We cannot fall to 3-7. Need this one!
Game Thread: Suns vs. Clippers
Cavs at Knicks: How to watch, odds, and injury report
Things can change quickly in the NBA.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a rough start to the season, which was capped by a disastrous loss to a bad Charlotte Hornets team without multiple key contributors. But for as bad as things have been, a win over the New York Knicks would go a long way toward turning things around.
Cleveland has lost five straight to New York. This includes a frustrating loss last Saturday night, when the Cavs couldn’t grab rebounds when they needed them and had no answer for Jalen Brunson.
The Knicks will be on the second night of a back-to-back. They host the reeling Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday evening.
We’ll see if the Cavs can right the ship on Wednesday.
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Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (5-6) at New York Knicks (5-4)
Where: Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
When: Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 7 PM
TV: ESPN
Point spread: Not yet set
Cavs injury report: Sam Merrill – OUT (elbow) , Jaylon Tyson – QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Nae’Qwan Tomlin – OUT (back), Khalifa Diop – OUT (G League), Ernest Udeh, Jr. – OUT (G League)
Knicks injury report vs. Bucks: Josh Hart – DOUBTFUL (illness)
Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Knicks expected starting lineup: Jalen Brunson, Landry Shamet, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns
Cavs jersey:Black Statement Edition uniform
Previous matchup: The Cavs lost 109-97 to the Knicks this past Saturday.
Here’s a look at both teams’ regular-season impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.
| Offensive Rating | Defensive Rating | Net Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cavs | 115.9 (10th) | 113.4 (12th) | +2.4 (14th) |
| Knicks | 115.2 (13th) | 107.9 (6th) | +7.3 (29th) |
Luka Doncic points to key area Lakers can vastly improve to bolster championship odds
The Lakers have the NBA’s best record at 10-2. They’ve won six games in a row. They have the highest-rated offense (121.5). They’re considered real championship contenders.
Their biggest hole?
They’re rated 19th defensively. Lakers superstar Luka Doncic believes they can claw their way up those rankings.
“I think we can be [good defensively], but honestly I think we just kind of relax a little bit a couple minutes in the game,” Doncic said after the Lakers’ 124-114 win over the Hawks on Monday. “So that allows the team [to] make the run. I think we just gotta figure that out. I think we can be way better than [19th]. I think we have the potential for that.”
Doncic, who has been dragged through the mud throughout his career for his defense, has made marked improvements in that area this season, including finishing with 32 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and two blocked shots against the Hawks.
Doncic, who leads the league in scoring at 39.3 points per game and is having an MVP-caliber start to the season, has shown much more effort on the less glamorous side of the court through his first 10 games.
He leads the NBA in defensive loose balls recovered (nine) and is tied for second in charges drawn (four).
As a team, the Lakers really falter defensively when Walker Kessler is off the court. And they’re tied for second-to-last in the league in rebounding with 40.3 per game.
But they’re showing a lot of signs that they’re putting in the effort to become a good defensive team.
The Lakers rank second in the NBA in steals per game (10.8), second in total deflections (240) and third in blocks per game (6.4).
Kessler, their defensive anchor, leads the league in contested shots (140), and Matisse Thybulle is second in deflections (50).
Apparently, kicking Devin Booker in the nuts is a judgment call
If there’s one thing that gets my blood boiling and sends me rushing to my keyboard, furiously typing away while using this space as a personal therapy session, it’s NBA officiating. And once again, we witnessed not only inconsistency during last night’s matchup between the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs, but inconsistency in how the league ultimately assessed the consequences.
Let me set the stage for you. It’s the third quarter, and the Suns are trailing by 20 points. Keldon Johnson grabs an offensive rebound and goes up for a shot from about three feet away. In the process, he kicks his leg out, making forceful contact with Devin Booker’s junk. That’s right. Right in the family jewels.
Booker immediately collapses to the floor, writhing in pain, and the officials? Play on. Nothing to see here. Apparently, a man getting kicked squarely in the equipment isn’t enough to warrant a second look, let alone a review for a potential flagrant foul.
Now, when you watch the replay, you can make the argument that Johnson’s leg movement was part of his natural shooting motion. Perhaps he was extending his leg to maintain balance while attempting the shot. I’ll entertain that explanation because we witnessed something remarkably similar last week when Dillon Brooks attempted a jump shot with Jamal Murray defending him.
Did it appear that Brooks extended his leg a little farther than necessary? Absolutely. But anyone who watches Brooks regularly knows that he frequently kicks his leg out when shooting. It’s part of how he stabilizes himself in the air. Perhaps it’s also a technique designed to draw contact, but it’s hardly an unusual movement for him.
Regardless, Brooks was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game. Meanwhile, against a San Antonio Spurs franchise with a long and storied history of kicking the Suns in the nuts, Johnson wasn’t even assessed a common foul. There’s your first inconsistency.
Then, today, the NBA reviewed the incident and retroactively assessed Johnson a Flagrant 1 foul. So apparently, what wasn’t even worthy of a whistle during the game was serious enough to warrant a flagrant penalty after the fact. Wonderful. Thanks for clearing that up.
We’ve been down this road before. The league acknowledges an officiating mistake after the game, but that acknowledgment does absolutely nothing for the team that was denied the call in real time. Granted, Phoenix was trailing by 20 points when the incident occurred. I’m certainly not suggesting that a whistle would have changed the outcome of the game.
But that’s not the point. The point is consistency.
Johnson receives a retroactive Flagrant 1, while Brooks was assessed a Flagrant 2 and immediately ejected for a play that, when you compare the footage, appears remarkably similar. So what exactly separates the two incidents? Was Brooks being assessed a reputation tax? Is his history as a physical, occasionally antagonistic defender influencing how officials interpret his actions? Or are we witnessing another example of inconsistent officiating from referees whose judgment deserves scrutiny?
And that brings me to Justin Van Duyne.
Because I’m beginning to wonder whether there’s a bias at play when he officiates Suns games. Much like Tyler Ford, the official who ejected Brooks, Van Duyne has developed a history of calls involving Phoenix that have left me questioning his judgment. The officiating statistics surrounding both referees only add to that frustration, particularly when examining how frequently they’ve whistled the Suns for fouls.
And these two have history together. Remember when Devin Booker was ejected during a nationally televised matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers a few years ago? Ford and Van Duyne were both involved in the sequence that resulted in Booker receiving technical fouls and being tossed from the game. It’s one of those moments that remains lodged in my basketball memory, and incidents like last night’s do little to improve my confidence in the officiating.
This is the kind of stuff that really ticks my bombs. If the NBA wants to hold players accountable for excessive or dangerous contact, I’m all for it. Protect the players. Enforce the rules. Assess flagrant fouls when the situation warrants them. But for the love of God, establish some consistency in how those rules are applied.
While we’re at it, how about a little accountability for the officials themselves? If the league can review a play the following day and determine that Johnson committed a Flagrant 1 foul, shouldn’t there be some acknowledgment that the officiating crew, including Van Duyne, failed to recognize it when it actually mattered?
Because retroactively assigning a penalty might correct the league’s paperwork, but it does absolutely nothing to correct what happened on the basketball court. And until there’s greater consistency and accountability, I’ll continue finding myself right here, furiously typing away, wondering how the same league can look at two remarkably similar plays and somehow arrive at three different conclusions.
Lakers waive Lawson Lovering, sign Carson Cooper
The Lakers are continuing to make moves on the margin while trying to find a potential center solution. After signing Lawson Lovering to a two-way deal roughly two weeks ago, the Lakers are waiving the big man in place of…another big man.
Carson Cooper, a 6’10” center, will take Lovering’s place on a two-way deal, all according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Cooper appeared in one game with the Grizzlies this year, playing for just three minutes. He signed a two-way deal with Memphis after going undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft.
In Summer League, Cooper averaged 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in nine games between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He attempted four 3-pointers, making two of them.
At Michigan State, Cooper averaged 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 58.4% from the field. He only averaged one block per game and attempted five threes all season.
Lovering only had some brief cameos with the Lakers, all coming in garbage time, during his stint with the Lakers. He was with the parent team at the start of the G League season, so he did not play with Coachella Valley.
Given how the Lakers are currently playing and how little real NBA experience he has, it’s unlikely to expect much from Cooper. The team is shuffling through options, but none of them appear all that intriguing on paper. For now, these are all makeshift, break-in-case-of-emergency solutions that likely won’t play.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
Game Discussion Thread: Knicks vs. Bucks, November 10, 2026
Easy pickings? We shall see. The 5-4 Knicks, winners of three straight, will host the free-falling Milwaukee Bucks (1-9) tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are heavy favorites and have a chance to climb in the standings, while the Bucks have the league’s worst net rating and no road wins. This is Milwaukee’s first season without Giannis Antetokounmpo since 2012-13, and it’s fair to say . . . not going great. Tyler Herro is questionable for Milwaukee with a right contusion. As of this writing, Josh Hart is questionable for the Knicks with ankle soreness.
Beware the trap game! Tip-off is 7:30 pm EST on MSG. This is your game thread. This is Brew Hoop. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Mind your manners. And go Knicks!
Jordan Poole would like to come home
The Golden State Warriors had a poignant reunion on Monday night, when they welcomed the New Orleans Pelicans to town, and proceeded to crush them by 51 points. There are a lot of former Warriors around the league, but some feel different when they face the Warriors, and that was the case when Jordan Poole checked into the game.
It’s no secret that it’s been a rough few years for Poole, whom the Warriors took with the 28th pick of the 2019 NBA Draft out of Michigan. After showing some signs in his first two seasons, Poole burst onto the scene during the 2021-22 campaign, when he became a starter, played 30 minutes a night, averaged 18.5 points and 4.0 assists, led the NBA in free throw percentage, had a highlight every game, and was at times the second option on a Warriors team that would eventually defeat the Boston Celtics to win an NBA championship.
But things went sideways for there. The next year was bittersweet, as Poole parlayed his performance into a massive extension, but was also on the receiving end of a punch from teammate Draymond Green, which led to uncomfortable vibes and thick tension for the entire year. The next offseason, the Warriors traded Poole to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul, and, away from the confines of Steph Curry and Steve Kerr’s offense, Poole struggled, putting up big numbers but on very low efficiency.
He bounced back with a strong offensive showing in 2024-25, but prior to last season was traded to the Pelicans. His first year in the bayou did not go according to plan, as he averaged just 13.4 points and shot a lowly 37.2% from the field.
This year has been even worse. Poole started the season slow, coming off the bench in the first four games of the season and having lackluster numbers. That earned him a benching, and when New Orleans came to town on Monday, Poole had gone six straight games without getting on the court.
That playing drought ended on Monday. With the Pelicans down a handful of key players — including Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Yves Missi — and with the game a blowout from the start, Jamahl Mosley gave Poole his largest run of the season, playing him for 34 minutes. Poole didn’t play well — he scored seven points on 1-for-5 shooting, with two assists and two turnovers — but it was still nice seeing him out there. And it was hard not to wonder: what could have been?
Maybe we’ll get something of an answer someday. While Poole has been reluctant to discuss the situation with Green, Monday was the first time that he really spoke about his time in Golden State. And he didn’t hide his feelings: he misses it.
Asked by reporters if he missed Golden State, Poole made his thoughts emphatically clear, saying, “Hell yeah! Obviously. They play the right way, bro. They play good basketball. They play team basketball … Do I miss it? Hell yeah.”
Poole then spoke very openly about the difficulties of the current season, where he’s struggling to find minutes on a team that is likely headed for the lottery. He didn’t make excuses or cast blame anywhere, but repeated twice that the season — only a few weeks old — has been “pretty f*****g difficult.”
His answer led to an obvious follow-up: would Poole, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, be amenable to a return to the Bay Area? Again, he left no doubt with his response, saying, “Yes. Yes. It just feels like home though, you know? Driving into the f*****g arena, crossing the Bay Bridge or wherever you’re coming from, it definitely feels natural. And I think it’s pretty evident, the way that I play is very fitting to how I used to play here. Nothing’s changed, other than the systems that I’m in. We won a championship, you know, so it works … so to answer your question: definitely.”
Poole elaborated, all but saying that he would jump at the opportunity to sign with the Dubs in free agency, should he be offered a contract. “I’m a free agent at the end of this season,” the 27-year old explained. “If there’s any place where I’m comfortable, it’s probably where I started. So I just got to find ways to keep learning and try to make the best decisions for my future.”
Barring something unexpected, the Warriors should have no problems finding the money to sign Poole next offseason, since his current play has tanked his value. A reunion would likely come down to whether or not the team felt they had a need for his services, and whether they believed he could bounce back following a few down years. He certainly seems like the ideal change-of-scenery candidate, and the Warriors are very familiar with his game and his work habits. They’re always on the lookout for bench scorers, and especially could end up needing him if Brandon Williams departs next summer.
That’s a long ways from now. But who knows: maybe this time next year, Poole will be back in a Warriors jersey. It sure sounds like he’d like that.
Injury pileup gets bigger: Brandon Williams out at least a week
Last night, Brandon Williams lasted just 99 seconds before sustaining an injury that kept him out the rest of the game. This afternoon, following an MRI, we’ve learned that it’s a mild left hamstring strain that will keep him out for at least a week, which will be when he’s next evaluated by the Golden State Warriors medical staff. It’s a big blow for both the fifth-year vet and the team as this next 5-game stretch, already figuring to be the end of this historic winning streak at some point, could be a real setback.
As Brady mentioned last night, Williams joins Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, and Gary Payton II among the actively injured with Will Richard out indefinitely and Kristaps Porziņģis all but retired. That’s 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 16 minutes a night that they’ll have to make up in the near-term. It’s not like solid backup point guards are easy to find, and the Dubs are already without a true center on top of all these injured forwards.
So, it gets harder.
Still, it’s worth wondering to what extent the team expected this. He had a bout of quad tightness a little over a week ago and was ruled out against the Suns; and as Anthony Slater noted earlier:
But left hamstring issues have followed Williams early in his NBA career. He strained it in the 2025 preseason while with Dallas and subsequently missed time last March while dealing with tightness.
The Warriors will need him back ASAP, but it’s also early enough in the season where there’s probably some incentive to let him take extra time to recover. All that to say that 7 days is probably the most optimistic recovery period. They’re one of the trickiest injuries to deal with and it’s probably easier to envision a far longer recovery period, especially since he had to come out of the game so suddenly.
So, the backup PG situation (non-Podziemski division) looks like this: De’Anthony Melton, Gui Santos, and LJ Cryer. Williams was a perfect change of pace. Like a shot of espresso off the bench. He provided such a jolt that that alone might be the hardest aspect of his game to reproduce in the aggregate.
Darius Acuff Jr.‘s frustration level reaches new high after Kings' 1-10 start
Darius Acuff Jr.‘s frustration level reaches new high after Kings' 1-10 start originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO — The start of Darius Acuff’s NBA career hasn’t necessarily gone as he had hoped.
The Kings fell to 1-10 after losing to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night and still search for their first home win of the season.
It took seven games for Acuff to get a taste of his first NBA victory when the Kings defeated the Dallas Mavericks over a week ago. The Kings had a chance to carry over the momentum as they returned to Sacramento to open a seven-game homestand at Golden 1 Center.
But they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and, most recently, the Magic, to begin this home stretch 0-4.
The Lakers and Spurs games were scheduled losses, but it seems like the Kings had every opportunity to walk away with wins against a struggling Heat team and a lowly Magic squad, or at the very least go 1-3 in that stretch.
Instead, the Kings are one of the three teams in the NBA already with 10 losses on the season.
“1-10 just don’t sound right,” Acuff said postgame.
Acuff, who is known for his even-keeled, cool, calm and collected persona, visibly was frustrated after Tuesday’s loss.
So much so that he couldn’t even find the words to explain what’s gone wrong for the Kings so far this season. The 19-year-old was asked to identify the most frustrating part of these losses.
“When the clock says zero and we lost,” he responded. “I don’t understand. I don’t know. I don’t know what to do, man. I feel like we’re trying. Everybody as a whole. We’re just not coming out with the win. It’s just, I don’t know, man.”
The emotions stem from Acuff’s character and what he’s used to. And that doesn’t, and never has, included losing.
So this is foreign territory for a competitor like Acuff, who is making NBA history seemingly every night and joining the record books with basketball legends such as LeBron James and Michael Jordan, yet his only goal is to win games.
Eleven games into the season, all the losses already are taking a toll on the young point guard.
“A lot,” he said when asked how much of a toll the 1-10 start is taking on him. “I’m not a loser, so it’s not fun. But like I said, it’s an 82-game season, so hopefully something will shake.”
Acuff finished Tuesday’s loss with 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting, with four rebounds, six assists, four turnovers and two steals in 40 minutes.
So far this season, Acuff is averaging 26.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists in a league-high 37-plus minutes played per game.
It is early in the season, and the wins, although maybe not many, eventually will come for Acuff and the Kings. But after Tuesday’s loss, the rookie seemed to be on the verge of tired of hearing that without anything changing.
“I mean, yeah, we’ve been saying that for five games now, so it’s kind of hard to keep saying that without actually doing it,” Acuff said. “We just got to go out there and actually do it. We’re on the court playing. There’s nobody playing but ourselves. Like I said, we just got to get better as a team. And to answer your question, it’s just kind of the second half, it’s kind of frustrating. It’s like the first half we come out with energy, and then in the third quarter sometimes we don’t, and then we do. And then the fourth quarter, the last five minutes of a game, we just can’t put it together as a team.
“I think we’re trying. We’re talking as a staff, as a team. But like I said, when the clock hits zero, we just lose, and that’s the most frustrating part.”
The melancholy mood was the same when Zach LaVine approached the postgame podium. LaVine, who had five turnovers in Tuesday’s loss, said he’s “been in the league too damn long” to turn the ball over like he did.
But while LaVine also might have been disappointed with his team’s start to the season, the 13-year veteran guard offered his own perspective on the current state of the struggling Kings.
“I mean, there’s going to be outside people saying things. There’s going to be a lot of finger-pointing,” LaVine said. “I think, for us, we got to try to stay together from the front office down. We all have the same record right now, and it’s us versus everybody else. So that’s how we have to look at it. We have to try to figure out as a unit how are we going to, you know, start putting together more games where we can give ourselves a chance to win. We’re trending in the right area.
“It feels a lot better out there. We’ve done a lot of better things, but we just got to clean up the small mistakes, myself included, to where we put together a full 48. I think then we get that satisfaction to where we win a game, and maybe we can start getting a couple more and more. The situation is what it is, but this is our job, and we have to figure out, at least as a vet myself, to keep guys uplifted, bring it each and every day, bring it in practice, regardless how you’re feeling, I think that’s just part of it. So I’m going to.”
The irritation was apparent in the locker room, too, as most players already had left the arena by the time the media was let in.
De’Andre Hunter did speak in the locker room postgame, and his words immediately matched his demeanor when asked where the frustration level is at right now.
“Very high,” he said, firmly.
He also didn’t sugarcoat his response when asked what the Kings need to clean up in order to turn a corner on the season.
“Everything,” he said. “Just not good enough.”
It isn’t necessarily a surprise that the Kings aren’t one of the top teams in the Western Conference, but this 1-10 start still feels worse than anyone could have imagined.
And judging by the players’ mood postgame Tuesday, the frustration level has reached an all-time high.
There is the possibility that these built-up emotions turn into motivation that the Kings could use to start winning games. And at this point, that really is all they can lean on.
“That’s all we have is motivation,” Hunter said. “With losing, you can’t really build any chemistry. No team camaraderie. But we just got motivation about the next game.”
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Boston Celtics (8-2) at Philadelphia 76ers (9-2) Game #11 11/10/26
Boston Celtics (8-2) at Philadelphia 76ers (9-2)
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
8:00 PM ET
Game #11 Road #6
TV: Peacock/NBC
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub, 97.5 The Fanatic, Sirius XM
Xfinity Mobile Arena
The Celtics visit the Philadelphia 76ers for the first of 4 games between them this season. They will meet in Philadelphia again on February 7. They will meet twice in Boston on January 21 and March 7. This is likely the most anticipated matchup of the season so far as there are many stories to watch in this game.
First, there is the beef, or the lamb chops and gravy, or whatever you want to call what has been going on between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown since the trade. In the preseason, as they were both warming up, they didn’t even acknowledge each other. There has been a back and forth of words between them ever since. Also there is the story of Paul George returning to Philly for the first time and of Jaylen Brown and PG13 facing their former teams. There is also the story of the long time rivalry between the Celtics and 76ers and the teams who faced each other in the 2nd round of the playoffs last season.
There is also the story of the top 2 teams in the East facing off. The 8-2 Celtics are 2nd in the East with only Philadelphia (9-2) half a game ahead of them in the standings. The Celtics have won their last 3 games and the 76ers are looking for their 2nd straight win. The Celtics are 2-2 on the road while the 76ers are 4-2 at home. The Celtics won both games in the preseason. Both teams are 2-0 in games against division rivals.
The Celtics are playing in the first of back to back games. This is their 3rd back to back set this season already. They won the first game in both of their back to back sets this season. One win was at home while the other was on the road. The Celtics are 275-200 overall all time against the 76ers. They are 94-130 in games played in Philly. They tied the series 2-2 last season, with each team winning one at home and one on the road.
The 76ers made one of the biggest moves of the off season, trading Paul George to the Celtics to get Jaylen Brown. They also signed LeBron James, Dean Wade, Ariel Hukporti and Anfernee Simons as free agents. They drafted Labaron Philon, Jr with the 22nd pick in the draft. Along with Paul George, they lost Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre, Jr and Andre Drummond. Mike Gansey also replaced Daryl Morey as the 76ers’ president of basketball operations.
After this game, the Celtics will complete their 4 game road trip with a game in Toronto in back to back games Wednesday. Then they play Dallas and Orlando at home before a West coast trip that takes them through Denver, Sacramento, Golden State, and Washington. They then play one game at home against Atlanta before playing at San Antonio and Dallas. Then it’s home against Charlotte before a game at Brooklyn.
The 76ers will host Toronto and Indiana before road games at Brooklyn and Orlando. Then they host Milwaukee, Portland and Miami before games at Indiana and Houston. Then they have a 3 game home stand against Memphis, Denver and Orlando before playing at Orlando. Next they host Dallas and play at Charlotte. They will host Houston before a 5 game Western road trip.
The Celtics have been changing their starting lineup with Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, and Neemias Queta getting starts along with Derrick White, Paul George, Jayson Tatum and Mitchell Robinson. The starting lineup is a work in progress for the Celtics, especially the shooting guard spot that has changed pretty much from game to game. Mike Conley got the start against the Bucks, but I’m guessing that White, Walsh, George, Tatum and Queta get the start in this one. The 76ers should start Maxey, Edgecombe, Brown, James and Embiid.
The Celtics have no one on the injury report as of this time. Chris Cenac, Jr and the Celtics 3 two way players will likely be with Maine. The 76ers have 3 players out as of now. Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow are both out due to back injuries. Ariel Hukporti is out for the season due to a torn Achilles. Joel Embiid has been struggling with plantar faciitis but is expected to play in this game.
Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Tyrese Maxey
SG: Jordan Walsh vs VJ Edgecombe
SF: Paul George vs Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum vs Lebron James
C: Neemias Queta vs Joel Embiid
Celtics Reserves
Chris Cenac, Jr
Mike Conley, Jr
Luka Garza
Jordan Walsh
Ron Harper, Jr
Sam Hauser
Payton Pritchard
Mitchell Robinson
Baylor Scheierman
Two Way Players
Devin Carter
Dillon Mitchell
Amari Williams
Injuries/Out
None Listed
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
76ers Reserves
Anfernee Simons
Dean Wade
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Jabari Walker
Justin Edwards
Lebaron Philon, Jr,
2-Way Players
Taco Fall
Rayan Rupert
Caleb Love
Injuries/Out
Adem Bona (back) out
Dominick Barlow (back) out
Ariel Hukporti (Achilles) out
Head Coach
Nick Nurse
Key Matchups
Derrick White vs Tyrese Maxey
Maxey is averaging 26.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 48.1% from the field and 34.1% from beyond the arc. His 26.9 ppg ranks 3rd in the East. He is quick and so the Celtics will need to work hard to stay in front of him. They will need Derrick White’s defense to be sharp in this one.
Paul George vs Jaylen Brown
This should be an incredible matchup to watch. Brown is averaging 22.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.2 steals. He is shooting 47.7% from the field and 39.2% from beyond the arc. I expect Brown to come in with a chip on his shoulder to prove that he is the better player among Paul George, Jayson Tatum and himself. Paul George just needs to focus on playing team ball and being his best self.
Honorable Mention
Neemias Queta vs Joel Embiid
Embiid is averaging 17.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He is shooting 38% from the field and 10% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to keep Embiid out of the paint and off the boards. Queta needs to find a way to stay out of foul trouble and to counter Embiid on defense.
Keys to the Game
Defense – As always, defense is absolutely the key to winning this, and every, game. It is very true that defense wins championships. Shots don’t always fall but players can always play hard on defense. The Celtics are 3rd with an offensive rating of 117.9 while the 76ers are 20th with an offensive rating of 110.3. The Celtics are 4th with a defensive rating of 106.3. The 76ers aren’t far behind with a defensive rating of 107.6. The Celtics must give full out effort on defense for every minute of this game if they hope to beat the loaded 76ers team.
Rebound – Next to defense, rebounding is always a big key to winning. The key to rebounding is effort and focus. The 76ers are 19th with 43.4 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 10th with 45.0 rebounds per game. The Celtics have to fight as a team to try to grab every rebound to avoid the 76ers getting 2nd chance points because the 76ers average 14.7 second chance points per game. In order to win the possession battle, the Celtics must crash the boards and fight for every rebound.
Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes – The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. They have to stay focused on playing basketball the right way as a team. They have to avoid getting wound up in the Tatum vs Brown and Brown vs George narratives. They have to play team ball and give all out effort to get to the basket, to defend, to rebound, to hustle after loose balls and to play hard on every possession.
Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics play the best when they move the ball and find the best shot. They struggle when they try to do too much individually. But, they have to be careful handling the ball and making passes. The 76ers are best in the league at taking care of the ball with just 12.9 turnovers per game. The Celtics are 12th with 14.9 turnovers per game. They have to stay focused and avoid turning the ball over.
X-Factors
On the Road – The Celtics will be on the road once again for the 3rd straight game and they will be facing a very hostile crowd. Philly fans hate the Celtics because they have pretty much owned them in recent years. They hate Jayson Tatum because the Celtics took him with Philly’s pick after the 76ers traded up to take Markelle Fultz. They now have another reason to hate the Celtics and that is to back up Jaylen Brown who has been very bitter against the Celtics and his former running mate. There will likely be a lot of boos and the Celtics need to play through them. They have to shake off the distractions of playing on the road and stay focused on playing Celtics basketball.. They can use the boos as motivation to play even harder.
Coaching – Joe Mazzulla is in his 5th season as Celtics’ head coach. He won a title in 2024 with a very talented team that was packed with shooting stars. Now he has to win in a different way since his personnel has changed and so far he is doing a good job. Nick Nurse is in his 9th season as a head coach overall and his 4th as the 76ers head coach. He won a title with the Raptors in 2019. Nurse came out ahead in the playoffs last season. Can Mazzulla win this round?
Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game. The Celtics also have to be aware of the new points of emphasis for this season and try to avoid flopping, off‑arm push‑offs, reckless closeouts, delays before free throws, and illegal screens. They have been especially calling flops and push offs and so the Celtics need to make an effort to avoid doing both.
Only 4 NBA players have scored more points than Austin Reaves this season
The Lakers’ Austin Reaves is having a breakout season, even though that story has been overshadowed by Luka Doncic’s brilliance.
Only four players have scored more points than Reaves (278) this season, including Doncic (393), Victor Wembanyama (331), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (299), and Tyrese Maxey (296).
Reaves is averaging career highs in points (25.3) and 3-point percentage (41.3) while also shooting an extremely efficient 50.8% from the field.
Reaves is 15th in the league in points per game.
Of those players, only Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Wembanyama have higher field-goal percentages than Reaves. Only Jamal Murray and Steph Curry have higher 3-point percentages.
Reaves is earning every penny of his four-year, $180 million deal he signed with the Lakers over the summer, the richest contract ever for a player who went undrafted.
When Doncic, who’s averaging a league-leading 39.3 points per game, was sidelined against the Pistons on Sunday because of lower back tightness, Reaves poured in a season-high 43 points against a team with the third-highest defensive rating in the league to lead the Lakers to a 121-116 win.
The Lakers have won six games in a row and have the NBA’s best record at 10-2.
Game Preview: Phoenix aims to bounce back vs. Clippers
Who: Phoenix Suns (3-6) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (2-7)
When: 7:00 pm Arizona Time
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center — Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: Suns+, 3TV/AZFS
Listen: KMVP 98.7
The Phoenix Suns will need to have a short memory after being dominated by Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs last night.
Wemby walked into our building and dropped 40, 11, and nine blocks in 25 minutes without breaking a sweat. Spurs 122, Suns 96. It was a rough night. But the silver lining is that the starters were on the bench with 9:34 left. Because tonight they have the second of a back-to-back, and tired legs cannot be an excuse.
The mood in this fanbase right now is somewhere between “burn it down” and “it’s November, relax.” The Suns sit at 3-6. They’re 2-2 on this seven-game homestand. The two-game win streak over Houston and Orlando either becomes a distant memory (after a loss) or a building block if they win, because then it’s suddenly ”they’ve won 3 of their last 4 games”. So which is it?
Make no mistake about it… this is a MUST-WIN game for the Suns. These are the teams you need to beat.
Tale of the Tape
Probable Starters
Phoenix Suns
- G Devin Booker
- G Jalen Green
- F Dillon Brooks
- F Miles Bridges
- C Oso Ighodaro
LA Clippers
- G Darius Garland
- G Kris Dunn
- F Derrick Jones Jr.
- F Rui Hachimura
- C Brook Lopez
Ingram and Beal are still out, so expect LA to run back the same five that started Sunday in their win over the Pelicans.
Injury Report
Goody is back!
Suns
- Mark Williams — OUT (Left Shoulder Surgery)
Clippers
- Brandon Ingram — OUT (Achilles)
- Bradley Beal — OUT (Knee)
What to Watch For
DevinBooker needs help, and he needs it from the starters.
Book went 10-for-17 for 32 last night. The other four starters combined for 27 points on 10-of-36 shooting. That’s 27.8%. Phoenix shot 39.3% as a team. Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges have to be the second and third options tonight, or this turns into another Booker solo show that ends in a loss.
Hunt the Clippers’ second unit.
LA snapped a seven-game skid Sunday by beating New Orleans 139-123, and the bench won that game: 59 points and 14 assists from the reserves. Gradey Dick went 6-for-7. Top-5 pick Keaton Wagler hit 3 of 4 from deep in 18 minutes. Wagler also picked up five fouls. That unit is 4th in bench scoring per game, but defensively they have some flaws. Attack, attack, attack.
Garland is the engine without Ingram.
Darius Garland went for 24 and 10 against the Pelicans. Brook Lopez added 20. Brandon Ingram (heel) and Bradley Beal (knee) are both out tonight. Gillespie, Goodwin and Green have to make Garland work on the ball, and whoever draws Lopez has to drag him out to the perimeter, where his feet are slow.
Key to a Suns Win
Rebounding is going to be the key for every Suns game, as the Spurs outrebounded them by twenty, 55 to 35.
LA shot 55% from the field (46 of 84), went 16-for-38 from three, and piled up 34 assists against 11 turnovers in their win over the Pelicans. They lived at the line, too: 31 of 38 from the line while the Pelicans committed 29 fouls. The glass was basically even, 36-35 Clippers, with LA grabbing 13 offensive boards.
Bench Mob
The starters held serve, every one of them finishing between +2 and +9. The bench blew it open. Max Strus and Gradey Dick were both +17, Kobe Sanders was +15, and Keaton Wagler was +11. LA won the fourth quarter 37-28.
Collin Gillespie, anyone? It’s been a rough season for him, and boy could they use a breakout game in this one from him, not only for his confidence, but to outduel the Clippers’ bench. Jordan Goodwin is back as well, so that hopefully provides a spark.
Do not take them lightly. The Clippers are 2nd in the NBA in 3PT% and 4th in bench scoring. Despite their flaws and 7-game losing streak, they are fully capable of getting hot from deep and stealing this one.
Prediction
The Suns bounce back, and their offense breaks out in a win over the Clippers. We enter the 10-game mark at 4-6, with mixed reviews, but ultimately trending in the right direction, winning 3 of 4.
Suns 127, Clippers 115
What we learned as Domantas Sabonis has uncharacteristic game in Kings' loss
What we learned as Domantas Sabonis has uncharacteristic game in Kings' loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO — The Kings still search for their first home win of the 2026-27 NBA season after falling to the Orlando Magic by a final score of 107-100 on Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center.
The Magic, even without their best player as Paolo Banchero remains sidelined with a right ankle sprain, picked up just their third win of the season against Sacramento.
As we’ve seen far too often this season, the Kings’ slow start to the game wound up haunting them. Sacramento turned the ball over eight times in the first quarter, resulting in 15 of the Magic’s 34 points.
The Kings responded with an 18-0 run through the second quarter, but the Magic never let up and fought all the way back to regain the lead and maintain it until the final buzzer.
Zach LaVine led the way for the Kings with 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 6 of 9 from 3-point range, with three rebounds, two assists, two steals but five turnovers in 33 minutes.
Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. trailed just behind him with 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the field and 4 of 9 from downtown, with four rebounds, six assists, two steals and four turnovers in 40 minutes.
Keegan Murray came off the bench for the second consecutive game after returning from an ankle injury. He finished with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, with two rebounds, one assist and two turnovers in 24 minutes.
Malik Monk played just three minutes off the bench. Rookie guard Emanuel Sharp played 19.
Precious Achiuwa started for the Kings but left the game early and didn’t return with a leg contusion. LaVine also went to the locker room after rolling his ankle but returned.
The Kings, who dropped to 1-10 on the season, continue their seven-game homestand against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, when they will continue their search for their first home victory.
Here are the takeaways from the Kings’ loss:
Same ol’ Acuff
Darius Acuff Jr. entered Tuesday’s game leading the NBA in minutes played per game at just above 37.
Coach Doug Christie was asked about it pregame, and he admitted Acuff’s minutes should be “a tick” under where they currently are, but said he enjoys watching him play and seeing him on the floor.
On Tuesday, Acuff played 40 minutes, finishing with 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the field and 4 of 9 from downtown, with four rebounds, six assists, two steals and four turnovers.
The rookie really has become one of the few consistent bright spots for the Kings this season.
LaVine’s well-rounded effort
After a rocky start to this game, the Kings got going a bit toward the end of the first quarter.
The momentum continued into the second quarter, as Sacramento’s offense came alive with an 18-0 run that began with Keegan Murray’s first 3-pointer of the season.
Zach LaVine was a massive part of that run — on both ends of the floor. He had nine points in that stretch before being substituted out of the game.
Orlando went on a run of its own with LaVine on the bench, responding with an 8-0 run to get right back in this game and eventually regain the lead.
LaVine was thrown back into the game after about two minutes of rest on the bench.
After scoring four points in the opening quarter, LaVine dropped 11 points in the second.
He was plus-8 in the first half in plus/minus rating, while every other Kings starter was minus-7 or minus-8.
After a brief injury scare, LaVine finished with a team-high 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 6 of 9 from 3-point range, with three rebounds, two assists, two steals and five turnovers in 33 minutes.
Off night for Domas
Sabonis returned to action Tuesday after missing Sunday’s game against the Miami Heat with left knee soreness.
But it was an unusual showing from the double-double machine.
He went three quarters without attempting a single shot, and his first attempt came from beyond the arc after 22 minutes of playing time.
That isn’t entirely shocking, as Sabonis is averaging just 9.0 field-goal attempts this season.
But what was a bit more concerning were his rebound numbers.
Sabonis, who is averaging an impressive 14.6 rebounds per game this season and nearly 11 throughout his 11-year NBA career, had just two rebounds on Tuesday.
He finished with zero points, two rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes.
Perhaps his knee still was bothering him, but nonetheless, it was an uncharacteristic showing from the rebounding machine.
Collin Sexton has focused on patience as he tries to find role with Lakers
Over the past two games, Collin Sexton has been indispensable in powering the Los Angeles Lakers to wins with their star guards, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, each missing one contest.
Against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, the veteran guard tallied 17 points (5-of-10 shooting), two assists and two rebounds. A day later, he followed that up with 18 points (6-of-11 shooting), six assists, two rebounds and one steal in Monday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks.
If those consecutive performances are any indication, Sexton could be finding his footing after a slow start to 2026-27, which featured a calf strain that hampered him during training camp and preseason.
Through his first nine appearances, he averaged 8.7 points while shooting 40% from the floor and 25.8% from deep (49.5% true shooting). In this week’s pair of victories, he’s averaged 17.5 points on 52.4% shooting and 50% from deep (64.4% true shooting). Following those laudatory outings, Sexton said he feels he’s inching closer to fully being himself again.
“I think maybe another week and a half, two weeks and I think I’ll be back,“ he told reporters Monday. ”Right now, these last two games felt really good. So I’m moving in the right direction.”
As Sexton works to rediscover his rhythm, he’s embracing patience.
“That’s one word I’ve been using each and every day,” he said. “I would say each and every day is going to have its ups, have its downs but I’m blessed to be healthy enough to go out.”
Head coach JJ Redick is counting on Sexton to help steady second units for the Lakers, given he’s their most talented scorer and qualified initiator off the bench. After Monday’s win, he spoke about Sexton’s role in keeping the offense humming when the speedy guard is at the forefront.
“I think the biggest thing [is] we’re trying to get organized and and there’s glimpses of really good organization when he’s out there as the primary ball handler,” Redick told reporters. “We got a little squirrely there at the end of the second quarter. I thought, for the most part, outside of the first few minutes in that third quarter where I had to call the early timeout, I thought we did a good job of just being organized and trying to get good shots. That’s how you end up with 124 points against a good team.”
You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.
Believe it, Lakers are NBA championship contenders
The Lakers are championship contenders.
Luka Dončić is playing as though he’s on a revenge tour and every opposing player has former Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison’s face superimposed on it.
Austin Reaves is playing as though he were shortchanged by signing a four-year, $180 million deal over the summer, the richest contract in NBA history for a player who went undrafted.
Walker Kessler is playing as though he’s hellbent on fulfilling his vow to “run through a wall” for the Lakers after they emptied their treasure trove of draft capital to acquire him in July.
And the Lakers’ role players are playing as though they deeply understood the assignment when they joined a 17-time championship franchise.
The Lakers have the league’s best record at 10-2. They’ve won six games in a row.
They’re the real deal.
They could win it all this season.
That isn’t a sentence we thought we’d write heading into this season. Not with nine new players. Not with so many question marks around their perimeter defense. Not with their lack of depth at backup center.
But now, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka looks like the Albert Einstein of basketball rosters and coach JJ Redick looks like a superstar whisperer.
The Lakers last won a championship in 2020, their first title in 10 years.
They could snap their six-year drought this season.
Dončić is on a historic tear, averaging 39.3 points (49.8% shooting from the field, 40.7% from beyond the arc), 7.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists and two steals per game.
In his first nine games of the season, Dončić scored 361 points, surpassing Michael Jordan’s 347 points in 1986-87 for the most points scored through that period in modern NBA history.
But what really made the Lakers look like contenders is how they played without Dončić (lower back tightness) on Sunday against the Pistons.
Without the league’s current front-runner for the MVP Award and against a Pistons team with the third-highest defensive rating, Reaves scored a season-high 43 points in the Lakers’ 121-116 win.
He reminded everyone of what he can do when he’s unleashed.
Reaves has quietly been putting together a spectacular season. He’s averaging 25.3 points on a very efficient 50.8% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc.
He’s the 15th leading scorer in the league, and of those ahead of him, only Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis and Victor Wembanyama have higher field-goal percentages than Reaves.
And only Jamal Murray and Steph Curry are shooting at a higher percentage from beyond the 3-point line.
Dončić and Reaves are the NBA’s highest-scoring duo by a mile, averaging 64.6 points, 12.6 more than the second-leading duo of Steph Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg, who are averaging a combined 52 points per game.
Then there’s Kessler, who’s averaging a double-double with 14.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
The Lakers’ Big 3 is ferocious.
But it doesn’t stop there.
When Reaves was out for Monday’s 124-114 win over the Hawks because of an illness, Dončić got help from the Lakers’ reserves, with Collin Sexton having an 18-point, six-assist performance and Sandro Mamukelashvili pouring in 23 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
The Lakers are great.
They’re deep.
They’ve soared past their expectations.
The Lakers have the highest offensive rating in the league at 121.5. And even though they’re 19th in defensive rating (113.8), they rank second in the league in steals per game (10.8), second in total deflections (240) and third in blocks per game (6.4).
Kessler leads the NBA in contested shots (140).
Heck, even Dončić, who has notoriously been slammed for his defense throughout his career, is showing a lot of effort on the less glamorous end of the court. He leads the league in defensive loose balls recovered (nine) and is tied for second in charges drawn (four).
Entering this season, it was presumed that the Lakers needed time to jell. It seemed as though they had major holes. They weren’t ready to compete with the league’s elite teams, such as the Thunder, Spurs or Knicks.
Well, we were all wrong.
The Lakers have sprinted past their doubters, proving that they’re a team to watch.
Heck, they’re the team to watch.