Category: NBA

The Cleveland Cavaliers open up their NBA Cup schedule as they host LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers.

This will be James’s first game in the arena he called home for over a decade, since he spurned them in free agency last summer. James has received a hero’s welcome in each of his returns when he was wearing purple and gold. That reception isn’t guaranteed this time around.

The Sixers have shown early on why James chose them over the Cavs. Philadelphia has amassed the most wins so far by putting together the second-best defense in the league — an area that many people thought they would struggle with. The offense has been a work in progress, but they have enough individual shot makers to eke out enough points in the clutch to come away with victories.

The Cavs, conversely, are struggling. They’ve lost two games in a row and are just 1-4 against teams over .500.

This is also an NBA Cup game. The Cavs haven’t advanced out of the group stage in this tournament yet. If they want to do so this season, they’ll likely need to win this game, or at the very least, not lose by much.

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Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (4-4) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (8-1)

Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH

When: Friday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 PM

TV: Prime Video

Point spread: 76ers -2.5

Cavs injury report: Jarrett Allen – QUESTIONABLE (knee), Peyton Watson – QUESTIONABLE (hamstring), Tyrese Proctor – QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Jaylon Tyson – OUT (ankle), Nae’Qwan Tomlin – OUT (back), Khalifa Diop – OUT (G League), Ernest Udeh, Jr. – OUT (G League)

76ers injury report: Dominick Barlow – OUT (back), Adem Bona – DOUBTFUL (back), Ariel Hukporti – OUT (Achilles)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Meleek Thomas, Mario Hezonja, Evan Mobley

76ers expected starting lineup: Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid

Cavs jersey:Black Statement Edition uniform

Previous matchup: The Sixers erased a 29-point deficit to defeat the Cavs on Cleveland’s opening night.

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

The second batch of NBA Cup group play games takes place Friday, Nov. 6, with nine games on the schedule.

The slate includes several heavyweight matchups, led by the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Western Conference-leading Portland Trail Blazers in a rematch of the Blazers' 136-129 win on Oct. 27. The defending conference champion San Antonio Spurs also look to maintain their strong start against the Sacramento Kings.

In the East, the conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers visit the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks open the evening's NBA Cup action.

MORE: Who is making a run at Doncic, Wembanyama? Latest NBA MVP rankings

5 best NBA Cup games to watch Friday

Trail Blazers at Lakers

The Luka Doncic train keeps rolling. He enters Friday averaging an NBA-best 38.5 points and has scored 40 or more five times in eight games. But the Western Conference-leading Trail Blazers have won three in a row without Ja Morant and already beat the Lakers 136-129 on Oct. 27.

Spurs at Kings

Can Victor Wembanyama possibly top his 52-point, 24-rebound performance in his last outing against the Dallas Mavericks? It's possible against the 1-7 Kings, who ranked 28th in defensive efficiency.

Thunder at Grizzlies

Oklahoma City has surprised despite a rash of devastating injuries, but must contain Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome, who has become a walking bucket during the first couple weeks of the season, with two 40-point games to his credit.

76ers at Cavaliers

A possible Eastern Conference final matchup as Cleveland looks for revenge after blowing a 29-point lead to Philadelphia on Oct. 22. The 76ers have three 20-points-per-game scorers and have gotten off to an 8-1 start.

Celtics at Hornets

The Celtics have done just fine without Jaylen Brown, as Paul George has picked up the scoring slack in a formidable duo with Jayson Tatum. The Hornets have struggled, losing their past five games and are the only team in the league that doesn't average 100 points a game.

NBA Cup schedule Friday and how to watch

• Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks (East Group C) — 7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
• Boston Celtics at Charlotte Hornets (East Group C) — 7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
• Philadelphia 76ers at Cleveland Cavaliers (East Group B) — 7:30 p.m. ET, Prime
• Utah Jazz at Dallas Mavericks (West Group A) — 8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
• Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies (West Group B) — 8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
• Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks (East Group A) — 8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
• Minnesota Timberwolves at New Orleans Pelicans (West Group B) — 8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
• Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers (West Group C) — 10 p.m. ET, Prime
• San Antonio Spurs at Sacramento Kings (West Group C) — 10 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass

What is NBA Cup?

The NBA's 30 teams are split into six groups of five, with three groups in each conference. Each team plays four group-stage games, two at home and two on the road.

Each NBA Cup game also counts toward the regular-season standings, except for the championship game on Dec. 11. Teams play each of their four group opponents once, with the results determining who advances to the knockout rounds.

Eight teams will advance to the knockout rounds — the winner of each of the six groups, plus one wild-card team from each conference.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luka vs Blazers, Wemby and more: 5 NBA Cup games to watch

Washington Wizards forward AJ Dybantsa ranked No. 5 in NBA Rookie of the Year rankings this week by NBA.com’s Jeff Zilligitt. Memphis Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer is No. 1, but he played the entire season so far. Dybantsa, by contrast, missed the first four games of the season so he is starting behind.

Here is what Zilligitt had to say about the Wizards rookie:

Dybantsa missed Washington’s first four games with a sprained left ankle and has fit right in since making his debut on Oct. 28, scoring at least 17 points in his three games and finding his spots to score alongside a group of scorers, including Anthony Davis and Trae Young.

So far, Dybantsa is averaging 16.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Given that he’s playing as part of a big trio that also consists of Anthony Davis and Trae Young, that type of production, that’s encouraging. We’ll see how these rankings look as the Wizards continue their season.

The Milwaukee Bucks have a date with the Toronto Raptors in the first of four NBA Cup games this season. The Bucks have obviously had a rough start to the season with just one win, but they’ve been in all but two games. Now it’s just about learning how to finish games. Taylor Jenkins is trying to walk and chew gum at the same time, trying to win while giving the new young core opportunities to play and make mistakes. The team’s performance over the last two games (against good teams) shows that Jenkins is doing a pretty decent job of that. Overall, if you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing about the Bucks, it would be their defence, which ranks 27th for the season. Check out Nate’s wonderful NBA Cup preview for the rest of the matchups and everything else you need to know.

The Task Ahead

The Raptors have had a funny season, starting 3-1 and going 1-3 since. The primary reason for their struggles, obviously, is losing Kawhi Leonard, who is out for “a period of weeks” as he deals with left knee swelling; per our friends over at Raptors HQ, Leonard has officially completed treatment to address the swelling and is now moving to the next step in his recovery process.

But what are the other reasons for their struggles? Toronto has been fine offensively without Leonard—which has been the area they have struggled in over the past few years—ranking second in the league in scoring over the last five games (while shooting the 22nd-most threes, interestingly). Their issues have come on the other end, where they rank a putrid 28th over that same span, one spot lower than Milwaukee! Look for the Raptors to come out with a fierce mentality tonight as they try to fix that problem.

Injury Report

Bucks:

• Clean injury report.

Raptors:

• Scottie Barnes: Questionable (adductor)
• Kawhi Leonard: Out (knee)
• Nate Bittle: Out (face)

Player to Watch

As for an individual performers who deserves your attention, look no further than Scottie Barnes, who, if he plays tonight, could cause the Bucks some real problems. Barnes is posting scary numbers across the board so far this season. Barnes has upped his points average from 18.2 to 23.5 as he continues the offensive expansion he showed in last season’s playoffs. Additionally, Barnes has been a menace in the passing lanes, nearly doubling his steals per game from an already ludicrous 1.4 to 2.2 this year. With Leonard out, Barnes will surely look to take over.

Projected Starters

Game Details

Who: Milwaukee Bucks (1-7) vs. Toronro Raptors (4-4).

When: 7:00 p.m. CST.

Where: Fiserv Forum—Milwaukee, WI.

Watch: MY24.

Listen: Check local listings.

Prescient Prediction

Brayden Burries finally has a breakout offensive game. Unlike Milwaukee’s last two opponents, Toronto is struggling to get stops. Give me 17 points and four assists on over 50% shooting.

It is tempting to hand-waive everything that has happened to the Indiana Pacers in the last year and a half as simply the work of some vengeful spirit, unfairly punishing an innocent fanbase who never did anything to deserve this kind of sustained injury catastrophe and lottery luck that would sink any franchise, in Indiana or on the Moon. And hand-waive we shall. But waive enough hands, and the cumulative effect of this bad luck will start slipping through our fingers unnoticed, like grains of sand piling up into a castle the size of the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, threatening to crush us all if we don’t make infrastructure improvements.

I was out on the Pacers coming into the year, though I never found the time to publish that take anywhere preseason with the NFL kicking off and the MLB headed for the World Series and then World War III. — you’ll just have to trust my editors that I’ve been talking about it. My concern lay on the fact that a 50-32 Pacers team in 2024-25 had ridden one of the most absurd stretches of clutch shot-making ever to Game 7 of the NBA Finals, lost Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles in one of the most heart-wrenching injuries in NBA history, lost said Game 7, lost Myles Turner to some Bucks stupidity and then went 19-63 (yes, that is nineteen and sixty-three) the following year with a roster I thought … was not that bad.

Every Pacers take I heard last year from people in NBA media more connected than I started and ended with the same two words: “gap year.” This 19-63 record was, of course, intentional, as the team tanked for a top draft pick to play when Haliburton was back the following season. But then they made a splashy move, wagering that draft pick on a bold 50-50 with the Clippers for Ivica Zubac, protecting that pick in a specific way that meant if it fell out of the top four, they would lose it. Well … it did, and their 19-63 record netted them nothing in one of the most stacked top fours we’ve ever seen. Once again: heartbreaking.

Then the actual 2026 season rolled around, and their roster looked solid; at the very least, it would be competitive, if not actually a Finals contender in my mind. And it was going reasonably well for about seven minutes until Haliburton suffered a hamstring injury (like are you serious right now) and the rest of the team got injured along with him. Now 3-6, last week’s lineups would make you think they were tanking again.

Their actual players will slowly make it back in time, but the question must officially be asked (no, not “is this team injury prone?” that’s a stupid question): do the Pacers have the roster to cope with even one injury, and can this group survive a wide-open but packed Eastern Conference, one with aspiring playoff teams popping out of drawers? Betting markets aren’t really sure what to think, with Indiana holding the ninth-best odds in the East at 18-1 on FanDuel. They’re squarely out of the top group of Boston, New York and Philadelphia, and not even really in the second group of Toronto, Detroit and Cleveland either. 

These are trying realities, and beg one concerning question: even fully healthy, are the Pacers a contender in the first place?

The argument for Indiana coming into the year was basically that Tyrese Haliburton was one of the five most important players in the league, if not actually one of the five best. Sure, there was tanking last year, but many of Indiana’s NBA Finals roster playeda decent number of games in 2025-26 and they still couldn’t get to 20 wins. Unless this was the single most coordinated, organizationally coherent tanking job in history, with unprecedented buy-in from … Pascal Siakam, the only explanation for the 19-63 record was that Haliburton was basically Michael Jordan-level important for Indiana.

And he definitely was the linchpin of everything they did. But none of the advanced stats suggested that the team would literally evaporate without Haliburton. He’s not some kind of Net Rating god, and I repeatedly found myself confused as to how the Pacers were losing every game despite a noticeable talent advantage on other teams in their tanking bracket.

That’s a long way to say that I don’t think that roster was actually that good, and the Finals run was more of an out-of-control party of unrepeatable clutch ridiculousness than it was the actual quality of Indiana basketball. If you accept that (you may not, but just … accept it for now so the grammar of the next clause works), your opinion of this Pacers team in 2026 comes down to how you feel about their upgrades — Kelly Oubre Jr. is a fine depth wing, but Ivica Zubac is the money question. Is he actually better than Myles Turner was in 2024?

With Tyrese Haliburton, I think he can be. Haliburton is a one-of-one elite table-setter for big men, and Zubac needs him on the floor to elevate his offensive game beyond simple, prodding interior hoops. Sidebar: I saw a Pacers fan complaining on Reddit that he doesn’t feel like Zubac even looks to shoot the three-pointer even when he’s wide open, which I find hysterical since he has made one singular 3-pointer in his 11-year career. But hey, he’s open.

So far, though, Zubac has been uninspiring on the Pacers, and he hasn’t been a particularly special defender in a few years like Turner was in his prime (yes, that is me declaring Myles Turner’s prime over, have you watched a Bucks game recently?). Zubac must be a walking double-double for the Pacers to raise their ceiling. 

Without Haliburton, this is all completely moot. They’re in survival mode right now, needing to stack wins wherever they can find them until they can bring back a competent roster nightly. But even with Haliburton, I think this roster might just be bringing a squeaky plastic hammer to a knife fight. Like, you might be able to block some slashes and win hand-to-hand combat, and nobody in the eastern conference has a gun … but we have a squeaky plastic hammer. And right now, it has a hole in it.

If a screen-addled pickup basketball player teleported into the body of a high-level athlete, they might resemble Yaxel Lendeborg. The most commonly cited fact about Lendeborg is that he used to spend 12 to 14 hours a day gaming, and didn’t debut on his high school basketball team until he was an upperclassman. Professional athletes often have origin stories that resemble the superhero more than the mortal, but Lendeborg really was just like us at one point. Lendeborg has also said that prior to entering the NBA, he didn’t really watch it, either. The Puerto Rican forward racked up more than enough accolades in college to qualify for the NBA, including helming Michigan to their first national championship in 37 years, but still. Any of you reading this could smoke the man who may be this season’s rookie of the year in trivia about his profession.

Related: Golden State Valkyries celebrate historic WNBA championship with Bay Area parade – in pictures

The 24-year-old Lendeborg is a forward on the Golden State Warriors, a team caught between the ancient, gleaming remnants of the most fearsome dynasty of the 2010s and its future. The balance didn’t work out last season, as the Warriors produced flashes of old greatness to win one play-in game before flaming out in the next. Such results are a frustrating waste of Stephen Curry’s wonderful form even at 38 years old. Lendeborg is the best hope in a while to help maximize it. But even more importantly, Lendeborg is the character of the season so far. He’s spent its first two weeks antagonizing superstars, firing off unselfconscious takes in the press and vacuuming up the spotlight from his blander peers. What a joy to bear witness to an athlete who probably didn’t even hear the words “media training” until college.

Lendeborg and the Warriors kicked off their season with a resounding loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, which quickly became the most talked-about blowout of the season so far thanks to Lendeborg making an enemy of the Lakers’ star, Luka Dončić. The two jawed at each other throughout the game, in which Dončić torched the Warriors as a whole but somewhat struggled when working one-on-one against Lendeborg. After the game, the rookie took issue with Dončić’s style of play – presumably too distracted by playing NBA 2K, he’d previously only watched Dončić via highlights and wasn’t familiar with the crafty Slovene’s foul-baiting abilities. “You get the foul call. Congratulations, bro,” Lendeborg said in a press conference. “Then you talk to me like you did something great. C’mon, dog. That shit is weak. It kind of threw me off because I have so much respect for him. Gone, man. Gone.”

Angering Dončić, an all-time great who famously levels up even further when furious, is certainly a choice. (Also, foul-baiting made Lendeborg lose all respect for him? I hope he didn’t see this effort from Duncan Robinson; it might propel Lendeborg into manslaughter.) Dončić has been on a historic offensive heater ever since, and if he maintains this temperature and wins his first MVP, he owes thanks to Lendeborg for the motivation. But the friction between the players was fascinating – a player shaking their head at Dončić like a disapproving uncle is certainly a new image – and nobody got hurt. Lendeborg later said that he took his complaints a little far. On the contrary, Yaxel: keep it up, your press conferences are now appointment viewing.

Not even a week later, Lendeborg was drawing fouls against the Nuggets like the best of them, taking 13 free throws and making 12. Just listen to him after that game, openly aspiring to new free-throw shooting heights that everybody seeks but nobody is shameless enough to admit to. I find Lendeborg challenging my staunchly held opinion that not a soul should start a new podcast until the current market desaturates.

It’s common for players like this to come out of the gates with color and gradually accept the beige, conflict-avoidant stock quotes spouted by the rest of the league. “Get this man a PR manager,” smirks the Redditor, perhaps unaware that they are advocating against their own interests. The more athletes succumb to the monochrome group of the media-trained, the more crucial dissenters become. The longtime reality show Survivor is in decline in part because modern contestants know the game too well, and thus often play the same way. Lendeborg brings to mind a similar truism about professional sports: the less a player cares about the PR contours they’re expected to follow, the better TV they make. Luckily, Lendeborg seems to understand his responsibility as an interesting athlete. “I’m not doing that, man,” Lendeborg said of media training to the San Francisco Chronicle. “I’m going to stay true to myself, and be honest. I’ve seen plenty of interviews where people are talking and it’s like, ‘Man, I don’t want to watch this,’ you know what I mean? And it’s not like I’m click-baiting or click-farming or whatever the heck people are saying.”

It’s a bonus that Lendeborg is also on an encouraging trajectory on the floor. At 6ft 10in, he provides the Warriors, who rely on exceptional shooting and quick ball movement over height, with some much-needed size. Lendeborg can do a little of everything: defend, shoot threes, pass sharply enough to keep up with Golden State’s manic style of play, drive to the basket and lay the ball in through contact.

Lendeborg rained 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists upon the Denver Nuggets last week, the best performance of anybody in that game. He also helped hold the Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon, who often feasts against the Warriors thanks to their small lineup, to seven points. And yet, after that game, Lendeborg had the urge and lack of self-consciousness to ask a panel of former NBA greats for advice on his game during an interview. It’s no surprise that some of the feedback was for Lendeborg to keep up the “nasty” edge he’d established. Against the Los Angeles Clippers a few days later, Lendeborg piled up 37 points.

Even in plays Lendeborg isn’t a part of, you can see him twitching on the perimeter, calling for the ball and hopping in disappointment when it doesn’t arrive. (He may have gotten too excited in a rematch against the Lakers: the Warriors won, but Dončić repeatedly fried Lendeborg, who was benched and eventually fouled out.) In a win against the Miami Heat on Thursday night, Lendeborg drew a foul on Bam Adebayo and hopped up and down with his arms raised in celebration, an NBA finals-grade reaction for a routine play. He recorded a 17-8-6 stat line on the night (with three steals and a block thrown in for good measure) and it already felt quiet by his standards.

Don’t raise your expectations for the Warriors just yet – the ligaments holding them together are too frayed for that – but the team have won six games in a row. Behind Curry’s gleaming star, much of the credit has to go to Lendeborg. Warriors fans will delight in their maybe-savior, but Lendeborg’s personality has given the whole basketball fanbase reason to cheer.

On the most recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, former Bucks coach Doc Rivers shared insight into the challenges he experienced coaching Giannis, saying it’s “not easy.”

“He plays at this crazy downhill pace,” Rivers said. “He has this great passing ability, but he doesn’t necessarily have super IQ at the same time. It’s really a strange thing.

“He really has one way—downhill. Force, force, force. Every play, he wants to force it. I wish he learned how to execute better. He’s one of those guys who has never needed to execute, because they can do it on their own. But that doesn’t help the team.

“The thing he needs to learn is the value of execution. How important it is when you’re in practice and shootaround to lock in on execution. Now he has a coach who’s as good as there is at execution.”

Now, I also want to note that Rivers made it clear on the podcast that he loved Giannis as a person and a player, and enjoyed coaching him in general, but that his process was flawed in a few key areas.

On the one hand, Rivers’ comments lined up with many of my own critiques of Giannis’ game over the years. Namely, he needed to learn to contribute without the ball in his hands and, as Rivers said, understand the value of execution.

On the other hand, it’s frustrating that the former Bucks coach had all these pointers for Giannis but apparently couldn’t get him to put most of them into practice? Like, you’re the coach. That is quite literally your job!

I don’t know. Maybe he did try, but by then Giannis’ bad habits were so deeply ingrained that it was futile. Maybe there was a top-down directive to placate the two-time MVP at every stop so he wouldn’t request a trade. No idea.

Speaking of the org’s fear of Giannis asking out, Simmons also criticised the historic waive-and-stretch of Damian Lillard’s max contract to free up enough cap space to sign Myles Turner, labelling the move “desperate.”

“You know now that you should have traded Giannis that summer,” Simmons said. “They (the front office) just weren’t ready to do it.”

“I don’t think Giannis helped with that either, though, in Jon’s defence,” Rivers replied. “I thought Giannis kept yo-yo-ing.

“When I look back on that whole situation, Giannis wanted out, but he didn’t want to be the bad guy.

“He wanted Jon and Wes (Edens) to say, ‘We’re trading you,’ instead of him asking for a trade. To me, that was the game that was being played.”

Overall, I didn’t think anything Rivers said was false or out of line; Giannis is a superhuman athlete and the most talented basketball player I’ve ever watched, but he is also a flawed thinker of the game. By the same token, Rivers obviously lacks accountability for the role his own actions played in the Bucks’ downfall, but let’s be honest, that’s par for the course with him.

How did you take Rivers’ comments, Bucks fans?

The NBA’s 82-game regular season leaves plenty of margin for error for a bad stretch of play. This is a league where 53% of teams make the playoffs, not counting the four other teams who have the opportunity to earn their way into the postseason with one or two wins in the play-in tournament. There are still five months left on the schedule, with back-to-backs and spells of three-games-in-four-nights filling in the calendar.

Most teams can get off to a bad start and still be just fine. Some teams already know their season is over before it ever really starts. Check out our NBA power rankings this week for full coverage of the league.

Just over two weeks into the season, it already feels like there are six teams who are already toast. Some of these teams knew they would be bad coming into the year, while others dreamed of breaking into the playoffs. The unfortunate reality for these teams is they can’t even count on a high draft pick next year anymore after the league’s anti-tanking lottery reform was put in place this season ahead of the 2027 draft. Of course, there’s plenty of time for things to change with only about 10% of the schedule complete, but these six teams already look cooked.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings appeared to have no hope coming into the season, and at this point the only intrigue left is to see if they avoid being the worst team of the 2020s, a stake currently held by the 14-win Detroit Pistons in 2023-24. Rookie guard Darius Acuff is the best thing this franchise has going for them, and he’s getting thrown into the deep end from the very start of his career. Acuff leads the NBA in minutes per game and he’s one field goal attempt behind 2-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the league-lead in that category. The Kings could probably stand to give some of Acuff’s usage (32.5%) to Domantas Sabonis (16.1% usage rate), but they would still be a bad team, and at least now the rookie guard has the ability to learn from his mistakes. Keegan Murray being out again with an ankle injury after only playing 23 games last year is the real bummer for the start of this season. The Kings felt like the worst team in the league entering the season, and they still feel like the worst team in the league. Try to enjoy the Acuff roller coaster, Kings fans, because there’s nothing else to latch onto.

Chicago Bulls

The good news is that rookie forward Caleb Wilson looks like he can be the franchise player the Bulls have been missing since their horrible Jimmy Butler trade 10 years ago. The bad news is they might need four new starters around him long-term. It’s been a truly disappointing start for Matas Buzelis, who looked like a keeper in his first two seasons under Billy Donovan, but is regressing and seemingly falling out of favor under new head coach Tiago Splitter. Buzelis’ inability to beat mismatches when teams put their tiny guards on him is the single most alarming trend of this season for Chicago. Josh Giddey has also been terrible, and likely won’t be around the next time the Bulls have a playoff team. No. 15 overall pick Dailyn Swain can’t even get on the floor during blowouts. Chicago’s perimeter defense is atrocious with Giddey and Norm Powell, it can’t grab a defensive rebound (No. 28 in d-rebound rate), and it’s dead-last in three-point percentage. This team stinks out loud, but a brutal schedule to open the season will get softer eventually, and Wilson’s highlights will at least give the fanbase something to dream on.

Milwaukee Bucks

It was simply unavoidable that the Bucks would be in for a hard season after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, and it’s playing out as expected. Milwaukee is hanging tough in most of their games under new head coach Taylor Jenkins, but they just don’t have the talent to win in the fourth quarter yet. Milwaukee is dead-last at forcing turnovers on defense, and they’re near the bottom of the league in both free throw rate and free throw percentage. The Bucks just don’t get anything easy right now, which is the true sign of a terrible team. There are some positives thus far: rookie guard Brayden Burries looks pretty good despite a cold start as a shooter, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyler Herro are both playing well enough to fetch something decent on the trade market. Kel’el Ware, who is playing under 19 minutes per game, has possibly been the biggest disappointment here so far with a lot of sloppy turnovers, undisciplined fouls, and bricked jumpers to start the year. Getting Ware going next to Burries would at least improve the vibes the rest of the way.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns became the feel-good story of last season by grinding out 45 wins with maximum effort on the offensive glass and forcing defensive takeaways. This year’s team had to take a step forward after trading their last remaining future first-round pick for Miles Bridges, but it was easy to tell that move was doomed to fail from the start. Bridges hasn’t added much of anything to Phoenix at either end of the floor, but that’s just the start of their problems. This team continues to play Jalen Green over Collin Gillespie for some reason, even though every piece of evidence points to Gillespie being the exact player they need. The Suns have more of a chance to turn it around this season than most of these other teams provided they finally start playing their best point guard, but their issues in the middle don’t have such an easy solution. I loved Khaman Maluach as a draft prospect, but he just doesn’t look ready for starting center minutes at all right now. Oso Ighodaro has been better offensively, but he’s too small to play full-time center, and the defense completely falls apart when he’s on the floor (a ghastly 129 defensive rating in his minutes). Devin Booker is getting paid enough to lift this team through tough times, but he’s just not a great enough shot-maker to overcome his lack of rim attempts. Phoenix has some chance to turn it around, but the early returns are highly discouraging.

Utah Jazz

I was foolish enough to think the Jazz could be a playoff team this year, but my optimism started to fade once Jusuf Nurkic went down with a foot injury in the team’s preseason opener. A length injury to Jaren Jackson Jr. followed, which has put an already thin front court in a dangerous spot to start the season. It’s a bad sign that Utah’s offense has been the main culprit for their struggles, ranking No. 29 in the league right now. There should be a ton of firepower here, but the team has been ice cold from three (31.5 percent, No. 27 in the league), and rookie Darryn Peterson is still figuring out his spots on the floor. Peterson is relying way too heavily on floaters and other non-rim two-pointers right now, and it’s tanking his efficiency (46.5% true shooting). There’s also just a huge lack of high-level passing on this team right now, and it’s one reason why Lauri Markkanen just can’t seem to get going. The JJJ trade looks like an abomination. This was supposed to be the season the Jazz finally stopped rebuilding and started getting serious, but the product on the floor remains extremely poor.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers’ future was decimated by the NBA for their dealings with Kawhi Leonard in a cap circumvention scandal, but they still had a chance to be competitive this year. It already feels like that hope is over. Brandon Ingram reported to training camp with a partially torn Achilles, Max Strus is just returning now from a foot injury, and the big man room might be the worst in the league. Meanwhile, Darius Garland is turning the ball over like crazy, and rookie Keaton Wagler might be the worst inside the arc scorer in the NBA (25% on two-pointers). The Clippers turn the ball over more than any team in the league, and only four clubs allow their opponents to score with better efficiency. Worst of all, they owe their 2027 draft pick to the Thunder. I have mad respect for Ty Lue as a head coach, but there’s nothing he can do to stop this mess.

The Milwaukee Bucks are about to kick off the fourth annual NBA Cup with their first group stage game tonight against Toronto. They are the only team in their group, East A, to have not played on October 30; the other four teams—Brooklyn, Toronto, Orlando and Detroit—all played, with Detroit beating Brooklyn and Orlando beating Toronto. Despite being 1-7, the Bucks could actually make some noise in the cup games, and that isn’t just hopium-charged optimism, but a reflection of the Bucks’ strengths this year (yes, they exist) and how cup games are generally played.

The Cup

Here is a quick refresher of the NBA Cup rounds, groups, and rules:

• The games that are played every Friday, starting October 30 and ending November 27, are NBA Cup games. There are additional Cup games on Tuesday, November 24, and Wednesday, November 25.
• Each team plays the four other teams in their group, with two home and two away games.
• All Cup games will count towards the regular season standings, except for the championship game.
• After the group games have concluded, eight teams will continue to the Knockout Rounds. Those eight teams will be the six group winners plus two “Wild Card” teams, one from each conference that finished with the best record in Group Play games and finished second in their respective group. Convoluted, huh?
• The tiebreakers are head-to-head win/loss, point differential, total points, 2025-2026 record, and then a random drawing should all previous tiebreaker fail.
• The Knockout Rounds are single-elimination games leading up to the championship, where teams will play for a prize pool and the Cup trophy.

The Group

As noted, the Milwaukee Bucks are in Group East A. The standings currently look like this:

The Road Ahead

The Bucks Cup schedule is as follows:

• Friday, November 6 vs. Toronto
• Friday, November 13 @ Orlando
• Wednesday, November 25 vs. Brooklyn
• Friday, November 27 @ Detroit

As always, we’ll cover these games in regular fashion, so stay tuned for more in-depth analysis of each matchup!

A Brief Tale of the Tape

With Kawhi Leonard out for Toronto, it appears that the Bucks’ toughest test of the Cup will take place later this month when they head to Detroit to take on the Pistons. Beyond these two, Brooklyn is 2-6 to begin the year and Orlando is 2-5, and both of these teams possess a major disadvantage in Cup play: ank in the bottom five in both transition frequency and points scored in transition. This matters because of the significance of point differential: in the Cup, you’ll see teams leave their starting five out all game in an effort to score as much as possible, even in the face of a blowout. The Bucks, Raptors and Pistons are all in the top ten in time spent in transition and points per game, but the Bucks are bottom-five in field goal percentage when in transition. This should not shock Bucks fans: pretty much everyone on the Bucks has had a hard time finding their groove and really breaking out. Therefore, should the Bucks start to see some of these shots fall, they may be able to push the pace, wear out Brooklyn and Orlando, and hang in there against Toronto and Detroit.

If those shots do not fall, however, Milwaukee still has a chance if it can play its brand of basketball. A particularly concerning trend for the Bucks in the first eight games of the season is that their bigs are having a hard time finishing at the rim on offense and being able to get consistent stops in the paint on defense. Even with those concerns, the Bucks rank 20th in points in the paint, which is not good, but better than the Nets, Magic and, perhaps most surprisingly, the Pistons, who rank 22nd.

Where the Bucks hold an advantage over all of these teams is rebounding, which both feels right on schedule for a Jenkins-led team and an absolute breath of fresh air for Bucks fans. Currently, the Bucks are third in total rebounds per game and offensive rebounds per game, and fourth in defensive rebounds per game. Only Toronto has the Bucks beat in offensive rebounding, averaging 14.8 per game to Milwaukee’s 14.5, but the Bucks hold a fairly sizable lead over their group in every other rebounding category. Plus, even on a poor shooting night, more shots are always better than fewer, meaning fans can expect to see the Bucks push the pace even more and pick up as many second-chance opportunities as possible (where they rank third in the league). So, as long as the Bucks don’t beat themselves and stick to the brand of basketball they have been working on in the early season, they actually stand a chance to make a little noise—and maybe even surprise some folks!

Group Play Predictions

You know what? Why not? The Milwaukee Bucks will win their bracket. Yeah, I said it. What’s more, they’ll go 4-0, baby! After two tough road losses in which the Bucks had chances to take or maintain the lead, the team will return to Fiserv hungry for its second win against a Kawhi-less Raptors team, which lost last week to the Magic, handing Orlando just their second win of the season. After notching the first victory of the Cup against Toronto, the Bucks will travel to Orlando and play the Magic, who will not be able to keep up with the Bucks on the boards or in transition. A similar fate will befall Brooklyn, albeit in more explosive fashion, as the young Bucks will continue to mature and remain hungry and motivated for the cash prize at the end of the journey. Finally, with a chance to advance to the Knockout Rounds on the line, the Bucks will notch a quality road win against Detroit, which (somehow) also struggle on the boards and are in the bottom-10 for second chance points.

Emerging Champion

Keeping the hopium cranked up, should the Bucks find themselves 4-0 when Group Play is wrapped up, it will likely be due to at least one player breaking out. That will be Brayden Burries, who will finally enjoy his first signature moment. Fans who have been watching all season know that Burries’ shot selection has generally been good; he’s just had a hard time finding the bottom of the net. The NBA Cup will give him a stage to change this and, coupled with his rebounding ability, he will help find a way to lead his team to victory and emerge as one of the future stars in Milwaukee.

How do you see the Bucks faring in the NBA Cup? Now that it’s in its fourth year, how do you feel about the tournament in general?

Will the Spurs ever lose again? After starting off the season with a couple of losses, the Silver and Black have won their next six, steadily climbing up the standings.

Even when things don’t go well, San Antonio has been able to prevail. In the matchup against the Mavericks on Wednesday, the Spurs shot 36 three-pointers and made just five of them. Only a handful of times in league history has a team shot so poorly at that volume and won. And the poor shooting was only part of the issues. The bench got outscored by 28 points, and only four players cracked double digits in scoring. So how did the Silver and Black keep the streak going? Because they have Victor Wembanyama.

Wemby had arguably the best game of his career, finishing with 52 points, 24 rebounds, and eight blocks. The Spurs outscored Dallas by 23 points when he was on the floor in a one-point win. He was everywhere on defense, deterring or swatting shots. His jumper was off, as it was the case for the entire team, but he made an absolute killing in the paint, where no Maverick could stop him. Wemby willed the team to a win with not much help from others, which is something that only true superstars can do.

Hopefully, it won’t take such a Herculean effort from The Alien to secure the win against the bottom-dwelling Kings. Sacramento is having a rough season in which injuries have made a bad roster look more inept than anticipated. The Spurs already made easy work of them in a previous matchup this season, dominating early and cruising to a blowout win. The same outcome seems likely, but San Antonio will need to show the appropriate fear and not assume that their opponent will just roll over or that talent alone will get them another victory.

San Antonio Spurs(6-2) vs. Sacramento Kings (1-7)

November 6th, 2026 | 9:00 PM CT

Watch: DAZN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs injuries: Tobias Harris (calf) — Out, Jayden Quaintance (knee) — Out

Kings injuries: Ben Simmons (Achilles) — Out, Keegan Murray (ankle) — Out, Maxime Raynaud (knee) — Out

What to watch for:

Can the bench contribute?

The decision to insert Dylan into the starting lineup has been going well enough so far that reverting it wouldn’t make sense, at least at this point, but it has had an impact on the second unit. The Spurs’ bench ranks 27th in the league in points scored per game and 29th in assists per game. Simply put, there’s very little shot creation and firepower outside of the starting unit.

The offensive struggles wouldn’t be a problem if San Antonio were bringing defensive specialists off the bench, but that’s simply not the case. Keldon Johnson has always been a subpar defender despite always bringing effort. Julian Champagnie struggles with quick perimeter players and is getting exposed often, as he can’t keep his man in front of him and has to funnel them to Luke Kornet, having a bad year so far, instead of Victor Wembanyama.

Since the starting unit has so much talent, the Spurs have been able to win games despite lacking quality depth, but a game against a weak opponent on the first night of a back-to-back would be a perfect opportunity for the subs to shine and lighten the load of the starters.

Keep Acuff Jr. inefficient

One of the few bright spots of the Kings’ season has been the play of their prized rookie, Darius Acuff Jr. The seventh overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft leads all first-year players in scoring (25.6 a game) and assists (seven a game), and even on a bad team, looks like a true building block for the future — the type of offensive engine that could eventually lead a good attack.

The big issue for the soon-to-be 20-year-old has been efficiency. Acuff has the green light in Sacramento, which is helping him put up the great raw numbers mentioned above, though they can feel a little empty at times. He’s shooting just 40 percent from the floor and 31 percent from beyond the arc while turning the ball over often. In Sacramento’s last game, he scored 22 points, but it took him 24 shots to get there. In the matchup with the Spurs from earlier in the season, he had 19 points on 20 shots.

Since the Kings’ defense is abysmal, the only way for them to beat good teams is to outscore them. Veteran starters Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and De’Andre Hunter will likely do their job on the offensive end while Malik Monk is expected to do the same off the bench. But Acuff Jr. is the big X-Factor. If he puts up big numbers but isn’t efficient, Sacramento won’t likely be able to keep up with a superior opponent.

A must-win for the midseason tournament

The Spurs will play their first game of the Emirates NBA Cup. They will battle the Kings, Lakers, Warriors, and Trail Blazers in the West’s Group C. Sacramento is clearly the worst team of the bunch, so beating them is a must if the Silver and Black, which played in the finals against the Knicks in the previous edition of the competition, are hoping to advance.

If you’d like to, you may follow along with the game on our Twitter profile (@poundingtherock) or visit our Game Thread!

The Sixers just keep on rolling. After a 112-106 win on Wednesday against the Pistons, they’re sitting comfortably at the top of the Eastern Conference with an 8-1 record.

Next up on Friday, the Sixers are continuing on the road with their second matchup against the Cavaliers, in what’s also their next NBA Cup game.

There’s another new name added to the injury report, too. And in typical fashion for this season, it’s a center: Adem Bona is now listed as doubtful with a cervical spine sprain. Jarrett Allen is questionable for the Cavs with a right knee contusion.

So far, the Cavs haven’t gotten off to the best start this season. They’re sitting at 4-4 and with this initial small sample we have, rank a dead average 15th in net rating at +1.9, largely thanks to their ninth-ranked offense. It’s defense that’s hurting them most, where they rank only 21st.

The Sixers’ dramatic 29-point comeback to beat the Cavs last month was a good indicator of how dangerous these Sixers can be when their stars click. Tyrese Maxey was electric last time. He finished with a team-high 32 points, and along with Jaylen Brown, the two stars both scored 17 points each in the second half to help power the comeback.

If Maxey can have his way again vs. Donovan Mitchell and James Harden in the Cavs’ backcourt (as he has against every opponent this season, really), it wouldn’t be surprising to see Maxey lead the Sixers’ offense yet again with another high-scoring night.

Even after his first quieter night of the season on Wednesday, shooting only 5-of-16 against the Pistons, Maxey is still making his average of 28.0 points on a 60.7 true shooting percentage look easy.

Mitchell remains the biggest threat for the Sixers to handle. He dropped 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting last time to lead the Cavs, and is averaging 21.9 points with a 59.9 true shooting percentage for the season so far. As tenacious as both Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have been on defense, and as good as Joel Embiid has been protecting the paint, Mitchell is always a handful with his ability as a driver and high-volume three-point creator. How the Sixers cover Mitchell on Friday and limit his space in pick-and-rolls will be key.

Rebounding will be another crucial part of this game. The towering duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen isn’t exactly the ideal matchup for the Sixers and their depleted big man rotation. However, Philly did at least make a huge jump from ranking in the bottom half of the league in defensive rebound percentage earlier this week to ninth after beating the Pistons. Of course, that shows you just how much a single game and tiny samples change things this early in the season. But it was still a stronger effort from the Sixers on Wednesday, led by Embiid stepping up with 15 rebounds and LeBron James grabbing 10 of his own.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Sixers can build on that. Keeping Mobley and Allen (if he’s active) in check, being alert with boxouts, and fighting as much as possible on the glass will be important in maintaining an edge in this one. This is especially true with Bona doubtful. Despite his struggles this year, his likely absence still leaves the Sixers with even less size. We could well see Jabari Walker get increased minutes now, who will be in for a challenge at 6-foot-7 against the Cavs’ size, but has played well since preseason.

The Cavs’ bigs haven’t historically been able to slow Embiid down much either, and last time was no different.

The big fella scored 24 points, including 15 in the second half with some big buckets late to help secure the win. It’ll be fun to see how Embiid looks again on Friday.

Jaylen Brown was efficient against the Cavs before too, and he’s in fine form after putting together his best performance as a Sixer yet on Wednesday. He shot 11-of-19 overall for his first 30-point game on the team. Brown showed off with a balanced mix of buckets, scoring with strong drives, smooth mid-range pull-ups, and a 3-of-5 mark from three. Pair that with his strong defense and work to help contain Cade Cunningham, and Brown was excellent.

A late clutch block on a Cade three-point attempt was crucial in sealing the victory as well.

If Brown plays like this again on Friday, and Edgecombe and Maxey continue to excel as they have defensively, the Sixers’ perimeter stars look ready to give the Cavs a hard time.

As our Paul Hudrick put it after this week’s win against Detroit, this team feels real. Sure, it’s early days and there are things to work on, like the backup center situation and the offense only ranking 20th for now. But from the defense and the way they’re closing out games, to the sheer talent and amount of fun they’re having, this group does feel special.

And as LeBron has said himself, the guys on this team simply enjoy being around each other. The value of that can’t be overlooked either.

Let’s see if they can keep the good vibes going in Cleveland.

Game Details

When: Friday, November 6, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Watch: NBCSP/PCK-PHI, Prime Video
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

The Phoenix Suns’ four-game losing streak came to a much-needed end on Thursday night. Maybe it was the defensive intensity. Maybe it was the fact that I started wearing my watch. Maybe it was because their opponent was dealing with its own rash of issues, particularly at the point guard position. Or maybe, and hear me out on this one, it was because Devin Booker was wearing a headband.

Whatever the reason, the relief was both welcomed and desperately needed, especially considering the brand of basketball the Suns had put forth through the first six games of the season.

The standings now say 2-5, but there were some noticeable adjustments in this game. While those changes might not have been directly responsible for the victory, particularly when you consider the opponent, the fact that head coach Jordan Ott was willing to make them carries some weight. Could more adjustments be made? Quite possibly. Baby steps, right? Overall, the team looked considerably more engaged, even if its weak-side defensive rotations still appeared a little out of sync and out of rhythm.

And the stats? On paper, they’re certainly impressive. Phoenix shot 17-of-30 from beyond the arc, an outstanding 56.7%, while holding the Magic to 13-of-38 from deep, or 34.2%. Of course, there’s also the fact that Phoenix built a 30-point lead at 105-75 before surrendering a 25-10 run that made things considerably more interesting than they needed to be. But you know what? We’ve had plenty of negative and frustrating things to discuss this season, so we’re going to leave that one alone. At least for now.

The hope is that this wasn’t simply a game of shooting variance for the Suns and that they can build upon what we witnessed moving forward. I remain cautious about looking at one game’s numbers and declaring that Phoenix has turned some sort of corner. Consistency is what ultimately defines success.

Thursday’s victory is encouraging, even if it doesn’t erase the concerns we’ve developed over the first seven games. We saw adjustments, better energy, and stretches of basketball that resembled what this team is supposed to be. Now comes the difficult part. Doing it again. And again. Because one good night doesn’t establish an identity, but it can provide a foundation for building one.

Of course, if the headband turns out to be the answer, I’m all for it.

Bright Side Baller Standings

For those who are new around here, you might ask yourself, “What? MC? Why?” Somehow, some way, Mariah Carey has become a symbol of how we express our collective frustration. That after a poor team-wide performance, we’d rather watch the vocal stylings of Mariah Carey and acknowledge her greatness rather than the Suns.

So once again, here’s to you Mimi.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 7 against the Magic. Here are your nominees:

Devin Booker
30 points (11-of-22, 4-of-8 3PT), 1 rebound, 8 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, +16 +/-

Miles Bridges
18 points (6-of-10, 3-of-6 3PT), 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, +12 +/-

Dillon Brooks
24 points (9-of-16, 4-of-6 3PT), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, +12 +/-

Luke Kennard
12 points (4-of-8, 3-of-6 3PT), 1 rebound, 5 assists, 0 turnovers, +8 +/-

Ryan Dunn
11 points (5-of-7, 1-of-2 3PT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 0 turnovers, +3 +/-

Khaman Maluach
8 points (4-of-6, 0-of-0 3PT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, +13 +/-

Votin’ time!

Georges Niang offers amusing analogy for Jimmy Butler, Heat after Warriors' win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Beating your former team always feels good, even when you’re not on the court.

The Warriors stretched their winning streak to six with a 120-100 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday night at Chase Center but a rehabbing wing Jimmy Butler had the most fun on the bench.

After the win, Warriors forward Georges Niang explained why he recognized Butler’s energy against his old squad.

“I can’t even count the number of teams that I have a spot that wants to stick it to them, so I can understand why Jimmy feels the way that he does,” Niang said. “He hasn’t really voiced it. Jimmy is probably listening to country music in the weight room right now, screaming. But yeah, I get it. It’s like a relationship that ends and do you want to see your ex do better than when she was with you? Not really. I don’t think anybody else does.”

The Warriors star posted a humorous AI-generated video on Instagram after the game, depicting Steph Curry and former Warrior Klay Thompson in the 1999 movie Blue Streak.

Butler signed with the Heat prior to the 2019-20 season and spent five seasons with the organization before being traded to Golden State during the 2024-25 season in exchange for a package involving Andrew Wiggins.

In his Miami tenure, Butler earned three All-NBA selections and led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances in 2020 and 2023.

Butler’s presence on the Warriors has been similarly impactful. Golden State was below .500 when they initially traded for Butler but won over 67 percent of the games he played in over the past two seasons.

The six-time All-Star is working his way back from a torn ACL suffered in January and is expected to return around the All-Star break.

Despite not being on the court, Butler has made an effort to stay connected with his teammates and provide his support, even hosting a players-only event in San Diego before the season.

“You talk about someone that doesn’t have to be as giving as he is, but I texted him the other day, and I was like, ‘Hey, how’s rehab going? Just checking on you,’ ” Niang said. “And he was like, ‘It’s great, you know. Keep playing well. Is there anything I can do for you?’ And I looked at my phone, and I was like, ‘Am I reading this right?’ Like Jimmy Butler’s asking, ‘Is there anything he can do for me?’

“You talk about selfless people, and he’s been completely selfless and giving, even when he’s not a part of it, going through the toughest time of his playing career tearing his ACL. He’s been phenomenal and great to be around.”

Golden State appears to have found its groove after a slow start, but its entire outlook will change once Butler returns to the court.

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The calendar has turned to November, and the NBA regular season is settling into a rhythm.

Thus far, it has been clear that there will be no shortage of candidates for the league’s top individual honor. The reigning two-time Most Valuable Player, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has been exceptional to start the season, especially in the face of the numerous injuries his team has faced.

And yet, there are four players ranked ahead of him after two weeks of games, two of which had been unranked in last week’s edition.

Here is the second iteration of the USA TODAY Sports' NBA Most Valuable Player rankings:

NBA ROOKIE RANKINGS: Warriors' Yaxel Lendeborg leads loaded 2026 draft class

USA TODAY Sports NBA MVP Week 2 rankings

5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder (-1)

▶ Stats: 30.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists in 8 games

If the last two Thunder games are any indication – both of which were victories against the Cleveland Cavaliers – Gilgeous-Alexander may be called upon to significantly increase his scoring while Oklahoma City contends with its many injuries. Gilgeous-Alexander has combined to score 85 points and dish out 16 assists over those last two, on a remarkable 61 field goal attempts.

4. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers (NR)

▶ Stats: 28.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists in 9 games

This is a loaded team, to be sure, but Maxey has been the clear standout from the group. So much so that Jaylen Brown, one of the new marquee additions, said recently that Philadelphia “is his team,” referring to Maxey, adding that he has “been leading the way for sure.” Maxey’s numbers have actually taken a small dip, but considering the star talent playing around him, that’s practically remarkable in itself. His perimeter shot has been stellar, he can create for others and his speed in transition is unparalleled across the entire league.

3. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (NR)

▶ Stats: 29.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists in 7 games

Who says the MVP is a young man’s game? Curry, approaching his 39th birthday in March, has been torching opposing defenses with a relentless barrage of 3-point shots. Even at his age, Curry is seemingly tireless and remains the most difficult player to defend off the ball. Perhaps more impressively, the Warriors have been a pleasant surprise to start the season, even without Jimmy Butler (ACL recovery) and Kristaps Porziņģis (away from team).

2. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (—)

▶ Stats: 29.0 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists in 8 games

It’s too early in the season for a player to already have an MVP moment, but Wembanyama’s dominance Wednesday, Nov. 4 in a one-point win against the Mavericks was astounding. He dropped 52 points, 24 rebounds and 8 blocks. He became only the second player since blocks began to be tracked in 1974 to record at least 50 points, 20 rebounds and 5 blocks in a single game, joining Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo. The Spurs have won six consecutive, and Wembanyama is playing the best basketball of his young career.

1. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers (—)

▶ Stats: 38.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists in 8 games

How historic is Dončić’s absolute scorcher to start the season? Entering the year, NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain had recorded the Top 4 marks for points per game in a single season. Those ranged from 50.4 to 37.6. It has been just eight games, but Dončić is now slotted in at No. 3 and is topping the best non-Chamberlain mark, set by Michael Jordan (37.1) in 1986-87. Dončić, undeniably, has been the best player thus far. And now that LeBron James is no longer in Los Angeles, he’s able to fully orchestrate coach JJ Redick’s offense.

Also under consideration: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Miami Heat (dropped out of rankings); Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (dropped out of rankings); Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets; Ty Jerome, Memphis Grizzlies; Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics, Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is making a run at Doncic, Wembanyama? Latest NBA MVP rankings

Hours before the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks faced off Wednesday night, Luka Garza was already getting to work. He joined the team’s Stay Ready crew, warming up alongside Mitchell Robinson and Jordan Walsh while his father, Frank, watched from courtside near the baseline.

Garza wasn’t in Boston’s Jayson Tatum-less starting lineup, but that didn’t matter. His routine remained the same.

That’s standard for Garza. Each night, he knows the moment could arrive when Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla calls his number. On Wednesday, it came early, with 5:37 remaining in the first quarter. He checked in for Hugo González and knocked down his first shot — a wide-open 3-pointer from the wing — to extend Boston’s lead over Milwaukee to 25-8.

Down the other end, less than a minute later, Garza came away with a steal. Payton Pritchard capitalized on the extra possession by draining a jumper. Garza knocked down each of his three 3-point attempts to lead the Celtics with 11 points at halftime. Mazzulla didn’t turn to him nearly as much in the second half, but he had already made his impact felt.

In just 18 minutes against Milwaukee, Garza reinforced his reliability.

He went from playing 8.9 minutes per game through the first five games of the season to averaging 18.7 over the last three against Orlando, Houston and Milwaukee. In return, Garza has rewarded Mazzulla’s increased deployment of the 27-year-old veteran, posting averages of 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and two assists since the start of November.

Throughout it all, Garza has maintained his knack for creating second chances on the offensive glass. He’s grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, just behind Robinson (17) and Neemias Queta (18) for the team lead. He’s also re-emerged as a dangerous 3-point threat, much like last season. His 52.4% clip from beyond the arc leads the Celtics and ranks first among Eastern Conference centers averaging at least 2.6 attempts.

From the corners, Garza has shot 6-of-8, going 11-of-21 overall from three through the first eight games this season.

The drive-and-kick option for teammates like Paul George and Pritchard to find Garza on the perimeter was utilized Wednesday night, and it’s proven to be an effective one. Garza is Mazzulla’s best 3-point shooter among Boston’s centers, making him a legitimate outside shooting threat that opposing defenses can’t afford to leave unattended.

Entering a season where Queta vs. Robinson starting center debates dominated the discourse surrounding Boston’s front court, Garza has quietly made his case to play each night. He’s done his part to support the group amid Robinson’s early-season adjustment struggles by remaining prepared to contribute. And despite understanding what playing behind Queta and Robinson could mean for his minutes on any given night, Garza has emerged as a leader by example in Boston’s reserve unit.

The Celtics can call on him to perform alongside the starters while also counting on him to work with those coming off the bench. Garza occupies something of an older brother role in helping teammates navigate the same challenges he previously faced during his three-year stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In Boston, he’s able to simultaneously shine and stay hungry.

It doesn’t take much for Garza to make a difference either. Sometimes it’ll go unnoticed when he battles for a second-chance opportunity because the Celtics fail to convert. Other times, he might not get the seven 3-point attempts he did in Houston. But the effort is always there.

This season, he’s averaging 7.5 points with 3.1 rebounds on 48.7 percent shooting. That doesn’t even begin to tell half the story of what he’s been doing on the floor.

The Celtics can’t offer Garza 60-plus starts, but the coaching staff remains vigilant at all times. His impact off the bench has been rewarded, sending the message that the team is well aware of what he’s brought to the table. That’s certainly encouraging for Garza, who’s begun to carve out a role in a Boston front court that was heavily considered crowded throughout much of the offseason.

So far, he’s found room.