Category: NBA

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

This season’s Washington Wizards are better than the previous editions. They’re 4-6, the vets have been good, a couple young guys look close to being good-to-really-good, and with the exception of the absolute dud against Oklahoma City, they’ve been fun to watch this season.

“The vets” in this case refers to Anthony Davis and Trae Young. While I have quibbles with how each of them are playing, it’s more in the realm of nitpicking than major critiques. They’ve both been about as good as the Wizards could have reasonably expected.

Davis has anchored an improved defense — upgraded as much by his stellar communication as his rim protection capabilities. When he’s on the floor, the team seems well organized and solid on the defensive end. In the two games he’s missed, the Wizards defense essentially collapsed. That could partly be due to a step up in opponent quality, but I suspect not having Davis on the back line calling out actions is a big reason why.

Note: this is not a criticism directed at Alex Sarr, who has at times reminded me of Davis — in terms of positioning and movement — or even of Deandre Ayton. To say they’re not as good as Davis at communicating on defense feels the stuff of Captain Obvious. Davis is an all-time defender, who has excelled at that aspect of a big man’s defensive chores. In the case of Sarr, he’s getting a crash course in being great on defense, and he has appeared more vocal than he was in previous seasons when Davis has been off the floor.

With Davis, my chief concern (aside from health) is on the offensive end, and it’s really more about how they’re using him than it is about Davis himself. Specifically, Davis leads the NBA in post-ups, and a hot game on the block got him all the way to 47th percentile in efficiency. The last time Davis was above average in post-up efficiency was 2023-24.

While I think it’s possible to have a high-efficiency offense that leans heavily on a big man posting up — yes, even in this economy — I think that big man needs to be both efficient at scoring the ball and an effective passer. I don’t think that description fits Davis.

As for Young, he’s been a little above average in offensive efficiency despite shooting just 28.6% on threes so far this season. He’s been a stellar set up man, and the combination of Young and Davis has helped make Washington a league leader in free throw attempts. Trips to the free throw line are second only to rim attempts in overall efficiency.

One of the good things about Young has been his defensive effort, which is dramatically improved from his days with the Atlanta Hawks. He still has lapses, and he’ll always be a target because of his lack of size and strength, but he’s competing on that end, and he’s contributing with a handful of steals, deflections or well-timed traps per game.

Had I been writing an article like this after six games, I’d have been fretting about how none of the young guys looked like they were making The Leap. A couple terrific games from Kyshawn George gives Washington a candidate. He’s still undermining his own value with rampant turnovers and excessive fouling, but he’s big, physical, tough, competitive, and skilled. And he plays crazy hard, which is at once a strength and a potential weakness (to the extent that it leads to turnovers and fouls).

While I’ve had a vaguely disappointed feeling about Sarr’s performance this season, the reality is he’s been fine — about the same overall level of production as last season. That’s not bad considering he missed most of the offseason with a broken foot and feels like he still needs some conditioning work.

Justin Champagnie was off to a terrific start before his foot injury. The Wizards definitely should want him to come back and stabilize their forward rotation before the postseason.

After missing the first four games with an ankle injury sustained in the preseason finale, AJ Dybantsa has been everything the Wizards could have hoped for. He’s defended with intensity, and played with aggression on offense. One of my favorite plays from him so far this season was when he waved Davis out of the post so he could attack a mismatch.

Putting on my Shot Doctor coat, I think there’s something off with Dybantsa’s three-point shooting stroke, though I could be reaching. He hasn’t hit threes yet, and his two-point percentage has been subpar, but both of those things are normal for rookies — even when they’re going to be great in the future. He’s shooting 79.3% from the free throw line, which suggests his shot isn’t exactly broken.

The rest of the Wizards have varied between fine (Ayton) and not-so-good (Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Khris Middleton). Brian Keefe and the coaching staff wisely dropped Middleton from the rotation.

Carrington has hit half his threes so far, and his defense is a lot better. He’s also shot 2-12 on twos, and his non-three-point shooting contributions have been pretty minimal.

Coulibaly is a stellar defender who has utterly disappeared on offense. Teams are happy to let him shoot threes — they routinely leave him alone. So far this season, he’s rewarded them with bricks. Last season, it seemed like he had an emergent driving game. Opposing defenders were having a tough time staying in front of him, even when they gave him a cushion. This season, he doesn’t attack, even when he has a matchup advantage.

The most worrisome Coulibaly-related play of the year t0 my eye was when he got the ball in the dunker spot with Atlanta’s CJ McCollum guarding him. Coulibaly was in great position, and he had a height and athleticism advantage on McCollum. He never looked to attack — just passed it back to Young on the perimeter. The possession cratered and the Wizards ended up with a turnover instead of a close-in shot in a mismatch.

My biggest concern is that the early returns suggest that the Wizards are weaker than their record indicates. The best indicator of relative team strength is strength of schedule adjusted scoring margin. The Wizards currently rank 27th in this metric. They ranked 24th before they got blown out by Oklahoma City.

So far this season, Wizards opponents have been outscored by 6.7 points per game. That group of opponents has outscored Washington by 4.7 points per game. That’s not good.

For benchmarking purposes, here’s where Washington ranks through 10 games in key statistical measures:

• Offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions): 22
• Defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions): 18
• Effective field goal percentage: 24
• Turnover percentage: 10
• Offensive rebound percentage: 28
• Free throws made / field goal attempts: 11
• Defensive efg%: 8
• Defensive tov%: 27
• Defensive rebounding percentage: 27
• Defensive FTM/FGA: 2

On the offensive end, Washington is not shooting or rebounding well, but they’re doing a good job avoiding turnovers and getting to the free throw line.

On defense, opponents are missing shots, which is the foundation of a good defensive team in the NBA. The Wizards are also doing a good job overall of not fouling. They’re also not forcing turnovers, and they’re getting beat on the boards.

One other key stat: 24.6. That’s the Wizards’ minutes-weighted average age so far this season — second lowest in the NBA this season.

Player Production Average

Below is a first look at season-to-date scores in my Player Production Average metric. PPA accounts for each player’s statistical contributions — each category weighted by how much it contributes to winning and losing. PPA is a per possession metric, which includes accounting for position, quality of competition while on the floor, and defensive impact. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better, and replacement level is 45.

In most seasons, a PPA of 150 would put a player at least in the All-Star conversation. All-NBA level performances are typically 170 and above. It typically takes a score of 200 or better to merit MVP consideration.

ORTG is offensive rating — individual points produced per possession x 100. League average so far this season is 113.1.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla had a heartfelt conversation with Kristaps Porziņģis on the team’s flight to Milwaukee. Their chat left Mazzulla with plenty to reflect on, and he shared those thoughts before Sunday night’s game against the Bucks.

“I talked to him on the plane. I reached out to him,” Mazzulla told reporters pregame, per CLNS Media. “I had a good conversation with him. Also, some of my other guys on the staff did as well. I think it’s just a good reminder of what we go through in an NBA season. When you look at these guys as athletes and as basketball players, they’re a lot more than that.”

On Friday, Porziņģis announced he would “step away” from basketball to focus on his health as he continues battling postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition that has sidelined him since the start of the season. Porziņģis’ symptoms first emerged during his final season with the Celtics in February 2025, and continued lingering during his follow-up stints with the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors.

Porziņģis signed a two-year, $40 million deal with Golden State this past summer, making the 31-year-old’s search for a “solution,” as he described it, all the more pressing.

His 57-game debut season with the Celtics, which culminated in the 2024 NBA championship, was the last time we saw Porziņģis in his ‘unicorn’ form. Acquired via trade with the Wizards in exchange for Marcus Smart, Porziņģis needed little time to win over the Boston crowd. He averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game before delivering an electric performance in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Mavericks, scoring 20 points, grabbing six rebounds and recording three blocks in just 21 minutes.

He left Boston a champion and cemented his Celtics legacy, although Mazzulla wasn’t focused on any of that.

Instead, Mazzulla opened up about his broader perspective, stressing the importance of connecting with the person behind the jersey rather than simply the player. With health concerns reminding everyone — including professional athletes — that there’s more to life than basketball, Mazzulla values the moments he shares with his players away from the court just as much as their accomplishments on it.

“Their platforms, their life, their careers are so much more than what happens on the court,” Mazzulla said. “So it’s a good reminder of that. We’re able to talk to him about it, but he’s in a pretty good space. Whatever we can do to help him, we will. And I’m grateful for the time I got to spend with him on and off the court.”

The pressure was immediate when Porziņģis arrived in Boston. Not only had the organization parted ways with Smart, a beloved fan favorite, to bring him aboard, but the expectations were immediately championship-or-bust as he joined forces with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Jrue Holiday to form an all-time great Celtics roster.

Porziņģis seamlessly connected with both the fanbase and his new teammates. He even lived in the same apartment building as Brown, as the two would frequently carpool to games and sit side-by-side on flights together.

“Just a guy, when he comes into a room, he lights the room up, lights the locker room up,” Mazzulla said. “I thought the years he was [in Boston], he was like the icebreaker. He brought a sense of joy to the rigors of the season and playing for the Celtics, and he brought a joy to that. I think he had a positive impact on the locker room.”

For everything Porziņģis accomplished in Boston before his time with the Celtics came to an end, Mazzulla remains grateful. But he’s also mindful. He understands that Banner 18, the performances and the unforgettable moments that will forever live in the organization’s history, represent only part of what Porziņģis meant to him and the team. Their relationship extends well beyond basketball — something Mazzulla made clear.

The Dallas Mavericks (6-4) have suddenly found some momentum again. Monday’s game against the Indiana Pacers (3-7) gives the Mavericks a chance to keep it going on the second night of a back-to-back set against a team they’ve already beaten once. Dallas enters at 6-4 after blowing out the Brooklyn Nets 130-93 on Sunday, while Indiana comes to town at 3-7 after falling 114-102 to Denver on Saturday. The Pacers are still without Tyrese Haliburton (left hamstring), and Dallas should have a real opportunity to finish the homestand with a third straight win.

Here are three things the Mavericks need to do to make that happen.

Keep Kyrie hot

Kyrie Irving has started to look much more like himself, and Dallas needs that to continue.

He scored 21 points against Brooklyn and looked comfortable getting to his spots without needing to dominate the ball. That balance is important. Dallas is at its best when Cooper Flagg controls possessions as a playmaker while Kyrie picks his spots, attacks mismatches, and gives the Mavericks a reliable scorer whenever the offense stalls.

The Pacers have some capable perimeter defenders, but this is still a matchup Kyrie should be able to attack. Indiana is already missing the guard who normally controls so much of its offense, and Dallas has a chance to put even more pressure on them if Kyrie gets going early.

The Mavericks do not need him taking 25 shots every night. They just need this version of Kyrie, efficient, aggressive, and capable of completely changing a game when Dallas needs a bucket.

Do it again

Dallas already knows this matchup can work.

The Mavericks scored 44 points in the first quarter and took a 77-43 lead into halftime the first time these teams met before eventually winning 121-105. Flagg played only 17 minutes before leaving with a shoulder injury, but Dallas had already taken complete control of the game.

Indiana should be better prepared this time, but the same advantages remain. Without Haliburton, the Pacers lose the player who normally runs the offense and pushes the pace. Pascal Siakam remains their biggest threat, while Ivica Zubac gives them size inside, but Dallas should feel good about its ability to create better shots.

The Mavericks have to avoid assuming the first meeting means anything automatically, but if they move the ball and defend with the same energy, this should be another favorable matchup.

Keep attacking the paint

The best part of the Brooklyn win was how easily Dallas generated offense around the rim.

The Mavericks scored 64 points in the paint, with Flagg repeatedly getting downhill and finding cutters or Daniel Gafford once the defense collapsed. Gafford finished with 18 points, and Dallas looked much more dangerous offensively when it was creating inside-out rather than settling for jumpers.

That should be the goal again Monday.

Indiana has size, but Dallas has enough creators to keep putting pressure on the defense. Flagg getting into the middle of the floor opens everything else, especially when Washington and the guards are ready to shoot, and Gafford is available as a lob threat.

When Dallas gets consistent paint touches, the offense looks completely different.

Avoid the back-to-back letdown

This is probably the biggest concern.

Dallas played Sunday night and now has to turn around and play Monday again, while Indiana had Sunday off. The good news is the Brooklyn game was basically over early enough for Dusty May to avoid running his starters into the ground.

Flagg played fewer than 30 minutes, and the bench handled much of the fourth quarter.

That should help, but Dallas still cannot come out sleepwalking. Indiana has enough veteran talent to punish a flat start, and Siakam can carry the offense if Dallas lets him get comfortable.

The Mavericks have looked much better over the last few games. Monday is a chance to prove the momentum is real, not just the product of playing Utah and Brooklyn.

How to watch

The Mavericks and the Pacers will tip at 7:30 p.m. on Monday from American Airlines Center. The game will be televised locally on KFAA Channel 29 and on sister stations throughout the Mavericks’ regional viewership area. You can catch the stream on MavsTV or on NBA League Pass where available. The radio broadcast can be heard on KRLD 105.3 The Fan.

Greetings, internet users. Welcome to The Scratching Post, your home for open conversation with your fellow Carolina Panthers fans.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

This is now an open thread

One Possession: Derrick White is so back for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

NBA Games don’t typically boil down to just one possession. But one possession can often tell the story of a game. This is “One Possession,” a recurring series where we highlight one notable sequence from every Celtics game during the 2026-27 season.

Derrick White wasn’t even on your television screen when Baylor Scheierman went up with a fastbreak layup attempt early in the second quarter of Boston’s visit to Milwaukee on Sunday night.

White was just nearing the midcourt stripe when Scheierman lost control of the ball trying to go up as AJ Green defended. The ball bounced once on the floor near the blocks and seemed destined to trickle out of bounds. Instead, White covered 45 feet in the blink of an eye and launched himself over the end line.

Somehow, White managed to corral the ball, float long enough to drift past Milwaukee’s Kasparas Jakucionis outstretched arms, and zip a pass to a wide-open Paul George underneath the basket. George finished the layup as White floated into the first row of photographers.

If you needed confirmation that White has got his groove back, there it was.

White entered the new season with endless questions about whether his poor shooting last year was simply an outlier, or a more troubling trend for a guard who turned 32 this offseason. And while that shot defied him a bit out of the gates this year, the more bizarre aspect was that White wasn’t doing all the sort of White things that typically impact winning.

The blocks disappeared (just one swat in Boston’s first 7 games). The Celtics didn’t dominate his minutes the way they typically do (Boston was a minus-12 overall in White’s first 90 minutes of court time and he failed to be a positive in plus/minus in Boston’s first four games). White just couldn’t seem to get himself rolling.

Until the last three games.

White saw some shots drop — and blocked two shots on the other end — while Jayson Tatum rested in Boston’s first tilt against Milwaukee last week and it seemed to unlock him. The last three outings, White is averaging 17 points, 6.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks over 29.3 minutes per game. The Celtics are plus-38 in his court time in those games and have stacked three straight wins, albeit against two struggling Eastern Conference teams (Milwaukee and Charlotte).

White looked a lot more like himself on Sunday. He piled up four STOCKS (two steals, two blocks). He handed out a team-high seven assists leading to a game-high 19 assist points, including five 3-point makes by teammates.

White is averaging 8.1 potential assists per game this season. His 5.3 helpers have led to 13.5 assist points per game, which ranks 33rd in the NBA this season.

White is up to 2.4 steals per 100 possessions (86th percentile for his position). He’s drawing 1.2 offensive fouls drawn per 100 possessions (91st percentile). The blocks, his calling card from the guard position, are starting to pile up again.

The 3-point shot is stuck at the same 32.7 percent he shot last season. His overall field goal percentage is back up to career-average levels (43.9 percent, after plummeting to 39.4 percent last year). White has found his floater a bit in recent games.

But it’s White’s ability to create positive chaos that truly distinguishes him. He could have never made it across the center stripe as the Celtics broke out in transition on Sunday night. But his hustle — and his ability to levitate beyond the end line — delivered maybe his signature moment of the young 2026-27 season.

Running through one of the weaker parts of their schedule, the Spurs have been stacking up wins while largely walloping the competition.

Barring a one-point win over the Mavericks in which the Spurs couldn’t buy a shot from downtown, they’ve largely run roughshod over the competition, with 4 double-digit wins in the last five contests.

Next up on this list is a Suns team that gave the Spurs some real trouble early last season (splitting the season series) but has been pretty inconsistent out of the gate.

Last season, the Suns’ deep roster made things difficult with a combination of shrewd passing, long-distance marksmanship, and sturdy defensive play.

The savvy passing (5th in assists) and shooting (12th in 3pt%, 8th in FG%) have remained hallmarks, but the defense and depth look rough without Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, who were traded to Charlotte for Miles Bridges, who is struggling to fill the void left by two important contributors.

The Suns are 27th in Defensive Rating, and 23rd in Net Rating, and while they’re on a two-win streak themselves, the Spurs have been a buzzsaw, ranking 2nd in Offensive Rating, 3rd in Defensive Rating, and tied for 1st in Net Rating over the last eight games, narrow win over the Mavericks included.

Provided the Spurs take the game seriously and/or refrain from shooting 5-36 from three again, this should be another double-digit smack-down.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that Wembanyama is averaging 37 points per game over the last three games on 60/40/80 shooting. Barring collective brain-farts, I like San Antonio in this one.

San Antonio Spurs (8-2) at Phoenix Suns (3-5)

November 9th, 2026 | 8 p.m. CT

Watch: DAZN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: Tobias Harris: Out (Calf), Jayden Quaintance: Out (Knee), Devin Vassell: Questionable (Hip)

Suns Injuries: Jordan Goodwin: Questionable (Calf), Mark Williams: Out (Shoulder)

Progress Report No. 1: Six key objectives for Warriors to earn NBA playoffs bid originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

There are many reasons behind the Warriors becoming one of the early-season surprises in the NBA, but the most meaningful is simple. They are playing well enough to exceed initial projections.

After looking largely unready while dropping their first three games, the Warriors have won seven in a row, their longest streak since a seven-gamer in March 2025, shortly after trading for Jimmy Butler III.

While Butler — along with Moses Moody — continues rehabbing, the Warriors have taken advantage of a somewhat exploitable schedule to post a 7-3 record and begin discovering what they can be. They are profoundly imperfect but capable, relatively small but sometimes play big.

As they wake up Monday morning, they sit in fifth place in the Western Conference.

Shortly before the Oct. 21 season opener, we described six objectives that, if met, should result in the Warriors finishing among the top six teams in the West. This is the first of six scheduled progress reports during the season:

1) Curry and Porziņģis combine to play 120 games

This goal never had a heartbeat, as Porziņģis has not suited up, has not been with the team and is much closer to retirement than stepping onto an NBA court for tipoff.

So, we adjust. And so does coach Steve Kerr.

The biggest casualty of losing Porziņģis is that it has forced Kerr to scale back his desire for more “five-out” offense. KP’s deep-shooting ability made him the No. 2 asset, behind Curry. The outcome has non-shooter Draymond Green returning to center.

Curry, meanwhile, has been phenomenal. He has played eight of 10 games, which projects to 65 over the 82-game season. If all goes well, he’ll at least meet the 65-game threshold required for postseason awards. He could push closer to 70.

Curry’s 31.3 points per game is the second highest of his career and places him second in the NBA this season, while averaging fewer than 30 minutes per game.

Quote: “As long as I’ve got my health and this (home) crowd and this team, I’m going to keep giving it everything I’ve got.” – Curry after a 41-point performance on Saturday

Progress Report grade: B. Curry gets an A, but losing Porziņģis robs Golden State of a significant offensive dimension.

2) Butler and Moody return before the All-Star break

All signs, according to team sources, point to this being possible, if not probable.

With three-plus months to go before the break, both players are on schedule, if not slightly ahead. Their regular workouts include putting up shots from all spots on the court and individual work is becoming more intense.

Moody is feeling confident enough to step onto the Chase Center floor and work on his 3-ball before fans during halftime of games. Butler’s workouts have been increasingly intense.

Quote: “I watch Moses do his workouts on the court either before or after our practices, and I saw Jimmy in full uniform the other day getting a workout. It’s great to have them in the building and training. It’s a good reminder of what’s coming.” – Kerr last weekend

Progress Report grade: Incomplete. Projection is leaning heavily toward A.

3) Lendeborg makes the All-Rookie first team

We expected Yaxel Lendeborg to be good, but the 6-foot-10, 247-pound rookie forward has been better than objectively envisioned.

The Warriors and their fans don’t want to even think about where this team would be without the contributions of the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA draft.

Lendeborg is averaging 21.2 points per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, including 40.4 percent beyond the arc. He’s also averaging 7.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

Moreover, the 24-year-old has established himself as the team’s second-best player, generally running the offense when Curry is off the floor. Lendeborg’s on-ball defense has been good, and his off-ball defense is striding toward needed improvement.

Lendeborg looks like a pillar for Golden State’s post-Curry phase and a future NBA All-Star.

Quote: “We’ve been able to see (Lendeborg’s) consistency of effort and aggressiveness, and then the composure to make solid plays. It’s incredible to watch.” – Curry last weekend

Progress Report grade: A. Lendeborg has been sensational. If he maintains his current trajectory, he’ll meet the objective and be a leading contender for Rookie of the Year.

4) Finish among the top 10 in defensive rating

After an ugly start, the Warriors are building a defense that shows considerable promise.

Associate head coach/defensive coordinator Frank Vogel’s goal is to finish as one of the league’s 10 best defenses. Golden State at this point ranks 14th in defensive rating.

But a deeper look reveals an encouraging trend. The Warriors through their first five games were 27th. Over the last five games, they are sixth in the league, and behind only Oklahoma City and San Antonio in the West.

Green, the centerpiece of the defense, is playing very well for an undersized 36-year-old “big man.” His work against two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (Heat) and three-time MVP Nikola Jokić (Nuggets) were crucial in wins over those teams.

Quote: “We’re competing, trying to do everything that I’m asking them to do. We have a base coverage system of how we want to defend certain things. There are a lot of pillars to great defenses, like protecting the paint first, transition defense, one-shot defense. Those types of things that are uniform no matter who you’re playing.” – Vogel to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke last weekend.

Progress Report grade: B. There have been lapses in transition defense, donating points off turnovers. The only teams giving away more points off turnovers are the cellar-dwelling Hornets, Bulls and Clippers.

5) Shoot above 37.5 percent from deep

Through 10 games, the Warriors are draining 3-pointers at a league-leading 39.5-percent rate, ticking up to 41.9 percent during their win streak.

Five players are above 40 percent, led by Curry’s 44.7 mark. Will Richard is at 42.9, while Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton are at 41.7, and Lendeborg is at 40.4. Close behind them is Brandin Podziemski at 39.2 percent.

Curry, shooting 48.5 percent from deep during the win streak, is amid one of the best stretches of his career, behind February 2016 – including the “double-bang” game-winner – and April 2021.

The biggest surprises have been Melton and Lendeborg. Both are competent deep shooters, but they’ve been exceptional. Among rotational perimeter players, only Brandon Williams (30.4) and Gui Santos (33.3) are below 35 percent.

Quote: “The general thing is less random basketball and offense. Trying to get more organized and more pattern-based, so everybody feels comfortable out there. At times we’ve relied on chaos to find good shots or get me off ball, with Draymond being able to run the offense that way. We still have bits and pieces of that, and there are moments where it needs to happen.” – Curry last week.

Progress Report grade: A-plus. Such accuracy might not last, but it’s a splendid start, particularly considering the offense has been a mix of old and new schemes.

6) Conquer their consistent turnover habit

Turnovers have been discussed ad nauseum for years, were highlighted in the offseason by general manager Mike Dunleavy, and 10 games in, continue to be an area of concern.

The Warriors are averaging 17.0 giveaways per game – even more than their 15.7 per-game average last season.

The larger issue is that they are being punished by opponents, who are averaging 21.3 points off the charity.

Lendeborg, learning in real time what it takes to be a catalyst at this level, leads the team with 35 turnovers, 3.5 per game. He is trending in the wrong direction, committing 24 over his last six games, including at least four in three of those games.

Behind Lendeborg is Green, with 26 turnovers over eight games, with a season-high of five (twice). Curry, who along with Green has lost the privilege of allotted allowable turnovers, is heeding the hopes of Kerr and Dunleavy, committing 15 turnovers in eight games. Podziemski has been excellent, committing one turnover per 22.5 minutes.

Quote: “After getting off to an 0-3 start and ending up 7-3 is pretty good. I’ll give us a B, B-plus. We have a lot of things we can get better at. We’re still not quite where we want to be as far as turning the ball over. We’re executing better, but the execution isn’t where we want it to be.” – Green over the weekend

Progress Report grade: D. The only positive is that the Warriors are forcing slightly more turnovers (176) than they are committing (170).

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Austin Reaves and the Los Angeles Lakers earned a 121-116 victory over the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday, Nov. 8.

The Lakers improved to 9-2 on the season and remain in first place in the Western Conference. The team also moved to 2-0 in games in which Luka Doncic does not play.

Doncic has positiioned himself as the early favorite for the NBA’s MVP after leading the league in scoring and averaging 40.1 points per game.

The point guard was ruled out with lower back tightness, allowing for more scoring opportunities for Reaves.

“I was a lucky basketball player tonight,” Reaves told reporters after the game.

Reaves produced a game-high 43 points on 14-of-27 shooting from the field, against one of the league’s best defenses. He also went 4-for-6 from the three-point line and a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.

The Pistons were not surprised by Reaves' abilities, having pursued the shooting guard with strong interest during free agency in the offseason.

“Luka is an incredible player, and I think there are times when he's playing that A.R. kind of has to take a secondary role,” Lakers center Walker Kessler told reporters after the game. "But you could see tonight that he's a very capable player.

Kessler contributed to the victory, putting together a double-double performance with 12 points and 16 rebounds.

The Lakers offense as a unit also created a fast start and built a strong lead in the first quarter, outscoring the Pistons 38-14.

When do Lakers play next?

The Lakers will travel to play the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, Nov. 9 in the second game of a back-to-back at 7 p.m. ET.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Austin Reaves lead Lakers past Pistons with Luka Doncic out