the fewest opponent points per game this season, giving up an average of 101.8 points per game through their first eight games. Detroit is third in the Eastern Conference.
The two-time NBA scoring champion is coming off a 53-point performance in a 124-118 win against the Portland Trail Blazers in NBA Cup action on Friday, Nov. 6.
Dončić is listed as questionable with back tightness for the second time this season.
The six-time All-NBA player missed one game this season due to back tightness the day after playing against Portland in late October.
Dončić does have a history of back injuries during his career. Before this season, he was most recently listed with a back injury in March 2025. He was also listed with back-related injuries during the 2019, 2021 and 2024 seasons.
Dončić enters his third season with the Lakers as the unquestioned star and leader. His accomplishments and achievements are why he was ranked No. 4 on USA TODAY Sports' top 100 player rankings ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Lakers will travel to play the Pistons on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. ET. It will be the first game of a back-to-back and the first of four straight road games for the Lakers. Los Angeles has won its last four games.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luka Doncic's injury update: Will Lakers star play against Detroit
The Golden State Warriors return to action Saturday night as they host the Orlando Magic. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 PM PT in San Francisco, with the game airing on NBC Sports Bay Area.
Golden State extended its winning streak to six games with Thursday night’s 120-100 victory over the Miami Heat. Steph Curry and Draymond Green led the way in a matchup that featured a reunion with former teammate and Warriors legend Klay Thompson. The Curry-Green chemistry was on full display, with Curry scoring a team-high 29 points while Green orchestrated the offense with a season-high 11 assists. As for Thompson, he finished with 11 points on 2-of-7 shooting from the three-point line in his return to the Bay Area.
The Warriors will look to keep their winning streak alive Saturday night against the Magic. While Curry has understandably drawn much of the attention during Golden State’s recent surge, the team’s bench has also played a key role in its success, providing a consistent scoring boost alongside the starters.
Georges Niang was among the biggest contributors in Thursday’s win, finishing with 13 points on an efficient 5-of-8 shooting from the field. His ability to space the floor, make quick decisions, and capitalize on open looks makes him a natural fit in head coach Steve Kerr’s offensive system.
And with Golden State beginning to find its rhythm on both ends of the floor, Niang and the rest of the second unit will have another opportunity to make their presence felt against an Orlando team that has struggled out of the gate with a 2-6 record and will be playing without All-Star big man Paolo Banchero.
Enjoy the game Dub Nation. GO WARRIORS!!!
Warriors: Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard, Yaxel Lendeborg, Draymond Green
Magic: Jase Richardson, Anthony Black, Tristan da Silva, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr.
Who: Golden State Warriors (6 – 3) vs. Orlando Magic (2 – 6)
When: Saturday, November 7th, at 5:30 p.m. PT
Where: Chase Center — San Francisco, California
TV and Streaming: NBC Sports Bay Area
The Minnesota Timberwolves return home to take on a Utah Jazz team in search of a rhythm. Minnesota is riding a three-game win streak and has found their cadence on defense while getting up the court quickly on offense. This marks the start of eight straight games in Minnesota after a grueling first two and a half weeks of the season. Hopefully, the fans at Target Center can match the Wolves’ tempo.
The promise of this Jazz team has yet to come to fruition. Utah has won only one game and is bad. They are 29th in offensive rating and 23rd in defensive rating. They are a very young team. The starting veterans they do have are injured.
They are sloppy with the basketball and give it away over 17 times a game on average. Meanwhile, the Wolves boast a top-three defense and are top-10 in generating turnovers.
Ayo Dosunmu has been living by his Jet Life mantra. He is also forcing the most steals of his career. When he pokes the ball away or sees any semblance of open floor, he is breaking the sound barrier on the way to the hoop.
The Wolves lost Joan Beringer for the latter half of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans and reportedly suffered a nasal fracture. Trey Lyles did his admirable best to hold down the center spot as Rudy Gobert sat, but he doesn’t offer the same chaotic disruption on the boards.
There is potential for Joan to return against the Jazz wearing a protective mask. Should Beringer miss this game, even with the Jazz front court depleted, the Wolves will struggle to get necessary extra possessions.
Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, and TJ Shannon Jr. are all still listed as out.
Continuing to lead the attack with all those absences is LaMelo Ball, who has found his shot and has scored 20 or more points in four of the last five games. He has hit shots from deep and at the rim. In the Wolves’ most recent bout, he turned around and took Zion Williamson to the cup again and again. He has the handle and the threat to score from anywhere, putting any of the Jazz defenders in compromising positions. His production will be key once again.
The Jazz starting guards Keyonte George and second-overall-pick Darryn Peterson have yet to discover harmony and sound more like H. John Benjamin’s Jazz Daredevil album than anything you might find on Bourbon St, the Jazz’ original home (and where they should still be if we’re being honest).
Each guard takes turns looking for their own shot when sharing the court, often in the midrange. Seeing this, head coach Will Hardy has turned to splitting up the duo with a mix of starters and bench players.
The Jazz do rebound the ball well, at least on defense. Currently, they are top five in grabbing defensive boards but struggle mightily to recover their own misses. Going against a Wolves team hungry to finish plays or get another chance at a shot, they may find themselves in an early hole.
Minnesota has impressed with their second efforts for offensive rebounds and has managed to maintain the same aggression late into the game when their opponents look tired while the Wolves look ravenous.
In the years since trading Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rudy Gobert to the Wolves, the Jazz have worked, almost conspiratorially, to lose games and improve their lottery odds. Tanking can lead to selecting a franchise-altering star. It can also lead to a pernicious culture of bad habits, the sort of habits that produce gaudy stats and few wins.
Utah’s guards and wings possess the ability to generate their own shot but offer little resistance on the other side of the ball. When a team does puncture their limited-effort defense, they offer even less resistance at the rim.
Both Jazz center options, former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkić, from last year’s team are injured. In their stead are journeymen bigs Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba.
Speaking of journeymen, Josh Okogie returns to Minnesota as Utah’s best point-of-attack defender. Alongside him, second-year forward Ace Bailey has held his own on defense as he waits for one of his point guards to include him on offense. If either Okogie or Ace gets pulled into help, Jonathan Kuminga and Jaden McDaniels will feast on open looks.
The Timberwolves get out on the fast break and leave the Jazz chasing Minnesota’s tempo. The Target Center becomes more raucous as the home team continues to build their lead. Joan Beringer returns with a Phantom of the Opera mask and makes Mo Bamba look like Less Bamba. Isaiah Evans hits two threes in garbage time to balloon the lead back to 20+.
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Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has always been vocal about the love for his mother, Yissel Raposo. Together, they shed tears of joy when his name was called at the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to the Warriors in June.
Lendeborg has been vocal about the sacrifices that his mother made for him and one of his goals was to pay her back. He debuted a new YouTube channel showcasing "behind-the-scenes, life outside of basketball and everything in between" where a video released on Friday, Nov. 6 had a surprise reveal of a recently purchased house for his mother.
"On behalf of everybody that came to show up, welcome home," Lendeborg said to Raposo, moving her from New Jersey to California.
Raposo was speechless as happy tears trickled down her face and she took the keys out of a box Lendeborg handed her and she opened the door as they took a tour of her new home.
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Lendeborg said it took him 2 to 3 months to finalize the house. To keep his mom from finding out, he and his sister would often disguise phone conversations around visiting Hawaii; instead, they were talking about how to get their mom to her new house without suspicion.
"There is no gesture big enough to properly say thank you for all the love, sacrifice, and support my mom has poured into me but this moment was pretty special and one I’ll never forget," Lendeborg said in his video description. "She deserves it all. For me, it’s bigger than basketball. It’s about making sure the people who believed in me get to enjoy the blessings too."
Lendeborg has always discussed the bond that he and his mother share and how she's directly responsible for his achievements in basketball and finding early success in the NBA.
"I got here because of her," Lendeborg said in June after getting drafted. "She pushed a dream, forced me to go out there and step into the world and become a man. I had no choice but to go out there and do the best I could. So I vowed every day to be a better man, be a better person and just do the best I can for her."
Sharing the moments of success with his mom means everything to Lendeborg because of the sacrifices that she made for him and his sisters, having to work multiple jobs to ensure they have what they need. Raposo also battled Stage 4 appendix cancer, another thing that fuels Lendeborg.
"She put her whole life on hold for my life and I'm super proud of her for fighting so hard and I'm glad we get to share this moment together," he said in a June interview after being drafted.
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Lendeborg has been a bright spot for the Warriors on the court, who are on a six-game winning streak as they face the Orlando Magic in a 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET) tip-off on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
The rookie averages 21.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game through his first 9 games of the 2026–27 NBA season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg surprises mom with new house in amazing moment
Development, development, development.
That is the name of the game for the Long Island Nets, who kicked off their season on Friday night against the Greensboro Swarm, the Charlotte Hornets’ affiliate. While Long Island ultimately fell 121-111, there was plenty to take away, especially with some of Brooklyn’s young players in the mix.
With first-round picks Drake Powell and Ben Saraf having played ample minutes alongside rookie Joshua Jefferson and two-way players Grant Nelson and Tyler Bilodeau, let’s take a closer look at their performances from Friday night.
Saraf, now in his second year after being drafted in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft, didn’t deliver the shooting performance you’d expect.
The 20-year-old finished with eight points on 3-of-14 shooting, including a rough 1-of-8 outing from beyond the arc. Entering this season, the biggest question surrounding Saraf’s game was if he could find consistency from 3-point range.
Despite those struggles, however, he still managed to impact the game as a facilitator. The 6’6” 20-year-old guard dished out seven assists, which led the team. That’s what makes him interesting. When his shot isn’t falling, he can create chances for his teammates, but that also comes with turnovers, and he committed three in 32 minutes. But a 2.3-to-1 assist ration is seen as a very good number in the NBA.
His passing ability has been known. The next step in his development, though, is developing into at least a respectable scoring threat. The Nets’ backcourt in Brooklyn is a logjam, especially with Nolan Traoré’s strong play to open the season.
For Saraf to get his chance in the NBA this season, he’ll need to be more than a facilitator.
The only other member of the Flatbush 5 who played on Friday was Powell. Like Saraf, the UNC product had a tough night on offense.
Powell tallied just six points on 2-of-6 shooting in 25 minutes, missing all three deep attempts. Despite the rough night, he managed four rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block.
Similarly to Saraf’s game, though, that was nothing new. Powell’s defensive potential has been the most promising element of his game, given the length and athleticism he boasts with a 6’6″ frame and a 7-foot wingspan, ideal for a defender. He showed that facet of his profile again vs. Greensboro.
However, his offense remains a work-in-progress, at best. During Summer League, the 22nd pick in 2025 pick struggled mightily with his jump shot, shooting a brutal 1-for-28 from the field, including zero makes on 14 deep attempts.
If he can develop into a reliable catch-and-shoot option while becoming someone who can defend multiple positions at the NBA level, that’s a valuable player. Coming away with a legitimate 3-and-D guy at the 22nd overall pick would be a really nice win for the Nets towards the end of the first round.
The issue, though, is that he is now in Year 2 and doesn’t look particularly close to becoming that type of player. For someone with his defensive tools, even mild offensive improvements would make a big difference.
Obviously the upside is there, but Powell has to start putting the pieces together.
Perhaps the most exciting part from Friday was simply getting an extended look at Joshua Jefferson. After all, it’s been a long time coming.
He was selected with the 28th pick in June’s draft, a byproduct of the Julius Randle-for-Nic Claxton trade, and played minimally throughout Summer League as thst trade took until the eve of Summer League to be finalized. He couldn’t even practice with his Nets teammates. Then, he missed Brooklyn’s preseason due to a lower back injury.
Given all of that, Friday was the first real look that fans got on the Iowa State product, and he didn’t disappoint, coming away with 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists, shooting 5-of-9 overall and 3-of-7 from three. Not a bad first impression.
Standing at 6’9” and 240 pounds, Jefferson stands out because he is very well-rounded and brings a little bit of everything to the table, hence his solid box score. There’s always a role for someone like that in the NBA, especially with the size that he offers. It’s why the term “point forward” was commonly used to describe him throughout the pre-draft process.
Given the abundance of wings up in Brooklyn, it’s going to be tough for him to crack the NBA rotation right away, but Friday was a strong showing in the first-round rookie’s first legitimate chance.
If there was one thing the Nets knew they were getting when they selected Bilodeau with the 43rd overall pick in June’s draft, it was his shooting ability.
Throughout 64 games at UCLA in two seasons, he shot a whopping 43.8% from three-point range. It was on a significant sample size, too, attempting 233 threes as a Bruin. His 46.0% last season was the highest of any player taken in the 2026 Draft.
While it’s just one game, that skill was on full display during Long Island’s opener. The UCLA product finished with 13 points, four rebounds, two assists, and five steals, while shooting 5-of-10 from the field and 3-of-7 from deep.
Beyond the shooting, though, what jumps off the page is his five steals in 25 minutes. With that outing, he became the first Long Island Net in franchise history, dating back to 2016, to log five steals in a G League debut.
That matters because one of the biggest concerns about Bilodeau’s game coming out of college was his defense. So seeing him make such a noticeable impact on that end right away matters…
Speaking with NetsDaily at Long Island’s Media Day last week, he emphasized how much he feels his game has already grown since Summer League, adding that defense has been “a big improvement.”
“I feel like I’ve improved so much since Summer League,” the No. 43 pick said. “I think a big improvement of mine has been defensively, trusting myself a little more, and getting used to guarding the perimeter. I didn’t do much of that last year.”
Obviously, Bilodeau’s top trait is shooting, and when he gets his opportunity in Brooklyn, it’ll most likely be because of that calling card. But at 6’8” and 228 pounds, he certainly has the size to blossom into at least a serviceable defender, and Friday was a step in that direction for him.
Grant Nelson’s start to the season on Friday is exactly what he needed to get off on the right foot. The 24-year-old finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, including six offensive boards while shooting 8-of-16 from the field in 27 minutes.
He missed all five attempts from beyond the arc, which isn’t ideal, but it was promising to see strong overall scoring output and activity on the glass as well as a willingness to take the deep shot. The Alabama product also used his size and athleticism on defense, coming away with a block and a steal.
The shots didn’t go his way, especially from deep, but that’s an area of his game Nelson spent a lot of time developing during his rehabilitation after patellar tendinitis cut his season short last year.
“I think it’s extremely important with the direction that the game has been going in,” he told us at Media Day. “I mean, I think it’s just adding another part to my game, being versatile in that way. Most bigs can shoot now. So being able to do that, I think it will definitely help me out in my career.”
At 7’0”, Nelson is fascinating because he offers the exact tools that the Nets could potentially need in Brooklyn. With his athleticism, he brings a little bit of everything, but most notably rim protection ability, which Long Island’s parent club currently lacks.
Proving that he deserves an NBA chance, though, especially on a crowded roster, starts with taking advantage of his chances with Long Island, which Friday was an example of. Now he must build on that.
————————————————————-
Long Island is back in action Saturday night against the Swarm, then faces the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks affiliate on Tuesday, before their home opener Friday against College Park at the Nassau Coliseum.
Just after the Lakers defeated the Trail Blazers to notch their fourth straight victory with a 124-118 win on Friday night, Portland big man Robert Williams III had an awkward encounter with a Los Angeles staffer.
According to Jason Quick of The Athletic, Williams was seen walking down the court after the final buzzer and had the game ball tucked in his arm to give to teammate Jrue Holiday, who surpassed Steve Nash in career scoring and moved into the top 100 NBA scorers of all time.
Williams said the Lakers official told him, “They had to turn it in to the NBA.”
Quick reported that Williams didn’t realize at the time that he is supposed to return the game ball, and that he should’ve known better and not forgotten the cardinal rule.
“I was taught that as soon as you get the ball, just run into the locker room,” Williams told Quick.
While Williams was unable to bring Holiday the ball, he told Quick that securing the ball didn’t really matter to Holiday and “I don’t think he even knew” that he reached the milestone.
While the Trail Blazers watched Lakers superstar Luka Doncic post his second 50-point performance of the season, Holiday’s milestone night came after he tallied 12 points, one rebound and seven assists in 31 minutes.
Friday’s game marked the second loss of the season for Portland.
Luka Doncic is everywhere.
After the Lakers notched their fourth straight win in a 124-118 victory against the Trail Blazers on Friday night, Doncic was seen spying on coach JJ Redick.
During Redick’s postgame news conference, Doncic’s head suddenly peeped out behind the Lakers’ curtain, where he was seen looking at Redick — who was in the middle of responding to a reporter’s question.
Doncic’s stealthy move paid off. Redick was unaware that he was being watched.
The reaction to Doncic sneaking up on his coach left Lakers fans in laughter on X, as @Gothgirlbabyy wrote, “that peeking behind the curtain is peak sneaky mode, did JJ actually notice or was he too focused 
.”
Another fan took a screenshot of the encounter and zoomed it in, where Doncic is seen with a blank face looking at his coach while he’s answering the question.
Doncic’s sneaky move came after he put together another statement performance, scoring over 50 points for the second time this season and having his fourth straight game scoring over 40 points.
Doncic is off to a hot start, leading the league with an average of 40.1 points. He also is averaging 7.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists through his first nine games, making him an early MVP candidate.
The Lakers superstar, who already made a half-court earlier this season against the Warriors, nailed a 61-foot shot before halftime.
The shot was the first 3-pointer the Lakers made after they missed their first 15 from behind the arc as Los Angeles trailed, 60-53.
In the second half, the Lakers’ offense exploded, scoring 71 points and holding the Blazers to 58.
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The Dallas Mavericks (5-4) took down the Utah Jazz (1-8), 112-100 on Friday night. The victory gets Dallas back on the right track after two-straight losses and gives the Mavs a 2-0 record in Emirates Cup play. Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving struggled a bit in the early going, but locked in down the stretch, while Morez Johnson, Jr. had the best game of his nascent NBA career.
We’re switching it up this time and using a numerical grading system on a 10-point scale to grade the players. Let’s get to the grades!
Irving was not sharp from the outset and had a difficult shooting night (7-of-20 overall; 0-of-3 from downtown). While that pulled down his grade, his all-out effort and hustle can’t be overlooked. All night, Irving was on the floor lunging for steals, going amongst the trees for a couple of boards and hitting a few key shots in the latter part of the game to keep the Jazz at bay. It was not his best shooting night, but Irving made up for it in other ways, particularly on the defensive end.
Flagg shook off the massive funk he was in during the prior two games, but it took him until the second half to do so. He was 7-of-16 from the floor, with most of the misses coming in the first half and got completely lost on a couple of defensive sets, but he persisted. When it was all said and done, he nearly put up a triple-double. Three turnovers and 1-of-4 shooting from deep didn’t help his grade, but this is the type of game that reminds you how special he is. He can have a rough half, yet end with a box score that looks great while having a true positive effect on the outcome of the game.
We try to show courtesy to all starters by featuring them in our Grades coverage, but Martin simply can’t be graded. He missed a three-point attempt, committed two fouls and that’s about it. He gets saved from an apparent 1/10 grade because he played so few minutes. Martin has been fine this year and contributes in ways that don’t necessarily show in the box score, but one has to wonder if and when Zaccharie Risacher or Naji Marshall will start in his place.
Washington is like a new man this season, especially of late. He has played great ball and looks fully engaged over the past few games. It also appears as though he re-worked his shot in the offseason, to positive effect. Against Utah, Washington was 6-of-10 from downtown and led all players in scoring. If he can be a bit more consistent with this type of play, he will add another dimension to the team on both sides of the ball.
Gafford had a quirky game. His stat line doesn’t blow you away and his single rebound is somewhat infuriating, however he only played 18 minutes. In that time, he was effective and did what the team needed him to do. His highlight was blocking a three-point attempt, picking up the rejected ball in stride and going in for a monster break-away slam to get the crowd into it.
If Clayton stays consistent, he is going to make Masai Ujiri, Mike Schmitz and Dusty May look like geniuses. On a team light on well-known guards, the Mavs front office picked up Clayton at the very start of the season and he’s been great for his role. He shot only 1-of-5 from deep Friday night, but has been on fire from range to this part of the season and still managed to hit 50% of his eight shots overall. He’s a capable player that can spell Irving and seeing him play well is no longer a surprise.
Johnson was an absolute beast. Compared to his first three games, Johnson looks like a different person. Whether it was shin splints early on or just acclimating to the NBA game, Johnson has experienced a major growth spurt. He is fouling less, playing better within the system and is much more explosive than he was early on. He was all over the boards, led the team in plus/minus with a +20 and was within the flow of the game throughout. This was a coming out party that was great to witness.
Dallas needed a win after getting smacked by the Kings and losing a close one to the Spurs. The Mavs couldn’t sleep on the single-win Jazz (who are probably better than their record) like they did with the Kings. It appears they learned from that experience and played through some struggles to pull away. This also gives them their second Emirates Cup win in as many tries, while boosting their point differential as well.
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One Possession: Sure-handed Sam Hauser leads NBA with one wild stat originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
When Sam Hauser is busting out the binoculars celebration, you know the Boston Celtics are rolling.
Hauser did that after delivering a fancy one-handed dime to a cutting Derrick White as the Boston Celtics pushed their lead as high as 46 en route to a 119-80 thrashing of the Charlotte Hornets in an NBA Cup Group C battle on Friday night at Spectrum Center.
You won’t need binoculars for this eye-catching number: Hauser has now played a league-best 186 minutes, 37 seconds without a turnover this season.
Hauser has been credited with a total of 204 total passes this season without a single giveaway. On Friday night, he handed out three second-quarter assists as the Celtics piled up a season-high 33 helpers (on just 38 total makes) and padded their Cup differential against the injury-riddled Hornets.
Hauser’s overall stat line doesn’t jump off the page this year: He’s averaging 7.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists over 20.8 minutes per game. He’s shooting 40.8 percent while hoisting 5.4 3-pointers per game (and still holds the NBA record for 3-point rate with 84 percent of his total shot attempts coming beyond the arc).
But his impact is undeniable. The Celtics are outscoring opponents by 19.4 points per 100 possessions in Hauser’s 187 minutes on the court, and that number plummets to a mere +0.8 points per 100 possessions in his 250 minutes on the bench. A +18.6 net differential is the best mark among all Boston players.
In the 111 minutes that Hauser has shared the floor with Jayson Tatum, the Celtics are posting a sizzling 127.8 offensive rating and have outscored opponents by 26.9 points per 100 possessions. A Hauser/Tatum/White trio has posted a +52.8 net rating in 28 total minutes together.
It continues a career-long trend for Hauser of positively impacting winning by simply taking care of the basketball and spacing the floor. Hauser has ranked in the 97th percentile or higher in turnover rate in each of the last three seasons, turning the ball over on just 5.7 percent of possessions last season (35 turnovers in 1,934 minutes).
Hauser is never going to be mistaken for a point guard, but his ability to value the basketball matters when the Celtics want to dominate the possession game. He shoots when he has open looks, is a willing ball-mover when he doesn’t, and good things tend to happen when he’s on the court.
And every now and then he’ll throw a fancy dime worthy of breaking out the binoculars.
