Category: NBA

The Milwaukee Bucks lost badly, 136-11, to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Halloween. For three of four quarters, the Bucks played decently, but losing the second by [checks notes] 27 points cooked their goose. Milwaukee just couldn’t get shots to fall, and although Cleveland’s defence was solid, I thought the Bucks got decent looks. Still, there were certainly positives to take out of the game, as I’ll get to. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.

Player Grades

Ryan Rollins

25 minutes, 9 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 0 turnovers, 4/11 FG, 1/5 3P, +4

Rollins’ game looks worse on the stat sheet than it truly was. Yeah, he’s still struggling to find his own offence, but he did a solid job of distributing the ball without turning it over. It’s also not as if Rollins was shot-chucking. As I alluded to in Kasparas Jakucionis’ section, the Cavs can be really tough to figure out in terms of scoring when you’re being funnelled into two velociraptors inside. In short: it certainly wasn’t a good game by Rollins, but it also wasn’t as bad as some others he’s played this season.

Grade: C-

Tyler Herro

27 minutes, 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 5/18 FG, 4/11 3P, -19

Herro’s first stinker of the season. I thought he got some solid looks in the first half and just missed them, but in the second half, it felt like Cleveland was much more in control of his shot quality. It got to the point where Herro was trying to foul-bait to get something going. I also wasn’t in love with his body language.

Grade: D

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

23 minutes, 8 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3/8 FG, 1/2 3P , -15

Weird game for Jaquez. I thought he was solid as a defender on Harden and did his best when he had to match up with Mobley, but like a few others, he struggled to find ways to score because of Cleveland’s size.

Grade: C

Kyle Kuzma

23 minutes, 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 6/12 FG, 2/7 3P, -16

Kuzme was excellent in the third quarter, scoring 12 of his 14 points and keeping the Cavs’ lead from getting too large. Over the whole game, I appreciated the effort Kuz showed defensively as one of the few wings who could at least try to match Mobley physically, but ultimately that made little difference.

Grade: C+

Myles Turner

23 minutes, 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, 4/10 FG, 1/4 3P, -11

Honestly, my analysis of Turner’s game last night is similar to what I thought of the Rockets game: on balance, he was pretty solid, but his shooting struggles continue. I will say that, whether it is age or a blatant athleticism deficit, Turner just cannot score over athletic centres with any regularity anymore (even when he catches it with an advantage). Had a play where he set a good screen and caught it with a window to the rim, but when Evan Mobley rotated over, his only hope was to catapult himself into Mobley and hope for a call; he did not get the call, and promptly flung the ball onto the top of the backboard.

Grade: C

Kel’el Ware

24 minutes, 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 6/16 FG, 3/8 3P, 4/5 FT, -14

I didn’t love Ware’s game, to be honest. 13 of his 19 points came in garbage time, and he should be doing that against third units. The trend of him failing to match it with these upper-echelon bigs is somewhat concerning. Ware was just no match on either end for the Mobley-Allen combo, and if he is to be Milwaukee’s centre of the future, that needs to change.

Grade: C-

Kasparas Jakucionis

21 minutes, 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 2/7 FG, 1/4 3P, -18

After a run of good games, this was a come-down-to-earth one for Jakucionis. He did his best to knife into the lane, but the two rangy seven-footers definitely gave him trouble.

Grade: D+

Brayden Burries

20 minutes, 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 4/7 FG, 1/4 3P, 5/6 FT, -19

Obviously, the headline from Burries’ game was that insane dunk, but overall, I loved how he made stuff happen in transition. Burries really has some heft, and he knows how to use it. Also had some solid possessions guarding Donovan Mitchell, I must say.

Grade: B

AJ Green

20 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 0/1 FG, 0/1 3P, -14

In games where none of Milwaukee’s guards can get paint touches, Green’s productivity will generally dip. He’s a play finisher, not a creator.

Grade: C-

Nate Ament

19 minutes, 14 points, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 4 PF, 6/8 FG, 2/3 3P, -11

Ament’s first efficient shooting night. He’s looking more and more comfortable with each game, especially finishing around the rim and slowing down on his three-point shots. Loved the craft he showed on the break with that Euro-step around the defender for the dunk; I’d love to see more of that moving forward.

Grade: B

Taylor Jenkins

Deciphering whether Jenkins “coached well” in these types of games is a task I find difficult for a range of reasons. First, the clear experience and talent gap between the Bucks and the NBA’s top teams; second, the fact that Milwaukee’s first priority appears to be development, then winning (which I think most fans would agree with). At the very least, we can see that Jenkins has instilled a culture where the players will keep fighting no matter how much they’re down by; that’s been shown across the last two blowouts. That said, maybe something needs to change in the game plan, rotations, etc., to prevent these second-quarter fadeouts we have seen for two straight games now (they lost the second quarter 34-14 against the Rockets). We know this is when the likes of Ware, Burries, and Ament will be getting their time, so understandably there would be somewhat of a drop-off, but maybe Jenkins needs to get one of the vets out early so they can come back and anchor these units at the start of the second. It’s a trend I’m monitoring.

Grade: C-

Limited minutes: Ousmane Dieng, Gary Trent Jr.

DNP-CD: Jericho Sims, Bogoljub Markovic, Caris LeVert,

Inactive: Kam Jones, Cormac Ryan, Pete Nance

What We Learnt

The team might have a second-quarter problem and, as I (and Jenkins) alluded to, changes in rotation and possibly even game plan might be needed.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• “Our guys played great in the first quarter, but the second quarter got away from us,” Jenkins said. “We missed open threes, we missed layups… and that had an impact on our defence. We fought in the second half, but the hole we dug ourselves in was a little too deep. So, [we will] go back and watch the film to see how we can sustain better over 48 minutes.”
• The Bucks shot 7/28 (25.0%) to the Cavs’ 18/22 (81.8%) in the second quarter. To their credit, Milwaukee did a great job winning the possession battle—largely by grabbing eight offensive rebounds—but just couldn’t get anything to go. As for Cleveland, 15 of their 18 makes were assisted, and as I mentioned in the Rapid Recap, they closed the period on a 21-3 run. Insane.
• The Bucks lost the paint battle 60-46; they did win bench points 55-51, however.
• Just a stray thought, and I don’t want this to come across the wrong way after just six games, but if I were Horst, I’d be listening (listening) to trade offers for Kel’el Ware at the deadline. His continued underperformance in these measuring-stick games concerns me. And to be clear, I’d also be content with keeping Ware, but if another team believes more in his upside and makes an enticing offer, I’d seriously consider it. Is it risky? Yeah. But it’s also his third year in the NBA after two years in college; this may be the last chance to “sell high” before a bad reputation sets in and you need to pay him.
• Brayden Burries’ incredible dunk:

INSANE BRAYDEN BURRIES POSTER! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ftmnY0eBWG

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 1, 2026

• The team’s Halloween costumes, in all their glory:

Halloween at home. pic.twitter.com/TIJ8IstlBQ

— Bucks In Six (@BucksInSix) October 31, 2026

Up Next

The Bucks now head to Minnesota to play the Timberwolves on Monday night. Catch the action at 7:00 p.m. CST on MY24.

Welcome to Inside the Suns, a deep-dive analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team in which the Fantable — a roundtable of Bright Siders — give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.

Fantable Questions of the Week

Q1: How long are you willing to wait (in terms of games played) to give the Suns’ starting unit time to (hopefully) gel before pronouncing it DOA and demanding changes?

zenzino: The wording of this question cracks me up. ‘Demanding changes’. Like we have any actual say in what happens.

Blow it up now! Just kidding. So much impatience. The NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. And the starting gun just went off. What’s worse than the Suns’ play is the Suns’ schedule. 11 days into the season, and the Suns have played 3 games. Leaves us lots of time in between to contemplate the sky falling.

I’d give it 15-20 games if there were some kind of progress along the way.

All this talk about continuity seems to make us forget that the starters have a distinct lack thereof. 2 of the 5 are new to the lineup, and even the returning 3 starters of Book, Brooks, and Green had only played 10 games together before this season. This should be considered a brand new starting lineup.

While the starting 5 have not yet gelled, I think there are bigger issues throughout the lineup. As Tom wrote earlier this week, the Suns’ culture and ‘alignment’ are in question. As Keratosis pointed out in the comments, everyone is talking about trading Green, and he’s the only one who has been consistent on both ends of the court.

Of course, the players need to act like highly paid professionals. However, as I’ve maintained since the KD days, the leadership has to start at the top with the head coach. This is a huge test of Ott and probably BG because he’s so involved.

The culture and standards have to be consistently maintained and nurtured, not just given lip service. You don’t just get to pick up where you left off last season… or maybe you do, and that’s what the Suns are doing.

Ashton: Rod is setting this whole series of questions up as a chance to throw shade at the Suns. I am going to take the high road and throw shade at the Suns.

Good question? Coach Ott has now had four days to try to get his team on the same page between games. I really hope film review with the players was part of it. Coach Ott says it was a communication issue between him and the players. I am not so sure. It seems like a chemistry issue or at the very least a preparation issue.

I am just not optimistic about the Suns turning this around anytime soon, but I guess I am willing to give them four weeks to show improvement and two months before pronouncing them “DOA”. There are not many changes to demand as the starting four is basically set, but I am willing to climb on board with CG possibly starting as Green still seems to seek the ISO plays. If Booker goes off for another three points, I may seriously consider bringing in Goody’s defense in place of Booker minutes.

Rod: I’m close now, but the absences of both Mark Williams and Oso Ighodaro and the total reliance on Khaman Maluach as the starting center makes me believe that I shouldn’t be too hasty. Duop Reath as the primary backup hasn’t worked out well either, but I also can’t reasonably blame all of the starters’ problems on this.

At this point, I’m kind of in a holding pattern until Oso gets healthy and we can get a look at how well things work out before giving the starting lineup the last rites. I don’t expect a miracle turnaround, but if I don’t see some evidence of better play after 10 games (following his return), then I’ll be fully on board with trying just about anything that has a chance of improving.

Starting Gillespie and moving Green to a 5th man bench role is the obvious 1st move to try. After that, I’m game with just about any other lineup experiment that has any kind of a shot at improving things.

Q2: Three games into the season and the Suns have THE worst-ranked defense in the NBA. What are your thoughts on why they’ve been so bad on D?

zenzino: It would be easy to blame it on the addition of Bridges and the absence of Williams and Oso. Maluach was supposed to have time to ease into the main rotation, and now he’s been thrust into the starting lineup. On the aforementioned fact that even the returning starters haven’t had much time playing together before this season. Those are factors to be sure, but something else just isn’t right. It’s not just the starters.

While the 2nd is better than the starting unit, they still aren’t what we are used to from them. As the ‘look on the bright side’ guy in this, I still have to wonder whether the first half of last season was an anomaly and the post-All-Star-break version is who they actually are.

I might conclude that Mark Williams is the most underrated Suns player. He wasn’t fancy or flashy, but he got the job done in a myriad of ways and was a defensive anchor for this team.

All that talk on media day about how they worked all summer together and are chomping at the bit to get the season started… I got excited.

And now it rings hollow.

All that being said, it’s only been 3 games. Anyone who throws in the towel after 3 tries at anything will never win. Again, from my perspective, this needs to get fixed from the coaching side. The players also need to hold each other accountable, but that starts with the coach.

Ashton: It appears that Miles Bridges is missing multiple assignments and may make the list for worst trade of the year. Booker is visibly frustrated at the defense (and his own shooting). And teams know that the “Center can not hold”. That is a shoutout to poet William Butler Yeats, and as dark as it is, it remains one of my favorite poems. It easily sums up the early Suns games, as I am not sure if there is a “Second Coming”. However, Oso was upgraded to questionable for Friday’s game against Denver.

This comes back to team unity on both sides of the floor, and that is lacking. Suns were universally expected to suck last season and took defense to a chip-on-the-shoulder level. I would have liked to be able to evaluate the Denver Nuggets’ game Friday night, which Jokic has already called “their defense sucks,” but let’s see which team wins that award.

Still, the Suns being last in so many defensive metrics in three games is beyond concerning; it is condemning.

Rod: I honestly believe it’s a combination of things, roster additions/subtractions and injuries being the top 2. I mostly see the effort on the court, but one blown assignment, one offensive rebound given up because you’re out of position, one missed switch can undo all the effort put in. Having two of your top rotation players at the same position (Williams and Ighodaro) has got to hurt both units, especially when your 4th guy in line at that position (Reath) has never been considered even a fair defensive player.

Looking at the numbers, the starting unit has actually been the worst defensively (29th), while the bench has been at least marginally better (20th), though not enough to make a big difference. We’re just three games into the season, though, and hopefully things will improve as the team gets more accustomed to the new additions (Bridges & Kennard), Oso returns to stabilize the rotation, and perhaps some lineup changes are made that give the starting lineup some more defensive muscle.

Q3: With Oso Ighodaro out for the GSW and OKC games, Jordan Ott has mostly played “small ball” lineups when Khaman Maluach is on the bench, with backup center Doup Reath averaging only 5 minutes per game in those two outings. If Oso is going to miss much more time, what backup center options (other than Reath) should the Suns consider?

zenzino: Unlike most people here, the term ‘small ball’ doesn’t make me angry or fill my heart with dread. It is a viable strategy that I’ve watched win championships. The Suns just need to get better at it, and you can only get better at something with practice. Bring it on!

It really depends on how ‘much more’ time we are talking about. If we’re talking a week or two, I don’t think the Suns should strain themselves to find another backup. A month or two? Maybe something needs to be done.

However, we haven’t seen Timme yet. He’s a lighter version of Oso, so maybe they can get by with center by committee. I believe someone more familiar with college basketball than I am said that Sheer used to play small-ball 5 in college. If so, add him to the committee.

I just don’t know that there’s anyone out there for the vet min who could make a difference compared to what we have now. Everyone mentions Olynyk, but he’s playing in Europe now. I wouldn’t hate Bismack Part II, but I don’t think that would move the needle.

Addendum: Oso has been practicing with the team. Ott says that it just depends on how Oso’s body responds to the workouts. So, we’re probably talking days and not weeks.

Oso haters, skip this part. Everyone else, we’re going to see a big difference in this team with Oso. He is the connector. On defense and offense. Adding a passer and playmaker can only help the offense starving for it. While not a rim protector, his on-ball and team defense are key. Everything will work better with him on the court.

Ashton: It is political season. There is more lying than ever, and only sports can match it when it comes to injury reports. I think Oso will be out for more than two games, but that statement may not age well. Also, my favorite day in November is not the fourth but the fifth. That is when all the unwanted ads, calls, and texts shut the hell up.

The cupboard is bare when it comes to backup center options. So, Ott is forced into small-ball for what could be a while. The only answer I have to this is to maybe roll the dice on Koa Peat and see what Drew Timme (who is also out) can do as a little bigger unit off the bench without a center. I really have no idea why Doup Reath is averaging five minutes per game. I thought that stat was startling. He needs more minutes.

Rod: First off, I believe that looking at signing a free agent center to fill that open 15th roster spot is not something the Suns should try…at least not yet. Anyone who is still a free agent at this time of the year, well, there’s usually a very good reason why, and not a good one. If Oso was definitely going to be out for a long stretch of the season, then I’d give it some serious thought, but only then.

At this point, Oso is going to be back on the court before a new guy has had enough time to learn the Suns’ offensive and defensive schemes to be more than an obstacle to cohesive team play, let alone a positive addition. Frankly, I think that’s why Timme actually hasn’t been active yet. He wasn’t around for training camp or any of the preseason games and needs some time to actually learn how things work before being thrown into the fray.

Some have suggested giving Fleming a try, but the guy’s still not playing instinctively at PF, so I doubt he’d really be very effective playing out of position at center.

Playing small ball with Bridges at the 5 spot isn’t the answer, but at least he’s a big body with several years of NBA-level experience who won’t react like a deer in headlights when thrust into a changed role.

All things considered, I’m fine with rolling with things as they are for now, with Reath getting at least a few minutes a game to see if he’s not having a good night before going small. Hopefully, Oso will be back very soon, and we won’t have to have this conversation again… for a while, at least.

As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!

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Quotes of the Week

“It’s early. Can’t expect to be perfect right now.” – Jordan Goodwin

“We need to play faster. I think we have an opportunity when we do that. If we get stops, we get rebounds, we’re able to push the pace offensively and just create a lot of different things on the offensive end.” _ Luke Kennard

“Overall, we have to stick with some of things that we’ve talking about all camp because we did see success before the regular season started. We’ve got to give this a little bit of grace of couple more games just in general, both sides of ball. I think we have higher standards for what we want to do.” – Jordan Ott

“We’re just figuring each other out. It’s third game of the season. We’ve been figuring each other out. Once we do, I think we’re going to be a really good team.” – Miles Bridges

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Suns Trivia/History

Book closes his 20s with the 11th-most career points in @NBA history by a player before turning 30 📚

The list of players he's in company with:
LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan, Carmelo Anthony, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oscar Robertson,… pic.twitter.com/HKhOOZHr6t

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 30, 2026

On November 1, 1996, 8-time All-Star Steve Nash made his NBA debut for the Phoenix Suns in a 96-82 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. In his first game, Nash racked up zeros in points, assists, rebounds, steals, etc. in 5 minutes of court time.

It was not until his 2nd game on the following night (Nov. 2) that Nash recorded the first assist and the first basket of his Hall of Fame career in a 110-95 loss to the Houston Rockets. Nash’s totals in that game were 9 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, and 1 steal in 12 minutes. Although Steve played the fewest minutes of any Sun in this game, he led the team in trips to the free-throw line and shot 6-for-7 for the night.

On November 2, 1999, 4-time All-Star Shawn Marion made his NBA debut for the Phoenix Suns in a 107-102 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Marion recorded his first NBA double-double in the game with 14 points and 14 rebounds. He would get 6 more double-doubles during the rest of his rookie season plus 1 more in the first round of the playoffs.

On November 2, 1990, the Suns defeated the Utah Jazz 119-96 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Japan, in the first regular-season game played outside North America by any major professional sports league. Tom Chambers led the Suns with 38 points and 10 rebounds while Kevin Johnson scored 29 with 10 assists. 1-time All-Star Cedric Ceballos made his NBA debut in this game, scoring 2 points and grabbing 1 rebound in just 2 minutes of court time.

On November 7, 1992, the Suns celebrated their 30th Anniversary season by moving into the America West Arena where they opened their season with a 111-105 win over the LA Clippers. Charles Barkley (acquired by trade after the end of the previous season) wowed the Phoenix home crowd with a near triple-double (37 points, 21 rebounds and 8 assists) in his first regular season game as a Sun.

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The Week Ahead

Monday: Phoenix Suns @ Golden State Warriors, 7:00 pm AZ time
Wednesday: Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers, 7:00 pm AZ time
Thursday: Phoenix Suns vs Orlando Magic, 7:00 pm AZ time
Saturday: Phoenix Suns vs Houston Rockets, 7:00 pm AZ time

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Important Future Dates

Nov. 6 – NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament begins
Dec. 15 – Most players signed to new contracts can be traded
Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed
Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season
Jan. 15 – All players signed to new contracts can be traded
Feb. 11 – Trade Deadline
Feb. 19-21 – NBA All-Star 2027
March 1 – Playoff Eligibility Waiver Deadline
April 11 – 2026-27 Regular Season ends (All 30 teams play)
April 12 – Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2027 (3 p.m. ET)
April 13-16 – SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament
April 17 – NBA Playoffs 2026 begin

The Raptors’ road trip begins with an LA double feature against the Lakers and the Clippers, starting with the boys in the gold and purple this Sunday, November 1st.

This will be Toronto’s first look at either of the Los Angeles teams this season, with both organizations boasting former Raptors under contract — on the Lakers, the beloved Georgian forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, and on the Clippers, former All-Star Brandon Ingram. While Ingram is unfortunately still facing injuries that are keeping him off the court, Mamu will be there to greet his old teammates in full force; this time, looking to topple the red and black.

Walking into Crypto.com Arena means not only saying hello to old friendly faces, but staring into the face of some serious adversaries, no one more prominent among them than Luka Dončić. Dončić has won four of his last five contests against the Raptors, and remains a part of a team that has an even more prominent winning streak against Toronto: the Raptors haven’t won against the Lakers since December of 2022, and will be going into this matchup looking to end this longstanding history.

In many respects, the Toronto Raptors have matured this year, even beyond the acquisition of Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors are neither a “young” team nor an “old” team at this point. Scottie Barnes is 25 years old, RJ Barrett is 26, and Immanuel Quickley is 27. But beyond age, the Raps are playing with a maturity unlike anything they’ve displayed in previous years, most prominently among them Scottie Barnes.

Still early in the season, Barnes has demonstrated that his offensive game has developed exponentially over the offseason, and since the 2026 playoffs, he has looked able to shoulder a massive two-way load, defending, facilitating, and creating his own looks. His midrange game has looked to be on-par with the greats this season, something all the more important when facing off against a team with a premiere centre. With Kawhi Leonard still out, Scottie and his teammates have stepped up to fill the void left by his phantom scoring and clamping defence, and will need every bit of paint-pounding bucket-getting and hard nosed D against the Lakers.

With a record of 4-2 on the season, the Lakers are off a three game winning streak and are equipped with weapons the Toronto Raptors will be hard-pressed to manage. Walker Kessler at 7’2” is a nightmare matchup for the Raptors, clogging the paint for RJ and Scottie, that Jakob Poeltl will need to step up in a big way for on the defensive end. Kessler can score and rebound, but is swatting shots at a disgusting rate, with 17 blocks in five games, including a 9 stock performance that made the Lakers look like they got more than their money’s worth for the big man.

How Walker Kessler is anchoring the Lakers defense https://t.co/9d6OFGuNGr

— Silver Screen and Roll (@LakersSBN) October 28, 2026

Poeltl, who had a double double in a comeback game against Orlando, will likely split minutes at centre with Collin Murray-Boyles and Trayce Jackson-Davis, but as the Raptors’ starter, getting in the paint and banging with the other team’s seven-footer is going to be his primary responsibility. Yak has a chance tonight to continue his path back to the up-and-up, and the success of tonight’s game will rest in large part on his shoulders.

Containing Luka Magic and Austin Reaves is no easy feat either, but one which the Raptors are moderately more equipped to do. Scottie will likely take the Dončić assignment himself, as he matches up with with the big man’s stature and abilities the best, but to see how Ja’Kobe Walter handles Austin Reaves will be of interest as well, with the young guard suddenly thrust into the starting lineup.

Throughout the season, Barnes and Barrett have both shown that they’re capable of taking over offensively when necessary, and tonight will be a game where they will likely have to do just that. Surviving these rough matchups without Kawhi is the name of the game when making him a big part of the team, and tonight will be a chance for the Raptors to further distance themselves from the collapse in Minnesota against another top-5 guard in the league.

When the clock struck triple zeroes on Friday night, I could only lean back on my couch and smile.

The Dallas Mavericks (4-2) had defeated the previously undefeated Houston Rockets; Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving combined for 68 points. It continued a three-game winning streak in which the Mavericks vanquished three playoff contenders, and their second game in a row knocking-off an undefeated team.

The game had massive swings in emotion and momentum. The atmosphere in the American-Airlines center hasn’t reached that level since the 2024 playoffs.

The Mavericks, after a year-and-a-half of absolute misery (save for winning the lottery), are seemingly back to bringing fans joy.

This team is really, really, fun. They play fast and aggressive on both ends, often passing up a good shot to create a great one. They may not have elite personnel on either end, but the players know their roles, and they play to their strengths.

Instead of playing a static defense that relies on individual efforts from great defenders, they relentlessly swarm and scram ball-handlers into making mistakes, using their absurdly lengthy wings to disrupt opponet ryhthym.

On offense they simply attack the rim no matter what, using this constant rim pressure to set up open looks from long range. All of this starts with a 19-year-old superstar who simply doesn’t understand that 19-year-olds are supposed to be in college, not dominating the best league in the world.

But it isn’t just Cooper Flagg’s play. It’s his relentless, unyielding energy on both sides that feeds the rest of the team. He’s constantly attacking the basket with the force of a runaway mustang, using this gravity to get his teammates involved. But it isn’t just force, it’s the unexplainable floater touch that appeared out of thin-air last season.

Put simply, Flagg refuses to let this team lose, and he will be dammed if they repeat last season’s catastrophic play.

But unlike last season, he isn’t alone; a New Jersey basketball wizard has his back.

Kyrie Irving was relatively quiet until Friday night’s showcase, which is understandable given the near 19-month layoff after ACL reconstruction, but he was anything but quiet in the second half against the Rockets.

Irving scored 26 points in the final two quarters on only 13 shots. This included multiple patented Kyrie Irving transition pull-up 3-pointers that set the arena into a frenzy. His ability to feel the ebbs and flows within a game is special; knowing when to attack and when to let someone else take the reins. The Mavericks made their fourth-quarter run without Flagg on the court, and much of that is due to Irving’s mastery.

But let’s not forget the other number one overall pick on the roster. Zaccahrie Risacher exemplifies what makes this team special. He was cast aside by the Hawks. Written off by most of the basketball world, including me. Instead of letting the dire circumstances torpedo his career, he’s embraced what is necessary to succeed in the NBA.

He is ruthless on defense, constantly attacking the basketball to the tune of almost 4 combined steals and blocks per game this season. His offense is far from perfect, but there hasn’t been a Maverick wing who attacks the glass like he does in a long time.

Before the season there was only one thing that I wanted to see from the Mavericks team, watchable basketball. It’s truly hard to put into words how terrible they were to watch last season. It was a constant swirl of frustration, anger, spite and stubbornness.

Now?

Not only are the Mavericks are must-see TV, they’re also pretty damn good.

The San Antonio Spurs have not outgrown Halloween. Before the holiday, members of the Spurs of the team discussed the player most likely to go all out.

The team did not diasppoint.

Victor Wembanyama walked in as Geralt from The Witcher.

Historically, Wemby has embraced the holiday and stepped into the arena in costume.

Carter Bryant came in as Ace, Wood Harris’ character from Paid In Full.

Carter Bryant knows ball

(📸 @spurs) pic.twitter.com/8EA53UDZ7v

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 31, 2026

Spurs draftee Tarris Reed, Jr. showed a more comedic side stepping in as the three-hole punch Jim dressed as from Season 5’s Halloween episode of The Office.

3-hole punch Tarris 💯 #PorVidapic.twitter.com/wgTilVSgNf

— Spurnandez (@RealSpurnandez) October 31, 2026

And of course De’Aaron Fox got the whole family involved in an homage to Toy Story. They were voted the best dressed on a poll that play-by-play announcer and color analyst Sean Elliott hosted during the DAZN airing.

To infinity, and beyond!
Happy Halloween from Woody, Jessie, Buzz and Bo Peep🎃 pic.twitter.com/NVmwvOsnO0

— De'Aaron Fox (@swipathefox) October 31, 2026

In addition, Julian Champagnie dressed as Shrek and visited patients at Methodist Children’s Hospital on Friday. This NEWS4 article shares multiple photos from the visit:

Spurs forward Julian Champagnie visits hospitalized kids dressed as Shrek

During Saturday night’s Spurs Live pregame show, Julian Champagnie sat with Dan Weiss and discussed the visit. Knowing there were children that were missing Halloween due to health concerns, he took time to visit and offered a trick-or-treat experience in the hospital. He never ceases to amaze. His dedication to the community and his passion for children is evident throughout the season as he attends and hosts multiple events.

Of course, the most famous Spurs Halloween story has got to be 2009, when Manu Ginobili single-handedly took out a bat.

Spurs are back in action for a Dia De Los Muertos matchup against the Utah Jazz on Monday.

---

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I’ve been a Celtics fan most of my life. For the first time, I had to be something a bit more than that.

On Friday, October 30th, I had the incredible honor of making my debut as a credentialed media member for CelticsBlog when the Celtics faced the Bulls in the NBA Cup.

Growing up in Massachusetts, I’ve been all about Boston sports since I was a kid.

My love for basketball and the Celtics intensified as I got older, and I’ve spent the last 10 years studying the game hard, finding a relationship between improving my own skills on the court and understanding the intricacies of NBA hoops.

At some point along the way I had more opinions, and needed room to share them without bugging everyone in my life. I took to Twitter, finding community among like-minded fans who loved the game and a good argument. Over time, that sharpened my ability to understand what I was seeing and articulate it to others.

Flash forward to now, this voice I’ve found — boosted by several seasons writing for CelticsBlog — has allowed me to fulfill a dream, and it was honestly surreal.

From receiving the notice that my credential request was accepted on Tuesday, to driving into Boston on Friday, I felt a sense of jitters that have only really been exceeded by my wedding day.

It wasn’t nerves based around fears, rather it was about passion and the fulfillment of something that I care deeply about. I wanted to do a good job, and make the most of this opportunity.

From the moment I walked up to the arena, I had to embrace the uncertainty. I immediately asked for guidance from a parking attendant on where I could find the media entrance.

Once I made my way inside, I asked for more directions and was pointed toward the desk to pick up my credentials. I clumsily walked through the metal detector with my backpack on, laughing at myself for the mistake — one I had just read that my colleague Grant Burfiend made as well.

With Grant’s other cautionary tale in mind, I made sure to ask for the appropriate floor in the elevator. Once I reached my destination, I tentatively followed the labyrinth of hallways until I found the media dining room.

I plopped my bag down at a table, poured up a hot coffee and tried to take stock of where things were at, looking around occasionally to see if there were any familiar faces. I downed the coffee and decided it was probably time to find the press conference room for the pregame availability.

I’d like to preface this by saying that I generally think my navigation skills are pretty solid, but I needed the assistance of about three people to get me through the maze of hallways and toward the conference room.

My welcome to the NBA moment came during this time when a large voice offered a polite “Excuse me”. I moved to the side, now a little less confident about where I was going, and watched as the colossal Mitchell Robinson strolled past me.

Eventually, I ended up in what clearly looked to be the press conference room. Though as I took my seat and waited for several minutes as the only person seated in there, I questioned if I was in the right place. Fortunately my initial instincts were correct, and people started filing in over the next 10 minutes or so.

There were a ton of people I recognized, but didn’t quite have the right level of ease to start introducing myself before the availability kicked off. I listened as Tony Dobbins filled in for Joe Mazzulla, answering questions about their big man group, and Mitchell Robinson’s performance so far.

Once the questions concluded, I followed the herd out of the room and found a moment to introduce myself to Noa Dalzell and Jack Simone. They both offered a bit of insight, and led the way to the room for the visiting team’s availability.

While waiting for Tiago Splitter to enter, I said hello to the wonderful Sam LaFrance. Sam gave me some more valuable info, including the important fact that dinner would be $10, cash only. With no cash in my wallet, he graciously offered to cover it for me and would not accept my Venmo offer later on. That was a great gesture, and one I hope to pay back at a game in the future.

Meeting those three helped me feel more relaxed, and I shared my dinner with another introduction to the great First to the Floor trio of Ben Vallis, Jake Issenberg, and Wayne Spooney. I spoke with them for a while, along with CelticsBlog’s Gio Rivera, who I relied on for more guidance on getting from the dining room to the court for warmups.

I spent time taking it in court side and chatting more with the First to the Floor lads. As we watched different players get warmed up, a chaperone with the Boston Children’s Hospital spotted our press passes and commented that being this close must feel regular for us.

Not quite. With it being my first game with a pass and the freedom to roam the perimeter of the court, I mentioned that it felt just as exciting for me.

With about 40 minutes before tip, we made our way up to the press seats, again navigating through curtained entrances and unclear corridors. Once in my assigned seat, I took another moment to appreciate the gravity of the evening. This was something I’ve thought about for a long time, and my goal was to just be present and enjoy.

As the game got underway I locked into analysis mode. The press seats are in the highest perch of the arena, but several of us agreed that the vantage point is actually great for seeing everything unfold during a possession.

In press row, my lens had to change. There’s no cheering, just observation and objectivity. I found accepting that really helped me focus on the finer points of the game, and analyze the trends worth writing a game piece about.

Occasionally I could feel my inner fan rising. It’s hard to watch Payton Pritchard drain a three after making Norman Powell stumble without having some type of reaction.

I spotted a lot of aggressive defensive coverages that resulted in deflections and turnovers — a trend that I’ve been tracking since preseason. As the game carried on I settled on that being the direction I wanted to take, with the hope that I could get a question or two answered in post-game availability.

After the final buzzer, the group in the balcony trekked down the stairs after the freight elevator refused to arrive. We made it down three floors, and walked into the great migration of fans leaving through the main stairwell. We accompanied that group for a few flights before exiting into the loge level. From there we walked down through the court and into the tunnel.

We made it back to the press conference room and took our seats to wait for Mazzulla.

I spun my question around in my head for a while, trying to land on the right words that could garner some level of interest from Mazzulla. Before I found the right combination, all questions had been asked, and the coach was on his way out the door. I missed the window, but fortunately there were responses that hit the right notes for me to work with.

After a few minutes Pritchard stepped into the room. He was introspective about meeting the standards Mazzulla holds him to, highlighting his defense as a point of emphasis against the Bulls.

I was still getting a feel for the etiquette of question asking. From my perspective, it was a discreet and well practiced dance of eye contact, head nods and half-raised hands to make it known that you’d like the microphone. I hadn’t found the rhythm of that yet and went 0/4 on the night for chances to ask a question.

While slightly disappointing, it’s hard to feel that bad about it. I was basically an undrafted rookie in a room of established vets. The answers given were enough, and I was able to complete my piece on their defensive impact in good time.

I walked 12 minutes to the parking garage, reflecting on the evening as I passed endless streams of costumed Bostonians celebrating Halloweekend.

I felt grateful to CelticsBlog for helping to facilitate this, and a reassuring sense of confidence that with a lot of the unknowns now understood, I could come back in the future focusing on the most important parts of the job.

It was great to meet and watch many of the journalists I respect, and to get to know them a bit. It’s given me a greater appreciation for the machine that is game day coverage.

Hopefully with enough reps I’ll manage to learn the secrets of securing a microphone and can break my current streak of unasked questions. For now, I’m glad to have stumbled my way through an unforgettable evening with occasional spurts of grace.

Gui Santos' encore to breakout for Warriors hinges on a simple characteristic originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Signing a three-year, $15 million contract at the end of February last season was monumental in Gui Santos’ journey. Life-changing money represented a road from Brazil to the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft as the No. 55 overall pick, years of developing in the G League and now becoming one of basketball’s best stories as one of the Warriors’ key players.

Inking the contract was a no-brainer for Santos, though it quickly looked like a steal for the Warriors. Santos will always believe signing instead of hitting restricted free agency was an easy decision. 

A little more than four months later, Santos is even more sure he made the best decision of his life by marrying his longtime girlfriend Julia Lawrenz last July in her hometown of Curitiba, Brazil.

“Julia, she’s a real partner,” Santos said after Warriors open practice, days before the start of the regular season. “She really understands me really well. There’s days where you don’t want to do nothing, you just want to chill, she’s there with me. But there’s days where for some reason you have a bad practice or bad game, she’s the one that helps me leave that behind and think about the next game or next practice. 

“It’s been really good, she’s been helping me a lot.”

Santos has never second-guessed his forever commitment to Julia, and the Warriors feel they’ve struck gold in their commitment to him. 

He was one of the breakout NBA players last season. The key to his encore isn’t so much about a single skill like shooting. Santos’ next steps center around what he has been best at the past few months off the court: Decision-making. 

Santos was inactive for the game last season when Jimmy Butler tore his ACL against the Miami Heat on Jan.19. The Warriors’ season came to a halt when Butler held his knee on the Chase Center floor. They had to move on as quickly as they could, and Santos soon found himself in a much different role. 

Instead of being mainly an energizer, Santos was relied upon much more as a scorer with the ball in his hands. Santos averaged 14.3 points per game the rest of the regular season, starting 28 of the 35 games he played, and shot over 50 percent from the field. But Santos also averaged 2.2 turnovers per game in the span, including nine games of at least four turnovers. 

He averaged just 0.8 turnovers per game in his first 33 games of the season, starting just twice and scoring only 3.7 points per game. 

“I’ve talked to him about this,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said at practice, the day before the final preseason game. “I thought late last season was great for him to have to take on that playmaking responsibility without Jimmy, without Steph. He made a lot of mistakes, but he made a lot of great plays. So this year is more about improving the assist-to-turnover ratio. Make the plays that you have to make, but be more cautious. You don’t need to be wild.”

With a healthy Steph Curry scoring a combined 75 points in the Warriors’ last two games, rookie Yaxel Lendeborg having the ability to score 20 and even 30 points, and Brandin Podziemski continuing to progress as a scorer, Santos now can complement them while sliding into a role that better serves his style. 

“Last year you had to be a little wild at times to try to force things because we didn’t have enough. We have enough now,” Kerr says, regarding his message to Santos. “… We can’t force the issue, and I think sometimes he is forcing the issue, but he’s perfectly cut out to play the style we’re playing, because he’s got a lot of skill.” 

Kerr’s message came after a preseason game in which Santos had three turnovers, and five the previous game. He didn’t commit any in the preseason finale after Kerr’s talking points.

Though the Warriors didn’t yet know what they had in Lendeborg, they knew Santos’ being free with the ball needed to be reigned in. That was the message relayed to him going into the offseason, and it translated into how he took on his training. 

Santos has considerably changed his body from when he weighed less than 200 pounds before being drafted to now being a strong 225 pounds on his 6-foot-7 frame. His 3-point shot is now part of his arsenal, and his footwork around the rim can be ranked among basketball’s best. Each drill training in Brazil centered around what to do next, what decision was best for himself and the team. 

“First thing was my decision-making,” Santos says of his offseason focus. “Every time I was doing some drill, the goal of the drill was to make sure I get into the paint and have control of the game. I need to know where I’m going to pass the ball next, how I’m going to go up, how I’m going to use my step-through and footwork to get around guys so I can finish. That was the thing I worked on most during the offseason.” 

When asked how he felt about his game going into the season, Santos’ answer was hardly about himself. It was a reflection of still being the player who provides energy, and now refining the little things that lead to wins.

“I’ve got to take care of the ball and help on the defensive end,” Santos said. “We need to keep Steph 100 percent on offense, so I will be the one to run always on defense. I’m the guy who will do whatever they need me to do.”

Santos, however, isn’t feeling 100 percent healthy. He’s closer to 85 percent as he deals with left knee tendinitis, but told NBC Sports Bay Area that he’d much rather play at less than full strength and give his team everything he has than have them be more hampered as a short-handed team. 

That’s his decision to make, and the Warriors’ medical staff clearing him. Golden State is hungry for wins after turning around a 0-3 start, and Santos is an essential puzzle piece. The key to his encore season after his breakout isn’t about massive leaps. 

It’s about him honing in on who he had to become last season through smart decisions this season, and continuing to represent a Portuguese phrase he prides himself on: vontade de vencer.

Santos translates the words as “a desire to win.”

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Kings players must help ‘special' rookie Darius Acuff Jr., Doug Christie states originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. is exceeding the hype that followed him after Sacramento made him the 2026 No. 7 overall pick.

Two weeks into the 2026-27 NBA season, Acuff leads all rookies, averaging 26.3 points per game. The Chicago Bulls’ No. 4 overall pick, Caleb Wilson, is second at 21.2.

But while Acuff looks like a budding superstar, the Kings are 0-6 after a 136-105 drubbing at the hands of the 6-0 Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at FedExForum.

Kings coach Doug Christie didn’t waste any time after Saturday’s loss identifying what needs to change.

“Man, we have to help him,” Christie told reporters in Memphis. “It’s an absolute must. The kid is special. He’s highly competitive. He wants to win. I truly enjoyed coaching him and watching his growth already in just these games. I think the opponent, a lot of times, tells you what they think about your players and last time we faced these guys, I think they put seven people on him.

“So in his third game, that’s telling you who they think he is and that’s what we already know, management, obviously, and myself, is, he’s special, continues to develop, continues to compete. We put him in position to win ball games and he’s going to win a lot of them.”

Acuff scored a career-high 38 points in Saturday’s loss, two days after scoring a then-career-high 34 points in the Kings’ 12-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. He has scored at least 33 points in three of his six NBA games.

Against the Grizzlies, only three other Kings players scored in double figures: De’Andre Hunter had 19 points, while veterans Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis finished with 11 apiece.

Sacramento’s bench, led by veteran guard Malik Monk, scored 20 total points in Memphis and is averaging an NBA-worst 19.5 points per game.

On defense, the Kings are giving up 128.3 points per game, second-worst in the NBA behind the Bulls, who are allowing 129.3 points per game.

But Sacramento is scoring just 109.3 points per game, leading to an NBA-worst 19.0-point differential.

So, while Acuff’s stats are eye-popping, the soon-to-be 20-year-old is focused on the Kings’ defense.

“Yeah, it’s good to have a flow going but we got to hang our hat on the defensive end, just try to come up with more stops, we’ve got to keep communicating and just try to stay together,” Acuff told reporters when asked about his performances so far as a rookie.

Pushed to talk about making an NBA-rookie record-tying nine 3-pointers against the Grizzlies, Acuff still wasn’t in the mood to talk about himself.

“It’s good, personal-wise, but it don’t matter because we’re losing, so them two don’t go well together. So it doesn’t really matter,” Acuff said.

Christie and Acuff know the rest of the Kings’ roster needs to step up. Maybe injured players like Maxime Raynaud, Keegan Murray and Dylan Cardwell will help when they return.

But until they do, Sacramento needs more from LaVine, Sabonis, Hunter and Monk.

Otherwise, Acuff might be on an island for a while.

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The San Antonio Spurs delivered the tricks and took home the treat on Halloween, earning a 121–111 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Frost Bank Center on Saturday night, sending the fans home with smiles on their faces and candy in their bellies.

The victory is the fourth straight for San Antonio, who started the season 0-2 after losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.

Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson informed reporters before the game that guard Stephon Castle was suffering from a migraine and was a game-time decision. He would eventually be in the starting lineup and play 22 minutes.

San Antonio opened the game with one of their strongest defensive efforts of the season, holding the Timberwolves to 37 percent shooting in the first quarter. At one point in the period, the Spurs led 11-2, but the Timberwolves went on an 11-0 run to briefly take a one-point lead. De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama combined for 19 of the Spurs’ 34 points.

“We want to just try to make sure we can get the best shot in every possession, and that’s never going to happen,” Coach Johnson said after the game. “But I think if you just constantly keep that at the front of your brain and at the at the forefront of the conversation, and if everybody, for the most part, over time is putting their energy into that, you’ll land in a pretty good spot.”

Wembanayama knew he needed to be more aggressive and he acted like it. From the opening tip, he was calling for Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle to lob him the ball. He scored 24 points in the first half (43 points for the game), including throwing the ball to himself off the glass for a dunk that got the crowd on its feet and had Minnesota head coach Chris Finch asking for a timeout.

“He’s just so dominant,” Harper said of Wembanyama. “I feel like he goes out there and when he puts his imprint on the game, he’s unstoppable, and he did that tonight from the jump to end of the game. So I mean, hey, I was okay with him taking those shots. Those are all good looks, and my biggest thing with him is just if you’re gonna take the shot, take it, be confident.”

San Antonio went up double digits, but turnovers allowed the Timberwolves to get back into the game, turning the deficit for Minnesota into a one-point lead at halftime. The Spurs committed four their 15 turnovers in the second quarter.

With Minnesota missing stars Anthony Edwards, Rudy Golbert, and Donte DiVincenzo, Finch relied on newly acquired guard LaMelo Ball. The new Minnesota guard saw himself in foul trouble, racking up four personal fouls in the first half. He would eventually foul out of the game, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds.

The final quarter saw the Spurs turn it on, leaving no doubt on which team would go home with the treat of a win on Halloween. San Antonio outscored Minnesota 28-23 in the period, led by Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, and De’Aaron Fox. The sophomore guard finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists as he got aggressive with Wemby on the bench to begin the period.

“I love games like this,” Harper said after the game. “I love games where the other team starts talking first because when you respond, it’s not your fault when you talk.. the competitive nature that the Timberwolves brought kind of brings the best out of us. And obviously, when a team’s that competitive, it brings the best out of me.”

De’Aaron Fox had a solid outing, including hitting key shots when Minnesota threatened to come back. He finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists; crediting Wembanyama for making everyone better.

“His gravity is like Steph (Curry),” Fox said. “If he rolls to the basket, he’s going to have two or three defenders. To use that gravity, makes it easier for the rest of us.”

Game Notes

• Luke Kornet had a strong outing after a string of poor games. He finished with 2 points and 8 rebounds, including four offensive boards.
• Carter Bryant came off the bench and hit two threes. He played with confidence and that’s a welcome sign.
• San Antonio will need to cut back on the turnovers, but they made up for it with solid defense in the final two quarters.
• Julian Champaignie had 12 points off the bench, going 3-f0r-7 from beyond the arc.
• Coach Johnson said pregame that the team will not rush Tobias Harris back to the court amid all the gruesome injury news around the league over the past week. I’d expect it to be a few weeks until he makes his debut.

Austin Reaves is never one to duck the blame or shift the focus to something else. When he’s bad, he’ll admit he’s bad. And on Friday, he was bad.

Reaves turned the ball over eight times, shot 9-19 from the field and had a plus-minus of -13, worst among the starters. He was not the sole reason the team blew a 25-point first half lead to the Warriors and lost by double digits, but when you get the superstar contract, you also get the superstar treatment in losses.

Debating just how much blame he deserved is irrelevant as Reaves was as brutally honest about his game as anyone else would have been.

“I was terrible again. That’s it.”

Harsh, but fair.

When Luka Dončić was on the floor, the Lakers were great, though mostly because of him. When he sat, the Lakers were bad, with Reaves at the center of it.

If you were looking for an excuse, the fact that those non-Luka groups consist of many players who joined the team this offseason is a fair one. Those units are looking for chemistry, but when asked if that’s legitimate rationale for their struggles, Austin wasn’t interested in any excuses.

“It’s real, but that doesn’t give that second unit an excuse to be pretty terrible,” he said. “And that starts with me. I’ll watch the film and try to be better. But you have to learn on the fly and pick up things quickly. As I said, I have to be better to start that.”

Austin has modeled his career around constant improvement, so there’s little doubt this is just another hurdle he’ll have to climb. Even if he’s run second units without Luka before, they’ve often come flanked by LeBron James. This is a new challenge and teams have him one rung higher on the scouting report now.

The word is out that the way to disrupt Austin is to throw doubles at him on ball screens and try to overwhelm him physically into a turnover. That’s the punch defenses are throwing and now it’s time for Austin to throw a counterpunch.

Hopefully that one isn’t terrible.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

The Lakers (4-2) have another back-to-back with the Toronto Raptors (3-2) on Sunday. The purple and gold will be at home for these next two games.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Toronto Raptors

When: 6 p.m. PT, Nov. 1

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet

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The Lakers’ loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday will certainly be in the running for one of their worst defeats this season. When it comes to games like this, the best thing to do is take note of what went wrong and delete the tape, especially after that first quarter.

Three things went wrong for the purple and gold in that game. For starters, they struggled mightily whenever Luka Dončić was on the bench. Second, they committed a season-high 20 turnovers, with Austin Reaves accounting for eight. Lastly, the Warriors simply played harder and smarter than the Lakers.

So now, how does Los Angeles respond to their worst loss of the young season thus far? We’ll know when they take on a very good Raptors team on Sunday.

The Raptors enter this game having the third-best defense in the league. They won’t have Kawhi Leonard, but they have capable scorers like Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. They may look like the same Raptors team the Lakers have faced over the years, but make no mistake, this group has developed and is better than ever.

As a defensive-first team, these Raptors ranked second in steals and are an above-average transition team, so the Lakers really have to take care of the ball in this one. Toronto will also attempt to expose the Lakers’ weakness in rebounding, knowing they now rank dead last in the league in rebounds per game. The Lakers can’t be outworked once again if they want to win this game.

LA has to force the Raptors to execute in the half court, where their offense is less reliable. It would be nice to see a better performance from Reaves and Walker Kessler who has been quite mediocre for his standards over the last couple of games. Reaves and Dončić will face a lot of ball pressure and physicality, so they’ll have to counter with their ability to manipulate the defense and control the game’s pace.

After suffering their first loss of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Lakers wasted no time responding, coming out firing and cruising past the L.A. Clippers the following day. Now, the Lakers have another opportunity to bounce back from their worst loss of the young season. It’ll be interesting to see how they respond and what adjustments they make moving forward.

Let’s see if they can execute better and more importantly, get back on the winning column against the Raptors on Sunday.

Notes and Updates

• For the Lakers’ injury report, Cameron Carr (right oblique strain) is no longer listed
• However, Adou Thiero (left knee injury management) remains out and Ziaire Williams (left foot injury management) is questionable.
• As for the Raptors, Leonard (left knee injury management) won’t be ready to go while Nate Bittle (right avulsion fracture) is out.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

Boston Celtics (4-1)  at  Orlando Magic (2-3)
Sunday,  November 1, 2026
3:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #6 Road Game #2
TV:  NBCSB, DAZN, NBA-LP
Radio: Sirius XM, 98.5 Sports Hub, 96.9 The Game
Kia Center

The Celtics look for their 5th straight win as they take on the Magic in Orlando. This is the first of 2 back to back road games. The Celtics will play at Houston on Monday. This is their 2nd back to back set this season and their first on the road. They won both legs of their first back to back. This is also the first of back to back games for the Magic who will host Washington on Monday.

The Celtics were 3-1 last year against the Magic. They lost one game in Orlando and won one in Orlando and two in Boston. This is the first of 4 games between these two teams this season. They will play in Boston on November 16 and March 18. They will play again in Orlando on April 7. The Celtics are 79-58 overall all time against the Magic and they are 27-40 in games played in Orlando.

The Magic have made a few changes since last season. Their biggest move was to fire coach Jamahl Mosley and hire former Spurs assistant, Sean Sweeney, as head coach. They also added former Celtic Nikola Vucevic to a 1 year minimum contract. They drafted Izaiyah Nelson with the 51st pick in the draft and signed him to a 2-Way contract. They lost Moritz Wagner and Jett Howard.

After this game, the Celtics will play at Houston in back to back games. They will then play at home against Milwaukee before a road trip that will take them through Charlotte, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Toronto. 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.

The Magic will also play back to back as they host Washington. They then play at Phoenix, Golden State, Sacramento and Utah. They then have one game at home against Milwaukee before playing at Boston. Then they host Philadelphia before they play at Brooklyn, and Washington. Then it’s one game at home against Detroit before a road trip through Washington, Detroit, and Dallas takes them to the NBA Cup tournament.

The Celtics have started Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Jayson Tatum and Mitchell Robinson in every game so far and I have once again listed the same starters for this game. Mitchell Robinson is listed as out for rest so the starting center will likely be Neemias Queta, but I wouldn’t rule out Garza or even Cenac starting either. I’ve listed the Magic starters from their last game, which are Jase Richardson, Desmond Bane, Anthony Black, Franz Wagner, and Wendall Carter, Jr.

For the Celtics, Devin Carter remains on the injury report due to illness. After missing the final 3 games of the preseason, Carter was diagnosed with mononucleosis and is without a timetable for a return. Mitchell Robinson has been added as out due to rest in the first of back to back games. For the Magic, Paolo Banchero (ankle), Jonathan Isaac (knee), Izaiyah Nelson (ankle), Noah Penda (hamstring) and Jalen Suggs (knee) are all out.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Jase Richardson

SG: Jordan Walsh vs Desmond Bane

SF: Paul George vs Anthony Black

PF: Jayson Tatum vs Franz Wagner

C: Neemias Queta vs Wendell Carter, Jr

Celtics Reserves
Chris Cenac, Jr
Mike Conley, Jr
Luka Garza
Hugo Gonzalez
Ron Harper, Jr
Sam Hauser
Payton Pritchard
Baylor Scheierman

Two Way Players
Devin Carter
Dillon Mitchell
Amari Williams

Injuries/Out
Devin Carter (illness)  out
Mitchell Robinson (rest) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Magic Reserves
Goga Bitadze
Jamal Cain
Jevon Carter
Tristan da Silva
Nikola Vucevic

Two-Way Players
Colin Castleton
Alex Morales
Izaiyah Nelson

Injuries/Out
Paolo Banchero (ankle) out
Jonathan Isaac (knee) out
Izaiyah Nelson (ankle) out
Noah Penda (hamstring) out
Jalen Suggs (knee) out

Head Coach
Sean Sweeney

Key Matchups
Jayson Tatum vs Franz Wagner
Wagner is leading the Magic with 20.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He is shooting 43.0% from the field and 18.5% from beyond the arc. He has been struggling from the perimeter but the Celtics shouldn’t understimate him and leave him open since he shot 34.5% from three last season. The Celtics need to defend him for both the shot and the pass.

Jordan Walsh vs Desmond Bane
Bane is averaging 17.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.  He is shooting 33.8% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. He is capable of putting up big numbers if not defended well.  In a game against the Celtics last season, he finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks while shooting 53.3% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.  As with Wagner, the Celtics need to defend him well. 

Honorable Mention
Neemias Queta vs Wendell Carter, Jr.
Carter is averaging 14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.  He is shooting 65.0% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc.  The Celtics need to defend him both in the paint and on the perimeter as he is shooting well from both.  Since Robinson is out for rest, we may see Queta or Garza, or even Cenac getting the start.  I’m guessing Queta.

Keys to the Game
Defense – As always, defense is the key to winning this, and every, game.  In the preseason, the Celtics were tops in the league with a defensive rating of 98.6. The Celtics are 10th in the league with a 108.1 defensive rating.  The Magic are 25th with a defensive rating of 117.0.  The Celtics need to continue to play tough defense and make that their identity and priority. 

Rebound –  As with defense,  rebounding will always be a key to winning.  The Celtics have to crash the boards as a team and go after every rebound.  In the preseason, the Celtics were 1st with 55 rebounds per game and 3rd with 16.8 offensive rebounds per game. So far in the regular season, they are 19th in rebounding with 43.6 rebounds per game and 13th with 12.2 offensive rebounds per game.  The Magic are 29th with 39.4 rebounds per game.  The Celtics are 23rd in the league with 13.8 second chance points per game.  The Celtics need to be aggressive on the boards and win the rebounding battle. 

Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes– The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. In the first half against the Bulls, the Celtics played hard and stayed focused, taking care of the ball and taking and making good shots.  In the second half, the Bulls were the team that played harder and the Celtics lost focus on both ends of the court, allowing the Bulls to cut a 29 point lead to 14.  The Celtics have to play hard and stay focused for all 48 minutes. 

Move the Ball Carefully –  The Celtics need to move the ball to get the best shots.  The Celtics are much better when they move the ball and don’t lapse into iso ball.  But, they have to be careful with the ball and avoid turnovers.  The Celtics are 14th with 15.8 turnovers per game.  That is too many.  The Magic are averaging 15.6 points off turnovers per game.  The Celtics need to make the extra pass to find the best shot but they also need to stay focused and make careful passes.

X-Factors
Road Game – The Celtics are playing on the road.  They are facing distractions of travel and playing in an unfamiliar arena in front of hostile fans.  Although, there is often a large contingent of Celtics fans in the arena.  They need to shake off those distractions and keep their focus on playing the game.  Young players often struggle more on the road and so the young Celtics have to stay focused and try to ignore the distractions.

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  off‑arm push‑offs, reckless closeouts, delays before free throws illegal screens and especially flopping.  Paul George was already fined for a flop in the first game and there have been several other flopping calls as well.

On the eighth anniversary of Derrick Rose’s 50 point game, your Minnesota Timberwolves fell victim to a Halloween monster performance by alien Victor Wembanyama, losing to the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 121-111. 

With this being a second night of a set of back-to-back games and playing without Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert (back spasms), many fans may have expected tonight’s result.

What they may not have expected, however, was the amount of fight the Wolves had in them even if it was not enough for the victory. 

Encouraging Signs from Joan Beringer

A performance I really want to highlight was that of Joan Beringer. Starting tonight in place of Rudy Gobert, Joan poured in 12 points, grabbed six rebounds, and committed five fouls in 34 minutes of play.

On paper, his French counterpart completely eviscerated him, with Wemby scoring an otherworldly 43 points on 17-34 shooting.

Looks like Wemby dominated him, right? It did feel like that at times, because Victor is such a freak. Every time Wemby came at Joan with something ridiculous, Joan just kept battling.

It was amazing growth to see, because at age 34 Rudy Gobert is going to miss games. Joan Beringer needs to be effective in those games, and although the stats didn’t show it tonight, he was able to hold his own. 

Ayo Continues His Steady Play

Ayo Dosunmu continues to fill in admirably in the absence of Anthony Edwards, scoring 27 points on 11-15 shooting, splashing two threes, and even grabbing nine boards.

These types of performances are exactly why he was paid all that money to come back.

His speed in the open floor is outrageous, his willingness to defend, and his overall tenacity is exactly what this team will need come playoff time, but they need it even more now that Ant remains sidelined. 

Tough Night for ‘Melo

Unfortunately, LaMelo Ball had a rough night. He had just 10 points, 2/10 shooting overall, and didn’t make a three. He spent much of the game on the bench due to foul trouble, and even fouled out at the end of the game when the Wolves were attempting to make a final push at victory.

It’s becoming a pattern now where LaMelo puts himself in these disadvantageous situations and it’s not something the Wolves can afford, especially on a back-to-back in San Antonio. He looks sped up, can’t find any rhythm with his shot, and is playing with his hands too much on the defensive end. 

You maybe can get away with a performance like this against the NBA’s cellar dwellers, but not against the reigning Western Conference champions.

Moving forward, I would like to see LaMelo get himself going by attacking the paint and maybe getting to the free throw line or making easy dump offs for his teammates. Finding a rhythm isn’t just about making shots, it’s about finding your place in an offense on game in,, game out basis. The shots will start falling, just not if you force the issue too much. 

Jonathan Kuminga Making Plays

Among the positives, Jonathan Kuminga I thought had a really nice game. He logged 40 minutes, which was good to see after only 22 last night, scoring 19 points, hitting two threes, and really helping defend the powerhouse San Antonio guards on the perimeter. Performances like these are why people keep falling in love with this man’s game. It wasn’t totally flashy, either, save for this dunk on Victor Wembanyama.

Jonathan Kuminga slam dunk sadis di atas Wemby! 🏀🔥🚀 #NBAHighlightspic.twitter.com/jeTReKAhfJ

— NBA Indonesia (@NBA_Indonesia) November 1, 2026

For some reason, I feel like we’re on borrowed time with Kuminga. It’s his reputation, based on his last two stops. Chris Finch is really good at defining roles for his players, and if this is the Jonathan Kuminga we’re going to see more often than not then I’m all for it. 

Lackluster Bench Night

Bench wise, there wasn’t really a ton of note that happened tonight. The presumed sixth and seventh men were starting tonight, so Finch only went nine deep.

Outside of some Jaylen Clark made threes, there wasn’t a ton of production. TJ Shannon had a game he’d like to forget, making only one field goal and failing to draw iron on a couple threes. Trey Lyles made some nice plays, but also looked lost at times. 

I was a little shocked that we didn’t see Cody Williams tonight. Without a true center coming off the bench, he’s someone with some size that I thought he could go throw his body around and battle among the tree that is Wemby. 

Another head scratcher was the lack of Bones Hyland out there. With LaMelo down in foul trouble early, he came into the game and got six pretty quick points, but wasn’t really effective in his second stint and we didn’t really see him again. That could be a product of Ayo having a nice night, but it seemed as if he could’ve helped settle the offense down and there were times tonight where that was sorely needed.  

Uneven Officiating

One last quick thing before we flush this one and move on to the next game: The way this team gets officiated is mind-boggling at times. I’m not saying that the majority of the fouls that were called on Minnesota tonight were bad calls, but a lot of the touchy calls that they get called on them don’t seem to go the other way when they happen to the Timberwolves. 

Case in point, there was a sequence when Joan Beringer made an effort play on Victor Wembanyama to get a putback and keep the game tight and got a foul for going over the back of Wembanyama.

It’s totally fine if that’s the level of contact the officials want to whistle for. The ensuing possession down the floor, Wemby gets quite physical with Beringer in order to make himself available down low (a level of physicality you wouldn’t know Wemby had if you watched him drive to the hoop, just saying) and there was nothing called as Wemby almost put Joan in the rim. Add that on to the lack of calls Anthony Edwards gets going to the hole, and it creates a discrepancy that the Wolves should take issue with. 

Final Thoughts

All in all, there were plenty of positives to take away from tonight’s game in San Antonio. The Timberwolves fought valiantly to keep themselves in the game, but just couldn’t quite get over the hump. 

Game Highlights

Up Next

Your Minnesota Timberwolves are back in action on Monday, November 2nd, when they play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:00pm CT. That game will be streaming on DAZN-MIN for in-market fans, and on NBA League Pass for out-of-market fans.

Friday night the Warriors dressed up as a lottery team for exactly one quarter, then took the costume off and beat the Lakers by 17. They were down 38-15 after twelve minutes, watched the deficit swell to 25, tied it at 53 by halftime, and outscored LA 59-42 the rest of the way. According to the league, no team in the shot-clock era had ever trailed by 23-plus after one and tied it by the break. So the Halloween party at Chase started a day early.

An 81-40 run is CRAZY pic.twitter.com/hExVLtQPla

— Hater Report (@HaterReport) October 31, 2026

Now the Clippers come to town at 1-4, losers of four straight, fresh off a 127-101 beating in Minnesota where the Wolves closed on a 23-2 run, without Anthony Edwards. This is a different Clippers team than the one you’ve been booing for a decade. Kawhi is gone, and the keys now belong to Darius Garland, Brandon Ingram and No. 5 pick Keaton Wagler.

Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors
When: November 1st, 2026 | 5:30 PM PT
Where: Chase Center
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: 95.7 The Game

Steph Curry and Draymond Green will both rest tomorrow night on the front side of a back-to-back against the Clippers. Injury management. That should clear them to face the Suns on Monday night.

Al Horford will play vs Clippers, meaning he would rest vs Suns.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 31, 2026

There’s also some history here that Clipper fans would rather not discuss. Last April, Steph came back from a knee issue and dragged the Warriors past the Clippers 126-121 in the play-in. That loss ended the season and, as it turned out, the whole Kawhi era. So technically the Clippers’ rebuild was built in Golden State’s backyard. Sunday is Día de los Muertos, which feels right for a franchise that’s still figuring out what came back to life and what stayed buried.

Wagler is the guy to watch on their side. He’s scored in double figures every night, and he gets to the line like he has a coupon, going 7-for-8 in Minnesota even while shooting 2-for-11 from the field. Brook Lopez gave them 13 off the bench, and Rui Hachimura is back from a quad issue. They’re also missing big man Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who’s out after Lisfranc surgery. That leaves a frontcourt that Golden State’s small-ball lineups should be able to run off the floor if the effort is there.

On the Warriors’ side, everybody’s watching the rookie. Yaxel Lendeborg spent the week in the national headlines for calling Luka a whiner after opening night, then had the kind of rematch you only have in a nightmare: six points, six fouls, five turnovers.

The bench is the other storyline worth your attention. Golden State’s reserves went for 50 against the Lakers bench’s seven, with De’Anthony Melton scoring 16, Georges Niang finishing plus-21, and Will Richard going plus-20 mostly on defense and pure nuisance. If that second unit is real, this team has a ceiling nobody gave them credit for in October.

Unfortunately the Dubs will be without Draymond and Steph; Steph is balling out of control this season.

Steph Curry this season:

— 29.2 PPG
— 1.4 SPG
— 4.4 3PM
— 48/44/100%
— Leading NBA in points per minute

Averaging the most PPG ever in an age 38 season. pic.twitter.com/hnqCNnYyBC

— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 31, 2026

The Warriors started 0-3, and Dub Nation was already measuring the Steph era for a coffin. Three wins later they’re back at .500, and a rookie has given everybody something to argue about besides the end of the dynasty. The Clippers are coming to Chase looking for a fresh start, and Golden State has a chance to remind them who ended the last one.

The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Milwaukee Bucks inside, leading to a runaway 136-111 victory.

Three stars of the game

First star: Jarrett Allen

25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal

Allen was an absolute force to be reckoned with. He relentlessly attacked the basket by rolling hard to the rim and looking for any opening he could find to make himself available for a pass inside. Defensively, he controlled the paint and cleaned up the glass.

This was the ideal game from Allen.

Second star: Evan Mobley

27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

Basically everything I said about Allen could also be said of Mobley. He was aggressive offensively, attacking inside. And when the defense sagged off, he took the outside shot, going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.

This game was the template from a process and results standpoint for Mobley.

Third star: James Harden

13 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds

Harden spread the ball around and looked to get the bigs involved. It was exactly what the Cavs needed from their starting point guard.

Dud of the game

Bum: Tyler Herro

15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Milwaukee’s point-of-attack defense was a mess. Herro wasn’t the only reason to blame for that, but he was the most noteworthy example of someone who wasn’t upholding their end of the bargain. On top of that, Herro struggled to make anything happen as a scorer as he went just 5-for-18 from the field.

Cavaliers who deserve shoutouts

Donovan Mitchell

15 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, +31

Mitchell let the game come to him in a way that he doesn’t always do. He attacked when the moment called for it, and he deferred to his teammates when they had cleaner looks. This led to Mitchell controlling the game without controlling the ball, making room for the dominant performances from the bigs.

Mario Hezonja

8 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists

Hezonja thinks the game at a high level. He does a great job of reading how the opponent is playing, and then exploiting it to the best of his ability. In this game, that weakness was rebounding.

Milwaukee had to send extra bodies to contain Mobley and Allen on both ends. Hezonja ducked inside around the help to grab 11 rebounds, including four on the offensive end.

Play of the game

Well, that's a new wrinkle.

Mobley off down screen into Allen handoff to get him going downhill on the catch. pic.twitter.com/h7Qfr7zWv4

— RealCavsFans.com (@realcavsfans) November 1, 2026

Plays like this show how dynamic the bigs can be when you give them an opportunity to do so. Forcing a forward to chase Mobley around a screen from a guard, then around a dribble-hand-off with Allen is incredibly difficult to do. I would love to see them incorporate more actions like this that force bigger defenders to guard in space and navigate screens like a guard.

Quote of the day

“It was part of our film session this morning, so it’s nice to see it transfer. Reward these guys, they’re both playing great. Sixteen shot attempts, we were very intentional about getting them the ball. Good job by our perimeters, finding those guys in the right spots.”

– Head coach Kenny Atkinson

Stat of the game

Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley led the team with 16 shot attempts each.

Allen and Mobley were aggressive in looking for opportunities to score, and their teammates were consistent in getting them the ball. That is a formula worth repeating.

This game will be remembered for how the Cavs got the bigs involved

Mobly and Allen were forces all night. Not just for a few minutes, not just for a quarter, but until the game was completely out of reach early in the fourth quarter. The bigs stayed aggressive inside, and their teammates kept feeding them the ball.

Getting the bigs involved to this degree can destroy a defense. It’s similar to establishing the run in football. Once you control the line of scrimmage, the pass game opens up because the defense has to sell out to overload the box.

Milwaukee’s defense tried to shrink the floor to stop Mobley and Allen. Defenders crashed down from the corners in an effort to cut off the initial drive, but this opened up the floor for everyone, including whatever big wasn’t the main focus of the defense. This allowed for some of the big-to-big passes and put-back offensive rebounds.

This offense is at its best when they’re forcing the ball to the bigs, and the bigs are rolling hard and aggressively looking for openings to attack inside. Despite that, both groups have struggled to establish the bigs as consistent scoring threats for a full 48 minutes.

Far too often, the Cavs abandon this formula when things get tough. Either the guards take it upon themselves to handle the majority of the scoring load or the bigs become passive and stop looking for opportunities inside — and usually it’s both.

It’s not always this easy to establish the bigs as scorers. Milwaukee’s defense is bad and easy to exploit, but this formula should be more repeatable than it’s proven to be. Maybe this game can set them on the right path.