Category: NBA

Austin Reaves took the baton from Luka Doncic when Doncic sat out Sunday, and when the roles were reversed Monday, Doncic passed it to his teammates.

Doncic had 32 points and 10 assists in a 124-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks as the Lakers relied on their depth to secure their sixth consecutive win and stay atop the Western Conference despite a short, tired bench.

One night after sitting out with low back tightness, Doncic struggled with his shot, but he reached double-digit assists for the third time this season. He also had eight rebounds and five steals. Lakers center Walker Kessler had 21 points with 10 rebounds, his sixth double-double in the past seven games, and forward Sandro Mamukelashvili had what Lakers coach JJ Redick called “his best game as a Laker” with 23 points and eight rebounds off the bench to help overcome the absences of Reaves and Quentin Grimes.

Read more:Austin Reaves steps up in Luka Doncic's absence to lead Lakers over Pistons

Reaves, who scored 43 points in a thrilling win over Detroit on Sunday, didn’t play because of illness. Grimes suffered a sprained finger on his right hand against Detroit, although Redick doesn’t anticipate the injury keeping the guard sidelined for long. X-rays were negative, Redick said, and Grimes could return as soon as Wednesday in Milwaukee.

The Lakers (10-2) didn’t look like a team playing on consecutive nights. They blitzed the Hawks (7-5) with 13 unanswered points at the end of the first quarter and ran up the lead to 20 midway in the second quarter. Kessler and guard Collin Sexton connected on back-to-back alley-oops during the second quarter to inject life into a shorthanded second unit.

“It’s building resiliency,” Kessler said. “JJ talks about it, going through adversity and understanding that to be a championship team, you’ve got to respond to that kind of stuff.”

Reaves’ absence was compounded by Grimes’ injury, decimating the team’s ballhandling unit. Redick and general manager Rob Pelinka had worked to stock the roster with guards to ward off the possibility of leaving too much on-ball responsibility to Doncic. On Monday, it all fell to Doncic and Sexton.

Doncic, who came in averaging a league-high 40.1 points per game, leaned on teammates early with five assists in the first quarter. Sexton got going in the second quarter with eight points and three assists, all on lobs to Kessler, his former teammate with the Utah Jazz and fellow Atlanta native.

The 6-foot-1 guard signed with the Lakers during free agency when the team wanted to stock the bench with play-making, shooting and defensive intensity. Sexton, playing on his fourth team in three seasons, has delivered on every mark.

“He just checks a lot of boxes,” Redick said. “For us, it was easy. He expressed interest, and obviously we wanted him, and it’s worked out.”

Sexton went to high school 15 miles away from State Farm Arena. He estimated he had 400 to 500 people in the stands rooting for him. He stayed on the court for more than an hour after the game taking photos with the hundreds who waited.

In front of his city, Sexton wanted to deliver a win, no matter what his role would be within the Lakers’ shorthanded rotation.

“Whenever those guys are in or out, I have to adjust,” said Sexton, who had 18 points and six assists. “And I feel like adjusting is something I’ve been doing my entire career.”

The Lakers relied on their two youngest players for support. Second-year forward Adou Thiero, who only made his season debut two games ago after struggling with left knee swelling, had two points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Rookie Cameron Carr earned his first rotation minutes and even started the fourth quarter. Carr, whose father Chris played in the NBA and famously lost the 1997 dunk contest to Kobe Bryant, scored his first NBA points, appropriately, on a dunk. Doncic snatched a pass away from the Hawks and hit Carr on an outlet pass. The 21-year-old rookie gathered for an emphatic, two-handed dunk.

The first-round pick had two points and three rebounds. After the game, Doncic made sure to grab the game ball as a memento for the rookie.

Read more:LeBron James says 'family is safe' after arrest of alleged stalker outside Brentwood home

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Charlotte Hornets 124-112 in a game that trailed by as much as 30 points.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most alarming and concerning games the Cavs have played in the last five seasons.

Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Player of the game

Meleek Thomas

18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

Thomas and the Cavs’ youth were responsible for some of the only inspiring basketball that was played tonight.

They weren’t perfect, but Thomas led the way with an energetic half that showed most of the team’s issues are centered on not trying hard enough.

Thomas shot 7-12 from the floor. His effort and shot-making allowed the Cavs reserves to cut the deficit to within single digits.

Grade: A

Grades

Donovan Mitchell

11 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds

Mitchell has cleaned up his offensive process in recent games to strike a solid balance between playmaking and scoring. His approach offensively wasn’t the issue tonight. It was his defensive effort, and the fact that this team has lost all semblance of an identity around him.

Grade: F

Jarrett Allen

12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

Allen was awesome in the first quarter of this game. He made his return with a bang, detonating on a lob pass for the first play of the game. He finished the opening quarter with 9 points and 4 rebounds on a perfect 4-4 shooting. He even drilled a three-pointer.

It’s not Allen’s fault that everything went down the drain.

Grade: B–

Evan Mobley

9 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Mobley is expected to be capable of transcending all of this. I can’t give him a pass for fading into the background when the team is spiraling out of control. He’s one of the players who is supposed to stabilize things. This wasn’t it.

Grade: F

James Harden

11 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 4 turnovers

It’s time to be concerned.

Harden has not looked good this season. Far from it. He’s hit a new low defensively, and he’s nowhere near good enough on offense right now to justify his minutes. This is a DEFCON 1 situation that can’t be ignored.

The Cavs may have made a franchise altering mistake here https://t.co/sJpfAInGIS

— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) November 10, 2026

The Cavs traded for Harden, and then extended him, understanding that the league has been rapidly moving away from his style of play. His slow-paced, heliocentric offense could only carry you so far even in his prime. At 37, Harden isn’t showing that he’ll be able to adapt his game to no longer being a one-man wrecking crew.

Grade: F

Peyton Watson

13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assists

Watson has not been able to find his niche yet. Most of his scoring comes outside of the team’s system — and he is not providing enough defensively to tip the scales.

Grade: D+

Mario Hezonja

10 points, 3 rebounds

Hezonja is hitting some speed bumps recently but is still someone who I’d feel comfortable giving more minutes to. He plays hard, and he probably has more offensive production in the tank if Cleveland can figure out where he fits.

Grade: D+

Thomas Bryant

11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

I’ve given the Cavs flak for signing Bryant as soon as free agency began last summer. That’s only because I think it was worth doing your due diligence and searching for a potential upgrade. It is not to disrespect or invalidate Bryant as a stone-cold veteran who plays every possession like it’s life or death.

Bryant plays with a sense of urgency and is a fine role model for the younger players on this team.

Grade: D+

Tyrese Proctor

6 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound

Proctor was part of the inspiring group that brought this game back into reach. Effort and energy matter. Looking like you care about basketball matters. The intention that Proctor plays with on each possession was enough to string together stops and scores. Aka, winning basketball.

Grade: C+

Riley Minix

2 points, 2 rebounds

What a turn of events it’s been for Minix. This wasn’t a barn burner by any means; he shot just 1-of-4, but Minix deserves a ton of credit for brushing off the fact that this team waived him last week and only brought him back due to necessity. He’s played hard and was a positive tonight, given the circumstances.

Grade: C+

Norchad Omier

0 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Omier is another two-way prospect who had a chance to get some run tonight. He made his impact through hustle, and as is the theme, that was enough to make him a positive in stark contrast to the starters.

Grade: C+

Craig Porter Jr.

9 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds

Porter showed signs of life after a fairly troubling start to the season. He got downhill and looked effective as a ball-handler again. The Cavs would love it if he could get back to being a plus defender and creator.

Grade: B

The Golden State Warriors would like to trade Kristaps Porzingis by December 15. However, they’re not about to sacrifice draft capital to do it for a long-term contract.

There’s not a ton of pressure on the Warriors to trade Porzingis, who isn’t being paid as he decides to “step away” from basketball, which he allegedly loves. He and the NBA Players Association aren’t planning to challenge to Warriors taking him off the payroll, which saves Joe Lacob about $250K per game. He may not play this season, for the Warriors or anyone else, but that doesn’t mean his contract is an albatross.

According to Clutch Points, the Warriors have had trade talks regarding Porzingis with the Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, and Milwaukee Bucks. They’re reportedly interested in 26-year-old center Jalen Smith of the Bulls, who is making $9.4M in the last year of his contract. It’s not clear who on the Pelicans’ roster has interested the Warriors, but with the Bucks, it’s center Myles Turner, who is signed through 2029 for $82.6M.

The Bucks want the Warriors to give them draft picks in a Turner trade, which would have to include another player (Moses Moody?) heading to Milwaukee, as the Warriors can’t take back more money than they send out. The Warriors think that taking on that much of Turner’s salary means they should be getting a draft pick, not the Bucks.

Turner is having a wretched season for the Bucks, who are in a weird rebuild limbo since trading Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer. They got four players back from the Miami Heat, drafted two players in the lottery, and have veterans Tyler Herro, Kyle Kuzma, and Caris Levert on expiring deals. They’re 1-9 and since they don’t have their own first-round pick until 2031, the Bucks don’t even have incentive to avoid the lottery penalty for having one of the league’s worst records.

The 30-year-old Turner is averaging 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds this season, though he is blocking 2.5 shots per game. His effort seems to be lacking, as seen in a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics Sunday.

I’ve watched this 12 times pic.twitter.com/plUTOssQKo

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 9, 2026

What Turner can provide, assuming he’s trying, is a rare combination of rim protection and outside shooting. He’s a career 36.4% three-point shooter and has blocked 2.1 shots per game for his career. Turner was the pivot man on an Indiana Pacers team that was a Tyrese Haliburton Achilles injury from winning a title. It’s easy to see how he’s a logical replacement for Porzingis, with the bonus that he’s played at least 71 games the last three seasons.

But his contract is n0t good. It’s even worse for the Bucks, since they waived-and-stretched Damian Lillard’s contract to afford the deal, and Dame Time now costs them $22.5M on the salary cap for each of the next four seasons. By contrast, Porzingis is on the books for only $3M next season, isn’t get paid anything right now, and might take a buyout on the $17M+ remaining on this year’s deal.

The key calendar date for the Warriors is Dec. 15, because of the NBA’s “reaggregation” rule. Players acquired before that date can be combined with other players/contracts until the trade deadline. This came up for the Warriors in Dec. 2024, when they traded De’Anthony Melton for Dennis Schroder just before the reaggregation deadline, then aggregated Schroder’s salary in the blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler.

That’s why a player like Smith could be more appealing for the Warriors than Smith, as he could provide temporary help while still remaining highly moveable in a later trade. The Warriors could conceivably take back their old friend Buddy Hield in such a trade, as his salary and Smith’s are still less than Porzingis’ total money — and Hield can be waived next summer for just over $3M.

There’s a lot of possibilities for what the Warriors do with Porzingis. But giving up future draft picks to ditch him does not seem to be one of them.

For the second night in a row, the Lakers picked up a tough road win while shorthanded, this time beating the Hawks 124-114 on Monday to extend their winning streak to six games.

Austin Reaves (illness) and Quentin Grimes (right finger sprain) were both out for the game, placing a heavier burden on the Lakers’ role players to step up. The response came in the form of a season-high 49 bench points.

LA scored 29 points off 20 Hawks turnovers and, again, won the points in the paint battle, 52-42.

The Hawks grabbed the lead and momentum early in the first period. Onyeka Okongwu led them with seven points. LA was 3-7 from the field. Ziaire Williams got the Lakers’ first basket in a triple. Luka Dončić made his first shot attempt, but had three of the team’s turnovers. 

At the 6:53 mark, the Hawks were up eight.

Luka inched closer to his usual double figures in the first quarter, pushing his total to seven. With Austin Reaves out, Cameron Carr saw minutes in the rotation. He had two rebounds. 

The first ended with back-to-back dunks from Carr and Jarred Vanderbilt, both assisted by Luka, and a triple from Sandro Mamukelashvili. LA was up by nine.

Cam’s first NBA basket? Had to be a dunk 😤 pic.twitter.com/G1deHrlyLW

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 10, 2026

Los Angeles was cooking early in the second period with Williams and Mamu both knocking down triples. Collin Sexton also connected with Walker Kessler twice for dunks.

LA was on an extended 28-9 scoring run. Every Laker off the bench, minus Adou Theiro, had scored. 

Sexton continued to give the purple and gold a huge boost. He now had nine points with four assists. He and Kessler helped give Los Angeles a 19-point lead with 6:34 left.

CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker brought some life to the Hawks, combining for 12 points to shave points off the lead. After being down by as much as 20, Atlanta crawled back on the shoulders of Jalen Johnson to cut the deficit to 11 at halftime. 

Setting up the big fella 🤝 pic.twitter.com/vMvZ1rxU0p

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 10, 2026

Williams began the third period with the first four points. Atlanta, though, still had momentum and were still slowly chipping away at LA’s lead. They got within six, with Dyson Daniels heating up and scoring five points.

Both teams turned on the offensive jets, scoring at a ridiculous high level.

Alexander-Walker got hot for Atlanta, scoring nine points. Luka and Mamu combined for 11 points. Los Angeles was shooting 46% from the field and the Hawks were close behind with 44%

With 3:39 left, the Lakers were up 10. 

The Lakers let Atlanta gain steam again as they knocked down three triples. They got to within three, but Luka converted on a midrange jumper, giving LA a five-point lead at the end of the third. 

Third quarter: Lakers 95, Hawks 90

Atlanta outscored LA 33-27 in the third. Luka scored 14 points and is up to 28 points on 9-for-19 shooting, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, and 6 turnovers. Walker Kessler has 18 points and 8 rebounds. LA needs to shore up its…

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 10, 2026

Mamu continued his stellar play by knocking down a 3-pointer to start the final frame. He had an impressive 19 points off the bench. The Hawks cut the deficit all the way down to two thanks to Aaron Wiggins scoring five points.

Los Angeles answered immediately with four straight points to take a six-point lead with 8:22 left.

The three ball was proving to be important for both teams as the Lakers saw Sexton make another, but Aaron Wiggins and McCollum drained two for the Hawks, getting the team to within four with 4:29 left. 

Los Angeles erupted for a wonderful 9-2 scoring run on the shoulders of Mamu, Luka, Williams, LaRavia and Matisse Thybulle, putting the finishing touches on a great performance.

Key Player Stats

Luka finished with 32 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and five steals. Kessler ended with 21 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Sexton had 18 points and six assists off the bench. 

Mamu logged 23 points with eight rebounds and three assists. Williams pitched in with 12 points. Thybulle had six points, all of which came at moments the team needed big shots.

Carr ended with two points and three rebounds. Thiero had two rebounds, an assist and a steal. 

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

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

The Golden State Warriors are looking to win their eighth straight game — and sweep the home stand — when they take on old friend Jordan Poole and the New Orleans Pelicans tonight at the Chase Center. Both teams will have their depth chart tested, as the list of ailments is long and notable.

Here’s the full injury report for both teams.

Warriors

Out — Will Richard (left thumb UCL tear)

Really tough news for Richard on Sunday. The second-year guard, who had a brilliant week of play and is really settling into his own, was revealed to have a UCL tear in his non-shooting thumb, which could cost him a few weeks or even a few months.

Out — Gary Payton II (left knee inflammation)

With both Richard and Payton out, the Warriors perimeter defense is going to be severely compromised tonight. Fortunately, they’re facing a below-average Pelicans offense which is also missing some key players.

Out — Jimmy Butler III (right ACL repair surgery)
Out — Moses Moody (left patellar tendon repair surgery)
Out — Kristaps Porziņģis(not with team)

The standard trio. Butler is progressing nicely, but these three will likely be a staple of this section of the injury report until Porziņģis is traded.

Available — Gui Santos (left knee tendinitis)

Hey, some good news! Santos is still dealing with some knee pain, but thankfully is able to play.

Pelicans

Out — Zion Williamson (rest)

Williamson has battled health issues his entire career, so it’s not surprising to see him get a rest day, especially since the Pelicans played (and traveled) last night. It’s great seeing him healthy, though, as he’s appeared in all 10 games prior to this one, and is averaging 33 minutes per night.

Out — Trey Murphy III (bilateral patellar tendinopathy)

We know the Warriors have had their sights set on a Murphy trade for a while. Unfortunately for their scouts — but fortunately for their prospects of winning tonight — they won’t get to see him in this game.

Out — Yves Missi (left knee contusion/bone bruise)

The Dubs have also been linked to Missi, as a potential target to replace the retiring Porziņģis. The third-year center was injured in the second game of the season, and hasn’t played since.

Out — Trendon Watford (right ankle sprain)

Watford has been a solid bench contributor in his first season in the bayou, so NOLA’s bench will be shortened by his absence tonight.

Enjoy the game, Dub Nation. It tips off at 7:00 p.m. PT on NBA TV and NBC Sports Bay Area.

Pain. Anguish, even. Torment, if you will. These are but a sample of the emotional petri dish that I’ve consumed while witnessing what was supposed to be a new beginning for the Utah Jazz. A beginning of hope. Of competitive basketball. Of winning.

Yet here we are, 10 games into the regular season, with only a single Jazz victory to account for: a one-point Delta Center victory against a subpar New Orleans Pelicans team.

Their 1-9 record is tied for dead last across the entire NBA, matched only by the worst Sacramento Kings team in years (an accomplishment that is borderline impressive, in all honesty) and the alpha release of the Giannis-less Milwaukee Bucks.

Casual observers may be unsurprised by the Jazz’s slow start. They’ve won an average of under 27 games in the last four years and have become the face of professional basketball’s tanking epidemic — few have mastered the modern art of losing quite like Utah. But the NBA enacted substantial anti-tank measures to dissuade teams from intentional losing. In turn, Utah added a multiple-time All-Star forward and a highly touted rookie point guard to their coagulating pre-existing core.

The Jazz are not losing intentionally; they’re actually this bad.

Keeping in mind the small sample size of just 10 games, Utah isn’t the victim of a string of close losses. They’re a victim of the second-worst offense in basketball, scoring just 106.2 points per game. That average lands ahead of just one team: the shockingly horrific Charlotte Hornets and their 96.3 points per game.

The Jazz offense has been ineffective and stale, but much of that can be attributed to the harsh hand of injury misfortune.

First fell Jusuf Nurkic, the projected starting center who serves a Diet Jokic role as an offensive hub in Will Hardy’s offense. Nurkic appeared in Utah’s first preseason game but has been glued to the bench, modeling this year’s autumn catalog from his courtside seat. Without Walker Kessler (who has been predictably awesome in Los Angeles), Nurkic is essential personnel, as odd as that feels to say. 1-9 is the resut in his absence.

Jaren Jackson Jr. has been out since Utah’s fourth game of the season against Memphis, and will spend at least another month or two recovering from an injured MCL.

Markkanen has been off and on with an injured shooting wrist, and playing below his standard while on the court.

But the Jazz’s issues aren’t exclusive to their frontcourt, the lack of depth at the guard line has really hurt Utah. It’s no secret that George and Collier, two ball-dominant point guards, don’t share the floor well. But besides the rookie Darryn Peterson, who else on the roster can Will Hardy trust to bring the ball down the floor?

Svi Mykhailiuk is off to a nightmare start. Scoring 3.3 points on 27% from the field, Mykhailiuk hs been borderline unplayable. Brice Sensabaugh isn’t a ball-handler either, and is hardly seeing the floor anyway. Newly-acquired Kobe Bufkin was nearly out of the NBA when the Jazz signed him to a two-way deal — he’s not going to drive the bus.

Injuries are compounding a pre-existing depth issue. Under a magnifying glass, the Jazz are a deeply flawed team that needs much more time to coalesce.

It wouldn’t be honest to blame strength of schedule, either. Despite some tough competition, the Jazz have put themselves in winning position. They took early overtime leads agaisnt San Antonio and New Orleans before dissolving like sugar cubes, giving up two separate 12-0 runs and consequently picking up a pair of L’s.

There are no excuses, but that doesn’t mean there is no hope.

Darryn Peterson is finally finding his cadence, posting career-highs of 21 and 26 in back-to-back appearances. Keyonte George has played exceptionally well to back up the team’s $157 million faith in his future. Ace Bailey is maximizing his defensive upside, making it impossible for Will Hardy to keep him off the floor even as he struggles offensively. Newcomers Josh Green and Mo Bamba have flourished in their increased floor time, and have proved to be excellent offseason additions early.

The path toward playoff berth may have to be re-routed through the Play-In this year, but perhaps higher expectations weren’t realistic to begin with.

---

Calvin Barrett is the Associate Editor for SLC Dunk and a Utah Jazz columnist for the Standard-Examiner. Originally from Springville, Utah, he currently writes from his desk in Japan.

Mamba Mentality continues to draw attention.

A game-worn No. 8 Kobe Bryant jersey from the 2003-2004 season sold for $1.83 million at The Realest on Sunday, Nov. 8. This is the highest sale of a non-rookie jersey from the Los Angeles Lakers star before he switched to No. 24. It also lands among the top-five highest public auction sales of Bryant's NBA jerseys.

The jersey is autographed and was certified by The Realest's authentication program, which utilizes photo-matching. Its only previous owner purchased the jersey with a certificate of authenticity directly from the Lakers via a charity auction in 2017 before the NBA icon passed away.

The jersey is believed to have been worn in 17 games that season – with a record of 16-1, including 8-0 in the playoffs – when the five-time champion starred alongside Shaquille O'Neal. Bryant wore it for his 31-point, 10-assist double-double in Game 5 of the first round to eliminate the Houston Rockets, for his 42-point performance in Game 4 of the conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs and in Game 6 of the next series against the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves to win the Western Conference finals.

The jersey has an NBA Finals patch and is the only No. 8 jersey of Bryant's to come to auction with such a detail. It could not be proven if Bryant wore it the NBA Finals, where the Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons in five games.

The highest-selling Bryant jersey was the one from his NBA debut in 1996. It sold in April of 2025 for $7 million.

Bryant played 20 seasons in the NBA all with the Lakers. He was drafted No. 13 overall in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets out of Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia and was traded to Los Angeles that day. He won five NBA championships with the Lakers, was named Finals MVP for two of the titles and was named an All-Star 18 times.

Bryant died in a helicopter crash in January of 2020 at the age of 41 with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.

Last month, The Realest auctioned off a Shohei Ohtani jersey from the 2025 Tokyo Series for $2,055,700. It was the most expensive jersey worn by a baseball player in the 21st century.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kobe Bryant No. 8 Lakers jersey fetches huge money at auction

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much.

The Spurs are on an eight game winning streak, and they played their most dominant game of the season on Saturday night, running the Trail Blazers out of their home gym 125-103, in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score seemed to indicate. They play the third game of their current four game road trip in Phoenix tonight, and finish up on Wednesday night against the Bulls in Chicago.

The Spurs are mostly healthy, although Devin Vassell is listed as questionable for tonight’s game with left adductor tightness. This is the kind of injury that could linger, and San Antonio might let him take a little time off to get fully recovered before he re-enters the lineup. Speaking of guys who are taking time to recover, Tobias Harris has missed the entire preseason and all 10 games of the regular season so far with a calf strain. It would be really great if there would be an update on when he’s expected to return to the lineup, although with the team playing as well as it is now, there’s not a lot of urgency in bringing back online right away. Calf problems are scary, and I don’t have any complaints about making sure he’s fully recovered before he plays in a game, but an actual estimated date for his return would relieve my anxiety.

The Suns have been a little disappointing so far this season, with a 3-5 record so far which has them at a way-too-early 12th place in the western conference standings. They defeated the Rockets on Saturday night, and they can beat anyone on a given night with their shooting and scrappy defense. Scrappy¹ is the definition of Dillon Brooks, who always plays a mental game against the opponents in addition to his improved shooting. If he’s not successful in distracting the opponents with his various antics, he’s less effective as a defender, and the Spurs seem to be more capable of handling their emotions on the court this season so far than they did last season. If Vassell can’t play, the Spurs may have to go a little further into their bench rotation tonight, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It will be interesting to see who draws the Devin Booker assignment tonight on defense. [Probably Castle]

As always, GO SPURS GO! Lets go Spurs, and Reed must dominate Khaman.

1. I may have misspelled that.

Game Prediction:

After being knocked down by Dillon Brooks on an illegal screen, Harrison Barnes gives Brooks the patented meme stare and Dillon loses his mind and the stream of cursing causes him to be ejected from the game as he draws two quick technical fouls.

San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns
November 9, 2026 | 8:00 PM CT
Streaming: DAZN, League Pass
TV: DAZN
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The Dallas Mavericks (6-4) close out a three-game home stand against the Indiana Pacers (3-7) on Monday night. Dallas is hoping to make this a real win streak after wins over the Jazz and Brooklyn Nets, most recently against the Nets last night. The Pacers are coming off a loss at home to the Denver Nuggets. Here’s the main things you need to know:

• WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Indiana Pacers
• WHAT: Let’s have a real win streak already
• WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
• WHEN: 7:00 pm CST
• HOW: KFAA

Dallas will get Kyrie Irving on the second night of a back-to-back, which will be the first time he’s done this since his ACL injury. Unfortunately, Morez Johnson found himself back on the injury report, missing this game with a shin contusion. Sergio De Larrea and Tarik Biberovic will miss the game as well. On the Pacer side, Tyrese Haliburton is out, having hurt his hamstring earlier in the season. Guard TJ McConnell will suit up after dealing with a hamstring strain.

Pencil this in as one Dallas should win. But on the second night of a back-to-back, anything feels in play. Kyrie getting minutes is great, though keep an eye on his total. Look for Cooper Flagg to finish what he started back in the early part of the year.

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

• Injury report news
• Discussion and comment thread

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

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

Remember when all discussions surrounding Jalen Brunson started and ended with struggling, slow, off, and hangover? Well, you can put those talks to rest.

After starting the season with five straight games of shooting 43% or lower and averaging just 22.8PPG on 36.6% shooting, the reigning Finals MVP has turned things around. In the Knicks’ three wins last week in which they outscored opponents 347-292, Brunson averaged a cool 27.7PPG and 6.3APG while shooting 48.3% from the field, 42.9% from three and committing just 0.7 turnovers per game.

Those numbers helped Brunson win the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award, something he’s now earned 10 times.

Jalen Brunson is Eastern Conference NBA Player of the Week for last week: pic.twitter.com/MCegJ4gmDx

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) November 9, 2026

It does pale in comparison to former Mavericks teammate Luka Doncic’s monstrous stat lines that have headlined the young NBA season. The Slovenian forward led his team to a 4-0 record while averaging an absurd 45PPG, 7.0RPG, and 8.3APG. Mavericks fans may be busy elated over the meteoric rise of Cooper Flagg, and rightfully so. But Brunson and Doncic winning it in the same week (something they also did late last November) just months after the former won a championship has to be another reminder of just how badly the Mavericks messed up.

For Knicks fans, though, this was validation for the fans who knew that the captain would eventually turn things around. Much of Brunson’s slow start could be attributed to him just missing shots he often makes. Regardless, there was an odd number of fans, both Knicks and non-Knicks, who wondered if he was coming back to earth. The answer is clearly no. Brunson is back to doing Brunson things, making shots, and running the slowly but surely improving offense while taking care of the ball at an elite level.

Karl-Anthony Towns also gets a shout-out. The center, who’s in the midst of playing some of the best basketball of his career, has been on fire and was amongst the nominees that Brunson beat out. Nickel Alexander-Walker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Klay Thompson, and Jaylen Brown were the others who lost out to Brunson.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to get back in the win column as they take on the struggling Charlotte Hornets.

Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!

Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets

November 9, 2026

Location: Toyota Center —Houston, Texas

Time: 7:30 PM CST

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790 / KLTN 102.9 (en español)

Probable starting lineups

Rockets: Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun

Nuggets: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson 

Can the Rockets get back to their winning ways? Tune in tonight and come chat with us at TDS on on the SB Nation App!

The Golden State Warriors wrap up their six-game homestand tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans, which means Jordan Poole is back at Chase Center wearing a New Orleans jersey and, if the last week is any indication, a warmup top he might never take off. He isn’t on the Pelicans’ injury report. He just sat the entire game in Los Angeles on Sunday with a coach’s decision DNP, and he’s played four games all season, averaging six points on 19 percent shooting.

Remember when Poole, James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga were supposed to be the Warriors’ future? The two-timelines plan had them growing up next to Steph Curry and Draymond Green and eventually taking the keys. All three are gone. Wiseman is getting about five minutes a night as a backup center in New York. Kuminga is starting in Minnesota and scoring 12.3 points per game. Poole is in the final year of the $123 million extension Golden State gave him, watching from the end of the Pelicans’ bench.

Jordan Poole spoke on how he feels about trade rumors during his press conference: pic.twitter.com/p9yaBtyxrb

— PooleMuse (@PooleMuse) October 30, 2026

Which is wild, because Poole is a big reason there’s a 2022 banner hanging in this building. He scored 17 a night in that playoff run, and Steve Kerr mentioned it plainly when Poole came back with Washington: “We don’t win that championship without him,” he told ESPN.

But that was then, and this is YAXEL. Right now this fan base is losing its mind over a 6-foot-9 rookie who plays like nobody told him he’s a rookie. Yaxel Lendeborg is pulling up off the dribble, crashing the glass and leading fast breaks, and on Nov. 1 he dropped 37 on the Clippers at Chase Center with Curry resting, the most by a Warriors rookie since Curry scored 42 in 2010. Nine games in, the No. 11 pick is at 21.0 points and 7.1 rebounds a night.

Yaxel Lendeborg joins Wilt Chamberlain (1959) and Rick Barry (1965) as the only Warriors rookies to ever reach 200+ points through their first 10 career games. pic.twitter.com/eoniOxATUM

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 8, 2026

Now rewind to May 14, 2021. Curry sat that night too, and a third-year Poole scored a then-career-high 38 against New Orleans at Chase Center. Something about Curry being out can provide opportunities for young players to showcase their abilities.

And yes, Yaxel went to Michigan, too. Poole helped the Wolverines reach the 2018 national title game, and Yaxel helped them win the 2026 one. I keep picturing Draymond Green, Michigan State Spartan to his bones, watching the Warriors crown a second Wolverine as the future in five years and quietly wondering who in the front office keeps a maize-and-blue flag in their desk drawer. And Poole knows first hand how about the Spartan gives tough love lessons.

Before anybody hands Yaxel the keys, though, Brandin Podziemski would like a word. Last month the Warriors gave him a five-year, $110 million extension, and he has never been shy about where he sees this going. “When they leave this thing, they got to leave it with somebody,” he told The Athletic last year, talking about Curry and Green trusting him with the franchise. Draymond’s advice at the time was to be careful saying that stuff out loud.

I wonder what Poole thought when he heard about a young Warriors guard with a fresh nine-figure extension talking about inheriting the franchise. He’s been there.

Jordan Poole returns to the bay tonight 🥹🔥

WELCOME BACK CHAMP pic.twitter.com/J5HJB7qd70

— Warriors Lead (@DubsLead) November 9, 2026

Moses Moody, the one young player from that “two timelines” era still on the roster, is working his way back from patellar tendon surgery and isn’t expected back until at least December, which gives Kerr one more young body to sort out when he does.

As for tonight, the Warriors have won seven straight after an 0-3 start, the first team to pull that off since the 1950-51 Boston Celtics. Curry is coming off 41 points in Saturday’s overtime win over Orlando, at 38 years old. The Pelicans are 4-6 and on the second night of a back-to-back after losing 139-123 to the Clippers, and New Orleans is without Yves Missi. Golden State will be without Jimmy Butler, Moody, Will Richard and Kristaps Porzingis, with Gui Santos probable, per the official injury report. Tip is at 7 p.m.