The Nets cried Wolf. This time, he was telling the truth.

Despite selecting a historic slew of first-round picks in 2025, the Nets had seen just two of those rookies, Egor Demin and Nolan Traore, crack Jordi Fernández’s rotation through the first seven games.

Injuries mounted alongside Brooklyn’s losses. Entering Wednesday night with a 1-6 record and coming off a deflating loss to the rival Knicks across the river, they were still winless on their home floor. Urgency kicked in.

Noah Clowney suffered a knee injury in the first half and was ruled out for the remainder of the night, joining Demin, Joshua Jefferson, Ben Saraf, and Drake Powell on the inactive list — five rookie-contract players forced to watch from the sidelines (or Long Island).

Enter Danny Wolf.

Before Wednesday, the former 27th pick had logged minutes in just two games. His 27 minutes on the court was less than two-way’s Grant Nelson’s 35.

But by the second half, he anchored a unit that turned a tight game into an uncontested 114–104 victory, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 4-of-6 shooting — including two 3-pointers and a game-high +17 in just under 19 minutes.

“Obviously in the NBA, there’s going to be times especially early in your career that you might not be in the rotation, and that was the case for me starting the year,” Wolf admitted postgame. “Everyone emphasizes and preaches ‘you got to be ready’ and you hear it over and over… When coach called my name in the second half, I was ready.”

It’s a small sample size, but when Wolf knocks down shots and makes plays as a secondary facilitator, he gives Brooklyn a distinct way to generate offense in transition. That dynamic starts on the glass: the more defensive stops the Nets string together, the more opportunities Wolf has to snag a rebound and push the pace before opposing defenses can set up.

General manager Sean Marks has long shown an appreciation for frontcourt players who can rebound and push — from Trevor Booker to Ben Simmons to Julius Randle. Wolf fits that modern “grab-and-go” archetype, but adds a legit 3-point stroke to the equation.

“The biggest staple of our team, especially our offensive identity, is supposed to be playing fast,” Wolf explained postgame. “We use the terminology ‘pace and space’ and I feel like there’s times with my play style that I can really help us push the ball up the floor, make simple passes, start the break. Momentum is what helps win you a basketball game.”

The evolution of big men has been fun to watch

Just look at Danny Wolf, who stands at 6’10” but has the fluidity and movement of a guard pic.twitter.com/KbEa6sJlPx

— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) November 5, 2026

The sequence that swung Wednesday night’s game highlighted that approach. Moments after checking in during the third quarter, Wolf snagged a defensive rebound, pushed the pace, and initiated a transition drive that resulted in a Julius Randle AND-1 layup. On the next possession, he trailed the play, spotted up behind the arc, and hit a 24-foot triple to give Brooklyn its first lead of the second half at 61–59, forcing a Charlotte timeout.

Big shot from Danny Wolf 🐺 pic.twitter.com/BoS7ZD2ykn

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) November 5, 2026

To make it work, Fernández sat three-time All-Star Julius Randle down the stretch in favor of the rookie. Crucially, Fernández didn’t deploy Wolf as a standalone center.

Wolf played every single minute alongside a traditional interior anchor — logging 15 minutes and 37 seconds next to Day’Ron Sharpe and 2 minutes and 59 seconds alongside Moritz Wagner. 

Protecting Wolf from heavy low-post drop coverage and rim-protection duties allowed him to roam freely and make decisions in the open floor. During Wolf’s 15:37 alongside Sharpe, the Nets outscored Charlotte 46-32 (+14), with Wolf racking up 10 of his 13 points, all five of his rebounds, and two of his three assists.

The framework for utilizing a player with Wolf’s skillset is familiar to Fernández from his time under Michael Malone in Denver.

“I think that you have to be creative with players that are uncommon,” Fernández said in Oct. 2025. “I was very fortunate to work with Nikola [Jokic], and we had to let him show us what he was able to do. Otherwise, if you see him as a traditional player, then you could fail… Nikola showed certain things that were so different for his position and a seven-footer, and that’s why he makes all these plays and plays in situations where no other big man plays.”

It isn’t about becoming the next Jokic, though. Wolf finding his footing in the NBA has required him adjusting from his heavy-usage roles at Yale and Michigan, where his playmaking came from high volume.

“I think that the coaches [at Michigan] didn’t even know what my role was going to be,” Wolf also said in Oct. 2025. “At Yale, I was more of a traditional 5, and then at Michigan, I don’t even know what you would call my position or how I played… In the NBA, it’s about continuing to get better within the confines of the roles your coach wants you to play.”

On Wednesday, that work in progress delivered real results.

Wolf opened the fourth quarter by hitting a 25-foot transition jumper off a pass from Terance Mann. Operating out of the high-post, he delivered a crisp pass to Traore for a driving floater before driving into the lane himself for an And-1 layup. When Charlotte made a late push, Wolf secured a key offensive rebound, drew the foul, and sank both free throws to seal the victory.

Michael Porter Jr. echoed that praise in the locker room.

“I ain’t gonna lie, the difference tonight was Terance Mann and Danny Wolf. They haven’t been in rotation much, they came in ready to play… Danny coming in and contributing right away like that, that takes a lot of readiness and a lot of discipline to not play for so many games, come in the second half, and contribute the way he did. I always thought Danny was a special player, and I’ve said that since he got here.”

During his first Summer League in August 2025, Wolf said he’s a “work in progress.” Now, some of the progress is tangible and helping lead to wins.

For 24 minutes on Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks looked like a team with more questions than answers. For the next 24 minutes, though, they looked like a team that had found a winning formula against the reigning Western Conference champs. Despite rallying back from being down 19 points in the second half to take a late three-point lead, the Mavs ultimately came up short in a 112-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on the road.

The second consecutive loss dropped Dallas to 4-4 on the season. It’s also the Mavs’ second loss to San Antonio in less than two weeks, after the Spurs rolled to a 122-106 win in Dallas on Oct. 24 with Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving both sidelined.

This one had a different feel, though. Despite Victor Wembanyama going off for 52 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks, the Mavs still had an opportunity to win the game at the end, but Irving’s last-second shot just wouldn’t drop. As encouraging as it was to see the Mavs not give up and fight back to make it a close game, nobody seemed happy to come away with any moral victories on Wednesday night.

“I feel like it’s a bad thing,” Naji Marshall said when asked what it meant to come back from 19 down. “I feel like we’re kind of telling ourselves and showing ourselves personally what we’re doing wrong. I feel like we’re letting ourselves down. Just practice what we preach. Go out there from the jump and play like [how we did in the second half]. Who knows how the game will turn out?”

Irving also spoke about the Mavs’ uninspiring first half. San Antonio put up 32 points in the first quarter and 36 more in the second, and Dallas spent most of that stretch, in his words, “playing on our heels.”

“We just got back to the identity that we’re trying to build for ourselves, which is, you know, it’s not so much desperation basketball, but it’s just playing to be the hunters,” Irving said. “… They were getting a lot of offensive rebounds, a lot of second chances. … The second half, I feel like we hit them and they had to respond, and that’s what got us back in the game.”

Instead of driving into Wembanyama at the rim, the Mavericks made a big adjustment and started kicking the ball out, re-spacing and letting it fly. Dallas ended up shooting 14-of-37 (37.8 percent) from deep.

“We stopped challenging Wemby at the rim, and started making better decisions with the basketball,” Mavs head coach Dusty May said.

This isn’t the first time the Mavericks have had to dig out of an early hole this season, and they know that’s a problem that needs to be addressed if they want to potentially be a playoff contender this year.

“To start off the game and, you know, give two quarters up, 32 and 36, that’s not where we want to be,” Irving said. “And when you’re giving up that amount of points in the first half, teams are going to be very comfortable and you got to work your way back. … I think we have to start trending in a direction where we’re going into halftime with a lead.”

The good news, though, is that the Mavericks now have proof of what that version of themselves looks like. May and the rest of the guys will now just have to figure out how to make it show up from the opening tip more consistently. Dallas will be in action again on Friday at American Airlines Center against the 1-7 Utah Jazz. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. CT. It will be the Mavs’ second NBA Cup game of the season. They won their first NBA Cup game against the Houston Rockets last week, improving to 1-0 in Group Play.

The Houston Rockets are off to their best start since their franchise record-setting 2017-18 season. That season, of course, featured Chris Paul and the Rockets’ second-best player in franchise history, James Harden. The Rockets won a franchise-best 65 games that season, and it was also the last time they made the Western Conference Finals.

The Rockets have gone through a complete overhaul since then and were hoping they could get back to that level or beyond with the hiring of Ime Udoka in 2023. The Rockets have made progress, going from a rebuilding lottery team after Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021 to a playoff team the last two seasons.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, they have plateaued over the last two seasons, bowing out in the first round in both seasons. There were legitimate reasons for that, as the Rockets made the playoffs for the first time in four seasons in 2024, and last season they were without not only Fred VanVleet, who was out all season, but also Kevin Durant, who missed all but one playoff game.

Heading into this season, the Rockets plan to have a full roster for the first time in the Kevin Durant era. VanVleet was ready to start the season, along with Steven Adams, who missed the last four months with a lower-body injury. Those plans lasted one game into the regular season, as Adams went on the injury report with a right soleus (calf) injury. Udoka stated that Adams is not day-to-day but week-to-week.

Clint Capela is the Rockets’ third-string center and filled in for Adams last season after he went down in January, and he filled that role again at the start of this season. Capela is now a two-time Rocket who started his career with the team and played during the Harden era; he had some good games filling in for Adams this season, but the 32-year-old is now also out with an ankle injury.

Even after their loss Wednesday night to the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves, the Rockets are still 7-2 and are one of the early favorites to go deep into the playoffs. They have their most versatile team since that 2017-18 team and improved their bench this past offseason. However, the backup center position is the one position the Rockets may need to improve before the trade deadline, and with their assets, they are in a great position to do so.

The Rockets may need to upgrade their backup center position

First off, Adams, when healthy, is one of the best, if not the best, backup centers in the NBA. Since he arrived in Houston, he has catapulted them into the league’s best rebounding team every season he’s been on the roster. When Adams went out with his injury in January of last season, the Rockets’ rebounding dropped noticeably for the rest of the season.

The issue is that Adams’ availability isn’t guaranteed, as he missed several months last season and has played only one game this season. Even before coming to the Rockets, Adams missed the entire 2023-24 season, including the second half with the Rockets after being traded before the deadline.

As mentioned earlier, Capela is a serviceable third center, but he is entering his 14th season and is no longer the lob threat he once was. The Rockets do have another center, Oscar Tshiebwe, who has been good in limited minutes but doesn’t offer what the Rockets lack: an athletic lob threat at center.

The Rockets have the most assets in the 2027 draft, as they can swap picks with the Nets and also have the Phoenix Suns’ first-round pick. Both teams are off to slow starts this season: the Suns are 1-5, and the Nets are 2-6. One quick note: in past seasons, teams that finished in the bottom three in wins had the best odds at a top pick; that is not the case now, as finishing with the worst record gives you only two ping-pong balls, and finishing 4-10 actually gives you better odds.

The Rockets having those two picks is a big deal, and they may use them as part of a bigger trade, but if they continue their current trajectory, they may feel they dont have to swing for the fences and may go for a smaller move, like upgrading their backup center.

As mentioned earlier, the Rockets need a center who is reliable and, more importantly, can run the floor, block shots, and play above the rim or, at the very least, stretch the court. The best move is to hold onto Adams, since he is still the best backup big when he is on the court, and bringing in another center can help the Rockets slowly bring him back.

Some realistic names to consider, even though each comes with its own drawbacks.

• Robert Willams
• Jalen Smith
• Dary’Ron Sharpe

A Quick Synopsis of Each Player’s Pros and Cons

Robert Williams has long been on the trade block. The 6’9 “center is one of the most athletic centers in the league. He would provide the Rockets with a rim-running big who can play above the rim. However, he also suffers from the same injury issues as Adams.

Williams has played only 85 games in the previous three seasons and is the most expensive player on this list at $14 million a year. That would mean you’d likely have to trade Adams, and the best-case scenario would be if you can hold on to him, as he can still have a positive impact, especially in the playoffs.

Jalen Smith, who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls, is more of a stretch big and a good shot blocker. Smith tied his career-high from the 3-point range, shooting .373. The Rockets haven’t had a center who can stretch the floor in a long time, and Smith could provide exactly that off the bench. Smith is also only making nine millon a season, which is a more manageable trade contract.

The drawback is that Smith is in the last year of his contract. Which means he could walk after this season, especially if he is looking for a starting role next season, which he wouldn’t have in Houston.

Day’Ron Sharpe is another center who could be on the trade block as the Nets continue to rebuild. Sharpe is the youngest of the three. Sharpe is an offensive rebounding machine who can run the floor and has increased his outside shooting. Sharpe would give the Rockets a young, mobile backup center they haven’t had in many years. Sharpe contract is also manageable at only 10 millon a season for the next two seasons.

Sharpe doesn’t provide Smith’s outside shooting, but he can crash the boards with the best in the NBA and gives you a version of Adams when he is on the court. He’s also under contract for two seasons instead of one like Smith.

As mentioned above, the Rockets may hold onto the picks and see what happens next offseason, or use them for a blockbuster move before the deadline. If they do decide to go one of those routes, backup center is still a position they should look to upgrade this season.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ defense did more that enough to stifle the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, as evidenced by the Lakers’ 116-103 road win.

But that final score didn’t stop Kings guard Zach LaVine from taking a shot at Los Angeles’ defense after the game.

“They’ve got some bad defenders on their team, but so do we, so they exploited them,” LaVine said about the Lakers, per an X post from Brenden Nunes.

LaVine, who finished with 21 points on 6-for-14 shooting from the field, also spoke about how Luka Dončić shredded the Kings’ defense, and how the Lakers make it hard when they funnel their offense through Walker Kessler down low.

“It’s just frustrating when you play hard, and you give it your all. No one is gonna be perfect, regardless of how much you try of whatever. But it’s just unfortunate sometimes. But we’re still competing,” he added.

"They've got some bad defenders on their team, but so do we, so they exploited them…"

Zach LaVine on where things went downhill in the Kings' 116-103 loss to the Lakers: pic.twitter.com/g84tiBvacE

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) November 5, 2026

The Lakers are absolutely more of an offensive juggernaut than a defensive-minded team, at least on the individual level.

But it still didn’t feel like the right time for LaVine to take this shot at Los Angeles, even though he admitted his own squad struggles in the same way.

The Lakers’ opponents are averaging 113.9 points per game this season, which is No. 17 in the NBA. Sacramento is allowing 123.3 points per game, coming in at No. 28.

Perhaps LaVine should spend more time looking in the mirror.

Kon Knueppel is right back on the shelf after lasting just six minutes in his season debut.

The promising 21-year-old Hornets wing, who finished second in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting last season, missed the first eight games of the season with a left hamstring injury, and he appeared to aggravate that issue during a loss to the Nets on Wednesday night in Brooklyn, Charlotte’s fifth straight defeat.

The Hornets (3-6) attributed Knueppel’s exit to “soreness in his left leg” and head coach Charles Lee did not have an update after the game.

The Charlotte Hornets say Kon Knueppel will not return to tonight's game due to "soreness in his left leg," likely the same injury that kept him out for the first 8 games of the season. pic.twitter.com/c2yMZ01DpO

— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) November 5, 2026

He finished with three points, all coming on free throws, and two turnovers.

If Knueppel is going to miss more time, it’s a tough blow for a Hornets team that was one of the biggest surprises last season, going 44-38 a year after finishing 19-63.

Charlotte selected Knueppel No. 4 overall out of Duke in the 2025 NBA Draft, and he finished his rookie season with averages of 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field, including an impressive 42.5 percent from 3-point range on 7.9 attempts per game.

The Hornets decided to shift course despite their strong 2025-26 campaign, sending LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves as part of a four-team trade that saw Charlotte acquire big man Naz Reid (a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year), along with an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks.

Reid has been off to a strong start, averaging 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, but the Hornets have hit a five-game skid after starting the season 3-1.

Brandon Miller, the No. 2 overall pick out of Alabama in 2023, is leading the Hornets in scoring at 22 points per game after averaging 20.2 points in 65 games last season.

But without Knueppel, the Hornets will have a hard time snapping their decade-long playoff drought.

The loaded 2026 NBA Draft class is more than two weeks into its first season and early returns suggest there may be even more top-end talent than anticipated. Top picks AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson have all flashed star potential during encouraging starts, but perhaps the biggest revelation in the NBA thus far is Yaxel Lendeborg's rapid emergence for the Golden State Warriors.

The No. 11 overall pick, who helped Michigan win a national title last season, has quickly provided the franchise hope it can extend its window as a championship contender during the final years of Steph Curry's career. Lendeborg is one of six rookies currently averaging more than 30 minutes per game. There are 17 rookies overall playing at least 15 minutes per appearance, including three second-round picks and one player signed to a two-way contract.

The race to be named rookie of the year and earn a spot on one the league's all-rookie teams is going to be fierce if this many first-year players continue to play significant roles.

USA TODAY Sports is tracking the NBA's rookies throughout the 2026-27 season. Here's how the top first-year players stack up after the opening two weeks:

NBA POWER RANKINGS: Rockets and Sixers shoot to top, Knicks drop

NBA Rookie Rankings, Vol. 1

Stats as of games played on Wednesday, Nov. 4

5. AJ Dybantsa, Washington Wizards

▶Stats: 16.5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists

The No. 1 overall pick missed the first four games of the season with an injury but has looked the part since making his NBA debut. Dybantsa shot 50% from the floor across his first three appearances while providing an immediate scoring punch on the wing for a Washington team that appears ready to push for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. He entered Nov. 4 with the best NET rating among all rookies.

4. Caleb Wilson, Chicago Bulls

▶Stats: 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists

The Bulls have been more than five points per 100 possessions better with Wilson on the floor so far this season, one of several early signs he's ready to embrace a leading role in the franchise's rebuild. Wilson's better-than-expected 3-point shooting and defensive activity have expanded an already intriguing skill set. The No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft has a 30-point, 14-rebound performance to his credit and recently put together his first three-game streak of 20-plus points, in addition to leading all rookies in steals.

3. Darius Acuff Jr., Sacramento Kings

▶Stats: 25.6 points, 7 assists, 3.8 rebounds

Acuff's shot selection and chemistry with Sacramento's veteran roster remain works in progress, but no rookie has been more productive offensively through the season's first two weeks. The No. 7 pick leads the class in scoring, assists and minutes played while posting at least 19 points in seven straight games, including back-to-back outbursts of 34 and 38 points.

2. Cameron Boozer, Memphis Grizzlies

▶Stats: 16.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists

Boozer has quickly become a focal point of the Grizzlies' rebuild, and his diverse skill set has been a major factor in the team's strong start. He is the only rookie with a triple-double this season and leads all first-year players in plus/minus, rebounding and double-doubles while ranking second in assists per game. Few rookies are being asked to shoulder as much responsibility, and none have handled a larger all-around workload more effectively.

1. Yaxel Lendeborg, Golden State Warriors

▶Stats: 21.5 points, 7 rebounds, 3.9 assists

Steve Kerr, Steph Curry and Draymond Green have all gushed over Lendeborg's ascension as a potential star on the wing and he's carried the team to a couple wins in recent weeks, including a 37-point explosion on Nov. 1 when Curry and Green weren't in the lineup. Those performances, and Lendeborg's fun-loving interactions with reporters afterwards, have turned him into the talk of the league at times. He's the only rookie who ranks among the top five in his class in scoring, assists, rebounds and field goal percentage and nobody in his class has a better player efficiency rating as of Nov. 4.

Also under consideration: Darryn Peterson, Utah Jazz; Trevon Brazile, Denver Nuggets; Meleek Thomas, Cleveland Cavaliers; Keaton Wagler, Los Angeles Clippers; Aday Mara, Oklahoma City Thunder, Kingston Flemings, Atlanta Hawks

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA rookie rankings: Yaxel Lendeborg leads loaded 2026 draft class

Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony and actress La La Anthony reached a settlement five years after she filed for divorce in 2021, citing irreconcilable differences, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.

The pair, who broke up in 2017 after seven years of marriage, reportedly informed the court this week of the agreement.

The terms of their settlement are confidential and a judge has yet to sign off on it.

La La, 44, and Carmelo, 42, have remained close friends and co-parent their 19-year-old son Kiyan, a sophomore guard at Syracuse.

The elder Anthony became a star in one season at Syracuse in 2002-03, leading the Orange to a national championship.

Both La La and Carmelo have not been in serious relationships since their split.

During an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in October 2022, La La said the marriage started falling apart after Carmelo was traded from the Nuggets to the Knicks in 2011.

“When we lived here [in New York] under all of that [attention], that’s when things became complicated. I think that was kind of the start, now that I look back, that was kind of the start of the demise of the marriage,” La La said at the time.

“It is the hardest with the scrutiny and the media and the press, just everything. It is really hard. That’s not the only reason things didn’t work out, but things got tough with New York … just constantly being under the spotlight and people watching every little thing.”

The former Knicks forward stirred buzz when Racquel Smith — the widow of Will Smith, a former Saints All-Pro defensive end — shared Instagram photos and videos of them together in Saint Tropez in June.

Smith was shot to death in 2016 during a road rage incident.

La La is believed to be single.

Carmelo, who last played with the Lakers in the 2021 season, announced his retirement at age 38 in 2023 following 19 NBA seasons.

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2025 in his first year on the ballot.

The Sixers avenged their only loss of the young season with a 112-106 win over the Pistons in Detroit Wednesday.

It was essentially a wire-to-wire win, though it did get a bit dicey at the end. Still, the Sixers’ resiliency in closing out close games remains impressive. They now have the best record in the NBA at 8-1.

Though Jalen Duren remained out for the Pistons, it was another good win for the Sixers, who remain undefeated on the road. Here are some takeaways from the victory.

Jaylen Brown = Winner

Jaylen Brown was a two-way monster in this one. He was on the attack early, dropping 10 points in the first quarter and 13 in the second. He scored at all three levels, going for a coast-to-coast dunk finish over Paul Reed, operating plenty in his office in the midrange and nailing a deep three at the buzzer to close the first. He was 11-of-19 from the field and 3-of-5 from deep, finishing with a game-high 30 points.

JB spinning through pic.twitter.com/PZUGv6652t

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) November 5, 2026

Though VJ Edgecombe was the primary defender most of the night, Cade Cunningham saw plenty of Brown as well. They held the All-Star guard to 26 points on 9-of-22 from the field. Not a perfect night, but Cunningham had to work for everything he got.

Brown was great all night, but his biggest contribution came when it mattered most. With 38 seconds left and the Sixers clinging to a 106-102 lead, Cunningham saw an opportunity in transition to fire a triple and make it a one-point game. It was a clean look … until it wasn’t. Brown recovered and came away with a massive block. From there, the Sixers put the game away at the free throw line.

THANK YOU Jaylen Brown pic.twitter.com/cz6We26KJ1

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) November 5, 2026

Sure, there are advanced analytics that can measure a guy making “winning plays,” but it’s a difficult thing to quantify. It just shows up on the stat sheet as a block, but it was a game-sealing play — the kind you need to see on the court, not a spreadsheet.

This defense

As of this posting, the Sixers are second in the NBA in defensive rating. While I do think the national narrative about their defense heading into the season was slightly overblown, I wasn’t expecting it to be elite right out of the gate.

The obvious locks were Brown and Edgecombe. Brown has proven to be an elite on-ball defender, while Edgecombe has all the makings of one. LeBron James has seen slippage in recent years on that end, but has been mostly excellent this season. Tyrese Maxey’s defensive growth has continued as he’s developed from a liability to a legitimately impactful defender.

But the biggest reason the Sixers’ defense has flourished is Joel Embiid. He’s moving better than he has in over two years. Though he’s not quite at the level of rim protection he was during his All-Defensive Team days, he’s affecting more shots at the rim. He’s also looked comfortable on the perimeter — hedging, blitzing and even switching onto quicker players.

And we all know rebounding has been a massive issue here in recent seasons. Under Nick Nurse, the Sixers have finished in the bottom five in defensive rebounding percentage the last three years. As of now, the Sixers are ninth in the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage (I know, I had to double-check that one myself). Ending possessions has been huge for their defense. Embiid pulled down 15 boards Wednesday. The last time he pulled down 15 or more rebounds in regulation of a regular-season game was Jan. 22, 2024, the night he dropped 70 on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

Will this keep up? A lot of that is going to depend on health, but if they continue to play defense like this, just wait until the offense catches up.

This feels real

You just get a feeling about teams early on sometimes. This group at 8-1 — playing defense, making hustle plays, closing out close games, getting along and having fun — feels special. I know, most teams that LeBron plays on feel special, but there’s this focus and drive that I’ve never seen in any Sixers team I’ve covered.

They’re going to hit adversity. An injury or two is sure to pop up. The offense is still in the bottom third of the league. The backup center situation is murky at best.

But man, this feels like a team worth getting excited about.

Not great. Some people would pick less euphemistic words, but I’m trying to be nice. I’ll admit I didn’t envision this happening. I never expected the Suns to be world beaters, but I also didn’t expect them to be a punching bag as they stumbled out of the gate.

The most glaring deficiency with the Suns through the first six games is defense. The Suns are second to last in points per game allowed, behind only the Chicago Bulls, at 124.3 points per game. After a bleak 1-4 start, they surrendered a season-high 132 points last night when they knew this was a critical match to right the ship. The Suns are dead last in Defensive Rating, allowing 125.6 points per 100 possessions.

The Suns need to find a lineup that can get stops. That should be the main priority in practices. Switch people around and try to get something to click. Switch people around in the games if they aren’t giving maximum effort. I’m fine with anybody sitting down and watching what effort looks like.

Sometimes it appears the Suns struggle with fundamentals like switching or fighting over screens. Effort, strategy, and execution. One hand needs to know what the other is doing.

Someone I went to the game with last night, who isn’t a basketball aficionado, said it just seemed like Portland was scoring so fast and easily. I guess you don’t have to be a basketball genius to see the Suns suck at defense right now. She said the Suns also missed a lot of threes. The Suns could have been better. They shot 10-of-36 from deep for a 27.8% clip. Maybe if another two or three of those went in when the Suns were trying to close the gap, things could have turned out a little differently.

I told her that, the way I look at it, three-point shooting is mostly something that improves with practice. It’s not like defense, where if a player gives maximum effort, their performance can improve in real time. Effort doesn’t affect shooting in the same way it does defense. A lot of defense is effort, and the Suns aren’t meeting the standard they set last season.

I have always considered defensive rebounding as part of defense. That word in front of rebounding is the hint. A defensive rebound ends an offensive possession, and ending the opponent’s possession is important. Portland snatched 16 offensive rebounds against the Suns, who are relinquishing the third-most offensive boards in the league at 14.5 per game. Boxing out might help. I hope they realize that because they are not doing it.

The Suns need to rebound by committee. Khaman Maluach is leading the team in rebounds per 36 minutes with 11.2, but other holes in his game prevent him from being a true anchor at this early stage.

Last season, Mark Williams was second on the team in rebounds per 36 minutes, and Jordan Goodwin was sixth. Goodwin was also second in defensive rating. Getting these guys back could definitely have a positive effect, but for the Suns to turn this around, they will need to ramp up effort. This isn’t just a scheme issue.

Where is the continuity, chemistry, and…. joy?

The Suns have 10 players averaging over 10 minutes a game this season. Of those 10, eight were teammates on the Suns last season. Only Miles Bridges and Luke Kennard are being incorporated into whatever system the Suns are attempting to run. This year the Suns don’t look like they dislike each other, but they don’t have the same energy.

One possible cause of the perceived chemistry issues is that Jalen Green is being asked to play a different role, more as a distributor. Unfortunately, through six games, he is averaging just 3.3 assists, which is exactly his career average. The Suns are now 18-20 in regular-season games when Green plays. 18-24, counting the bloodbath at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Suns might be trying to shift from Point Book to Point Green, but right now it looks like an experiment with less-than-impressive results.

Sometimes I think it might just be easier for the Suns to get a real point guard. Then other players would be freed up to exploit their strengths. This happened when Chris Paul played with Devin Booker, and they had a decent run, but that isn’t this roster.

Ott needs to determine who is best equipped for this role, since there isn’t a perfect fit. If it is Green, then Jalen needs to figure this out fast. The clock is ticking. If it isn’t Green, then Ott needs to figure this out fast. The clock is ticking.

The Suns have a problem in the middle.

I may have softened a little in the midsection as I’ve gotten older, but the Suns’ underbelly is softer than an armadillo’s. The problem is the Suns don’t have a protective shell. They are just kind of soft overall right now.

Maluach looks like the game is entirely too fast for him at this stage. By the time he sees where he needs to be, the play has already evolved past the point for him to get involved. Maluach has obvious talent, but his positioning needs a lot of work and… he has hands of stone. Oso Ighodaro is averaging 4.3 assists per game and has demonstrated the ability as a playmaker to find cutting teammates for easy baskets, but he lacks the size of a true big man and will be at a disadvantage almost nightly.

The Suns need to rebound as a team. Last season Mark Williams was second on the team in rebounds per 36 minutes, and Jordan Goodwin was second. Goodwin was also second in defensive rating. Getting these guys back could definitely have an effect, but for the Suns to turn this around, they will need to ramp up effort. This isn’t just a scheme issue.

Can the Suns fix this from within? I don’t know. The optics have not been encouraging.

There are things that we should at least hope to see.

1. Find a lineup that clicks defensively. Practice overall schemes and implement changes specific to the opponent. Players need to give maximum effort or keep the bench warm for someone who will. Maybe Jordan Goodwin’s return will help, but this needs to happen immediately. This should be attainable. Since the team is essentially worst in the league they could still be “terrible”, as Dillon Brooks described… and improve.

2. Figure out the rotations and how this offense actually needs to flow. The numbers here aren’t as pitiful as the defensive side, but the Suns are 26th in the league in pace, averaging only 97.3 points per 100 possessions. They are slow and constantly look disjointed. I can watch a losing team play basketball, but bad, boring basketball is a big ask.

3. Get Mark Williams and Jordan Goodwin back. The Suns’ injuries are exposing their weaknesses. Defense and rebounding are the biggest culprits for this start, and those are the main things those two bring to the table. Right now nobody is eating at that table. The Suns are better equipped to suffer an injury at other positions. The Green/Brooks/Booker combo should actually give good insurance with some overlapping skills. Those two wouldn’t make this team 5-1 right now, but anything would help.

4. Find a way for Booker to be a better version of himself. If Booker just plays like a good player, and not an elite All-NBA type of player, this team probably won’t make the playoffs. Steve Nash won MVP in Phoenix at 30, but Booker is not passing the eye test at the same age.

5. Try harder. Please make the fans think the players want to win as bad as the fans do.

6. Prayer. If any of you are religious or spiritual, it couldn’t hurt.

7. Jordan Ott’s honeymoon is over. Time for the part of marriage that takes a lot of work. Hopefully Ott and the players are ready to commit. Hopefully Ott is up to the challenge. He has an imperfect roster and he has to get players in their best roles to succeed…. even if he hurts someone’s feelings.

If these things don’t happen, it might be a long season… or potentially short for the people who can’t stomach it.

---

For the second straight game, head coach JJ Redick praised his team’s defensive performance following a sluggish start. In the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Miami Heat on Monday, Redick complimented their second-half showing, when they limited Miami to 45 points and a 95.7 defensive rating.

On Wednesday, he was pleased with how they responded after the Sacramento Kings raced out to 16 points in the opening 4.5 minutes. Ultimately, the Lakers bounced back for a comfortable 116-103 victory and moved to 7-2 on the young season.

“I think when the game started, we were a little flat. I called an early timeout. They had 16 points. They scored 87 for the last 43:27 seconds or whatever it was [after] I called that timeout,” Redick said postgame. “The promising thing on that side of the ball is the effort and the intent to execute, I think, is really high. Second efforts were really good. We had a number of veer switches and peel switches and scrambles, had a number of late shot clock possessions for them, some shot clock violations. We did a lot on that end. I think the activity overall was really good, save for the first four minutes or whatever it was.”

Against the Kings, Los Angeles posted a 105.1 defensive rating, per Cleaning the Glass, which marked its third-stingiest effort of the season behind an Oct. 28 win over the Los Angeles Clippers (90.9 defensive rating) and an opening night romp of the Golden State Warriors (96.5).

The Lakers’ defensive anchor, Walker Kessler, is pleased with certain aspects of their play but still sees areas to refine as the year progresses, particularly in the open floor.

“We got to clean up some stuff on the defensive end,” Kessler said Wednesday. “Our half-court defense, once we get set, is pretty good. Got to do better in transition as a collective.”

While the Lakers allow the seventh-fewest points per 100 transition possessions (113.2), they allow the sixth-highest transition frequency (16.9%). Thus far, that inability to slow teams is really bogging them down. Despite being seventh in transition defense and eighth in half-court defense (91.3 points per 100), they’re just 16th in overall defensive rating, per Cleaning the Glass.

Despite Ja Morant’s absence, they’ll face a stiff test in their rematch Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers, which own the league’s top-ranked offense and sit top five in both half-court and transition efficiency. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Crypto.com Arena.

You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.

Observations after Sixers earn strong road win over Pistons, Brown scores 30  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers remain the Eastern Conference’s sole leader. 

They earned a 112-106 road win over the Pistons on Wednesday night to move to 8-1 on the season and stay at the top of the standings. Detroit fell to 6-2. 

The Sixers last started 8-1 in the 2023-24 season, which was Nick Nurse’s first as the team’s head coach. 

Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 30 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

Joel Embiid had 26 points and a season-best 15 rebounds. LeBron James posted 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Tyrese Maxey added 19 points and seven assists.

The Pistons’ leading scorers were Duncan Robinson with 27 points and Cade Cunningham with 26.

The Sixers were down Dominick Barlow (lower back stress reaction) and Ariel Hukporti (right Achilles tendon tear). The Pistons’ injured players included Jalen Duren (right hamstring strain) and Isaiah Joe (right hip contusion).

Nurse told reporters in Detroit he thinks “it’ll be another 10 to 12 days before they kind of clear (Barlow) for getting on the court to see where he is,” according to Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin. 

The Sixers will visit the Cavaliers on Friday night. Here are observations on their victory over Detroit: 

Little bit of everything from Embiid in 1st half 

Embiid assisted the Sixers’ first basket with a sharp pass out of a double team. He saw Brown’s cut along the baseline and dished to him for a layup. 

Detroit ran several double drag screen actions early, forcing Embiid to defend on the perimeter. The Pistons started 7 for 11 from the floor and took a 17-11 edge on a Robinson three-pointer. 

The Sixers then made a 10-0 run and Embiid was right in the middle of it. He converted a put-back layup after a pretty high-low feed from James. Embiid hit two foul shots to give the Sixers the lead. The team raised its defensive level and Detroit’s offense grew frigid.

Embiid was very good on the glass in the first half, grabbing eight rebounds. The Sixers had an excellent rebounding game as a team, limiting the Pistons to four offensive boards over 48 minutes.

Embiid didn’t break out of his early-season three-point shooting slump, going 0 for 3. He’s 3 for 26 (11.5 percent) on the season and hasn’t made a three since the Sixers’ second game.

Late in the second quarter, Embiid got into a dead-ball dust-up with Tolu Smith. After an officials’ review, Embiid was assessed a technical foul for “initiating” the altercation. 

Brown steps up 

Playing on his 26th birthday, Maxey missed his first four field goals and was scoreless until he hit a floater with 31.5 seconds left in the first quarter. 

Brown picked up the scoring slack, tallying 10 points in the first on 4-for-6 shooting and hitting a deep, buzzer-beating three to put the Sixers up 29-21. He produced at all three levels, chose smart spots to attack and looked comfortable in the rhythm of the Sixers’ offense. 

Meanwhile, James did his usuall stellar work as a passer. He assisted two Adem Bona slams in the second quarter and constantly spotted open teammates. Nurse rewarded Bona’s strong opening stint, playing him for a lengthy stretch. 

Brown swished a corner triple to extend the Sixers’ lead to 48-31. With a 3-for-5 night, Brown is at 45.7 percent from long distance so far this season. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if Brown’s three-point shooting improved from last season’s 34.7 percent clip. With such an abundance of star power, the Sixers’ hope will be that everyone gets regular open looks beyond the arc throughout the year.

As for Maxey, he sat with 3:26 left in the second quarter after being whistled for his third foul. Even with a mere two points from Maxey, the Sixers entered halftime holding a 14-point advantage. 

Sixers stay perfect away from home

The Pistons played better basketball to begin the third quarter.

Following a John Collins alley-oop jam, Nurse called timeout with his team’s lead down to single digits. The Pistons’ offense sustained some success, but the Sixers prevented a sustained run.

Embiid played an especially physical, aggressive third quarter. He tipped in his own miss and Maxey then sunk a three to make the Sixers’ lead 84-68. They were up as many as 17 points in the third.

Embiid sat out the fourth quarter Monday night for the Sixers’ win over the Bulls and said he was on a minutes restriction (25) because of his right foot plantar fasciitis. He played the fourth period against the Pistons and logged 33 minutes. Bona went back to the locker room early in the fourth. Nurse told reporters postgame that Bona had “neck soreness.” 

Detroit did not let the Sixers coast to victory.

Robinson drained a three. Cunningham made a pair of free throws and drove in for a layup that cut the Pistons’ deficit to 106-102.

The Sixers halted the Pistons’ run before anything disastrous was on the table. Brown blocked a Cunningham three-point try, Embiid knocked down two foul shots, and the East’s No. 1 early-season team improved to 4-0 on the road.

New York was so good on Wednesday that the Knicks made me hate them for effectively finishing my 2-hour night plan in 20 minutes.

I’m cool with the 4-1 in the last five, but let’s make it a bit more competitive for entertainment’s sake, please and thank you (I know I’m in the minority here. Alas)

Here’s everything said before and after yesterday’s bullfighting.

Mike Brown was asked if it crossed his mind to keep Jalen Brunson in after his 22-point first quarter

"He's about as durable as anybody I've been around. Can he play 12 straight minutes? Yes. Can he play 36-38? Yes. At the end of the day, it's gonna impact him come playoff time" pic.twitter.com/gkwLGr5OGm

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 5, 2026

Mike Brown

On the entire Knicks roster contributing to the victory over Chicago:

“I take my hat off to everybody on the roster, because everybody contributed in some way, shape or form.”

On the Knicks delivering their most complete performance of the season against Chicago:

“That was as close to a 48-minute game as our group has had yet.”

On the Knicks’ franchise-record-tying 84-point first half:

“It was a really good half, in terms of doing what we believe, what we should be doing offensively as our staples. Everybody was really good in those areas.”

On the Knicks’ spacing, ball movement and offensive execution against Chicago:

“I really liked how we started out. Spacing the floor well, touching the paint, and then re-spacing too. Our re-spacing was really quick and really decisive. We had some great, great looks early on. And everybody played well offensively. Our pace was pretty good, it’s something we’ve been talking about. Our offensive rebounding, for shooting a high percentage, was pretty good. Just a lot of good things.”

On Brunson finally making the shots he had been missing earlier in the season:

“He’s obviously missed some shots but he took the same shots tonight that he’s been taking. And, we felt we’ve gotten some good shots in previous games that just haven’t gone down. But the good part about it is, they went down tonight, and we defended. A great game by him as well as everybody else.”

On Jalen Brunson’s unusual endurance and how the Knicks track player fatigue:

“Our analytics guys [chart] how guys play in two-minute increments. Some guys, after six minutes, their three-point field-goal percentage drops. They also can track their movement — how quickly they’re still moving out on the floor, if that slows down or not. Jalen’s just seems to go up every two minutes.”

On Brunson’s toughness and why he must avoid overworking him before the playoffs:

“He’s about as durable as anybody I’ve been around. He’s mentally tough, physically tough, and he can push himself to go… But at the end of the day, it’s going to impact him, in my opinion, come playoff time, so I have to be conscious of not going to the well too much, especially at this point in the season.”

On why he did not let Brunson continue playing after his 22-point first quarter:

“No, because he played 12 straight minutes.”

On Brunson’s ability to maintain his production over extended playing time:

“Jalen’s numbers just seem to go up every two minutes and there’s really no time when it’s down. So, can he play 12 straight minutes? Yes. Can he play 36-38 minutes? Yes. But, at the end of the day, it’s going to impact him, in my opinion, come playoff time. I have to be conscious not to go to the well too much, especially at this point in the season.”

On Landry Shamet earning playing time through his performances:

“The tough part about it is I don’t remember when that happened last year, but it’s more so the reality [that] Landry is playing well. Landry, he played well in the last game. As you guys can see I’ll try to go with who I think is playing well. I’ll try to find minutes for them . . . Sometimes the other guys are playing good and that’s who you rock with to try to get the win at times.”

On Tyler Kolek replacing Jose Alvarado as the Knicks’ backup point guard:

“I said this before, every position coming off the bench is a competition, all the time. Nobody’s minutes are set in stone. … Jose had the first opportunity in our last game. And then I gave Tyler an opportunity in the second half [against the Nets] and Tyler played well. So I’m gonna go with Tyler. And if I think I need to make a change because Tyler’s not getting it done in my eyes, then I’ll go back to Jose.”

On limiting the Knicks’ starters’ minutes during the first games of the season:

“I don’t want to kill these guys because they played more games — if you’re talking about last season — than most of them had in their career. And the offseason was a lot shorter than what it’s usually been. And it takes a toll. Playing (19) playoff games, it’s a lot different than playing (19) regular-season games. It might be a game-and-a-half just because of how physical the games are and the mental stress that goes into it, the attention to detail in each individual possession.”

On the physical and mental toll of the Knicks’ championship season and balancing rest with winning:

“It can be a mental and physical toll that can impact everybody differently. I have to be careful of not overreacting and trying to lay the hammer, especially early, on every little thing. I got to let our guys breathe a little bit and get their feet underneath them, not just from a physical standpoint, but a mental standpoint as well, because we played a lot of basketball last year and we’re right back to it. I also need to be careful in making sure that I’m not overextending all of our guys early. I wanted to use a 10-man rotation. There were a couple of games I think I went to nine.

“I hate saying this — I want to win, I’m going to try to win, but I’m not going to do that to the detriment of our group later on. So, I’ve got to find the balance of how to use my bench a little better to give these guys some more needed rest during the course in games, so they’re not at 35, 36, 37 minutes right now. I thought that helped us out a lot last year. We’ll up their minutes as the year goes along. I haven’t been too good with that so far this year.”

On adjusting the rotation after the Knicks’ slow start:

“We experimented with different stuff and our players not getting it done caused us to start off a little slow. So, to get us on track, we’re going to hold the fort down with a veteran group of guys.”

On managing the Knicks’ practices and playing time:

“I have to be conscious of how we practice. And I have to try to be conscious of guys’ minutes.”

On calling out his players for losing track of the game at times:

“We hit a three, we celebrated the three and they got a layup on the other end… that’s one of the little things that we talk about embracing playing with next play speed, playing the right way no matter what the score is… (by not doing that), that’s how you build bad habits.”

On Dalton Knecht’s offensive versatility and defensive development:

“He’s a scorer. He’s not just a shooter. A lot of people think he’s a shooter because he’s white. I said it for you, I hope I don’t get in trouble. He can go get it. He can shoot from range, he’s got a medium game, he can get to the rim, and he can pass. He’s got to work defensively and I thought tonight, he tried to play within himself and contributed the best way he could.

“There were a couple things defensively that he can do a little better and that’s what he really has to concentrate on but I thought he gave us a nice little lift, especially offensively when he played towards the end of the first half.”

On the Knicks’ improvement despite their early-season inconsistency:

“You want it, but you can’t live and die by trying to have everything be great and-or perfect in a matter of a week or two weeks. We know we can play better. The crazy part about it is we’re 3-1 in our last four. Knowing that we’re hungry for more, and that strive for perfection is going to help us out when it really counts at the end of the day.

“So we just can’t let go of the rope, we have to keep trying to get better on both sides of the ball and make sure that we’re embracing the little things so that we can hit a groove so we’ll be where we want to be at the end of the season — but knowing that we’re going to go through ups and downs throughout the course of the year.”

On giving starters more opportunities to overcome their struggles than bench players:

“Our starters are going to get a lot more rope than the guy’s coming off the bench, you know? And that’s kind of how I look at it. Again, this is a process and I have to always be careful of not trying to want [perfection]. You want it, but you can’t live and die by trying to have everything be great and/or perfect in a matter of a week or two weeks.”

Jalen Brunson on his 22-point first quarter:

"When you have it going, it feels good. Just trying to play off that and use your gravity to make plays" pic.twitter.com/B2y4wTO1aj

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 5, 2026

Jalen Brunson

On finding his rhythm and creating offense through defense:

“Obviously, making 3s, but I think making our two-pointers are really important as well. When you have it going, it feels good. Just trying to play off that and use your gravity to make plays. I feel like it really started on the defensive side of the ball, we were able to get stops and get out in transition.”

On using his scoring gravity to get teammates involved:

“When you have it going, it feels good. And then just trying to play off that and using my gravity to get teammates involved.”

On whether he would ask Mike Brown to leave him in a game to pursue an exceptional scoring performance:

“Possibly, but it has to be the right moment, right time. I don’t want to say no because you never know when you’re in this situation, but I just want to respect the game as much as possible.”

On the Knicks’ defensive effort setting up their offensive breakout against Chicago:

“I feel like it started on the defensive side of the ball. We were able to get stops and get out in transition, create a comfortable lead, and I think we played well with the lead for the most part.”

"Just a lot of communication. We have great coaches. Erm (Darren Erman) and BOC (Brendan O'Connor). They do a great job communicating what we've got to do. Then just us going on the court & executing"

– OG Anunoby on Knicks defense which allows 2nd fewest points (105.1) in NBA pic.twitter.com/1JyUblm20O

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 5, 2026

Karl-Anthony Towns

On the Knicks’ familiarity with their Eastern Conference rivals and the advantage of roster continuity:

“I think everyone in the East knows each other. This is our third year now with each other, so you know, it’s rare. That’s one of our advantages.”

On comparing the current Knicks to LeBron James and the Miami Heat’s Big Three era:

“At the end of the day, people knew, when LeBron and the Big Three were there, you had to go out there and beat them. Everyone brings their best against the New York Knicks. You’ve got to protect the jersey, the city at all costs.”

On handling the distractions and pressure of playing in New York:

“I mean, we did it all last year. You’re in New York, you’ve got to play through distractions; that’s what comes with playing here. There’s a lot of pressure, a lot of noise.”

On the Knicks’ ability to accomplish something special by staying united:

“But as long as this locker room, which has shown it can do, stays together and continues to just believe and fall into each other when things get tough, we can do something special.”

On how the Knicks grew closer during their difficult stretch after winning the NBA Cup:

“We didn’t look our best version, and we heard about it. This team continued to fall into each other instead of splitting away and … separating. We got closer and closer.”

Mike Brown says he's "not concerned" with Josh Hart's sore ankle pic.twitter.com/y9XsV6nTIU

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 4, 2026

Josh Hart

On the pressure of playing in New York and how quickly fans’ expectations can change:

“I guarantee you, I’m going to be sitting here rock bottom. I don’t think I’m ever going to be on my high horse, either. We’re in New York. Everything rides on the next game. We go on a 10-game winning streak and the next game we lose, they’re ready to burn the place down. We know what it is. It’s the tough part of being in New York.”

On the Knicks’ short offseason and the physical toll of the championship celebrations:

“We gotta go out there and win games. And we gotta get those championship habits back, because we were away from it for I don’t know how many months. I think it’s a tough spot. It’s kinda like a little conundrum, because obviously we played into mid-June. Then in the summer obviously you’re working out, you’re doing that, but you also are enjoying the fruits of the labor of winning in terms of going to brands, going to appearances. Off the court, it’s kind of booming for you. So, you’re doing all of that, so that takes a little bit of a wear on you. And then you get into it. So sometimes, the body has to kinda catch up.”

Miles McBride

On the Knicks’ open communication and willingness to have difficult conversations:

“It’s open. Anybody can step up, whether it’s the [bench] guys or starters. That’s the thing about this team, our chemistry is so good and we have a lot of trust because we see each other putting forth a lot of work.”

Jordan Clarkson

On accepting a reduced role and contributing energy even when he isn’t playing:

“[Brown] knows I’m always ready. My teammates know that I’m always ready and am going to try to bring the energy. If that’s not on the stat sheet or paper, just trying to do the little things, that’s something that I’ve grown in since I’ve been here. That really took priority for me.”

Dalton Knecht was asked if he was surprised to play tonight vs. the Bulls

"No, I wasn't surprised. I just came in ready to go. The coaches said 'you're active' – that just means be ready" pic.twitter.com/mzQm7hSO3J

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 5, 2026

Dalton Knecht

On being ready when the Knicks activated him for his debut against Chicago:

“I wasn’t surprised, I just came in ready to go. The coaches said you’re active so that just means be ready.”

On his first Knicks points coming on a putback dunk and making his debut:

“It was great. Honestly I didn’t hear much just because I’m so locked in, but it was good. Pretty much my first play was a putback dunk so it’s cool, it’s great.”

On wanting to contribute as a scorer and defender:

“I think I just go out there and impact the game on all three levels. And I just wanna show on the other side of the ball, getting the ball pressure and stuff like that and going in and grabbing defensive rebounds.”

On staying prepared for opportunities and learning from teammates on the bench:

“Be ready so you don’t have to get ready. Just watching on the bench and talking to my teammates is really helpful and it was easy to get in there and play confident. All the guys out there gave me a good look.”

BAM ADEBAYO GAME WINNER 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/JuLWUqUXsf

— Hater Report (@HaterReport) November 5, 2026

During a tumultuous playoff run and a prolonged offseason contract negotiation, Detroit Pistons fans were ready to say goodbye to Jalen Duren. Well, Duren has been out for six of eight games, and it turns out that Duren is the most indispensable member of the Pistons aside from Cade Cunningham.

A hamstring strain has knocked Duren out for six straight and counting, and boy, do you feel that every moment of every Pistons game.

Pundits and fans alike had easy diagnoses for what ailed the 60-win team during a disappointing second-round exit last season. Detroit needed a second scorer and much more perimeter shooting to succeed in the postseason. Its second-best player, the All-NBA big man Duren, couldn’t effectively operate in a congested, constipated offense when opponents had so much extra time to prepare their defense. That had a trickle-down effect on Cade Cunningham and on offensively limited players the Pistons relied on, like Ausar Thompson, Javonte Green, and Ron Holland.

This offseason, the Pistons seemingly tried and failed to add their second scorer (a planned run at Austin Reaves fizzled, and trade interest in players such as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant went nowhere). But they certainly addressed the team’s lack of perimeter punch. Detroit added guys such as Isaiah Joe, John Collins, and Taurean Prince. They re-signed midseason acquisition Kevin Huerter. They reformulated their offensive game plan to create more movement, space, and offensive responsibility among their non-Cade players. So far this season, the perimeter offense has hummed. Detroit is a top-10 team in 3-point shooting and almost middle of the pack in attempts despite Isaiah Joe missing most of the season to injury.

Detroit is 6-2, losing to the New York Knicks and on Wednesday night to the East-leading Philadelphia 76ers. Calls after both games from fans and casual watchers immediately turn to the team’s lack of that second star as the biggest issue. While that still might be a deal-breaker in the players, I would argue that the actual biggest issue in the season’s first eight games is Detroit’s collapse in its former ability to absolutely own the paint.

In other words, it’s not the lack of a Kyrie or a Durant or a Devin Booker. It’s the lack of Duren.

Last season, Detroit led the NBA in points in the paint, mostly behind Duren’s elite rim gravity and chemistry with Cade Cunningham and Detroit’s other ball handlers. Last season, the Pistons led the NBA with 57.9 points in the paint and were fourth in opponents’ paint scoring. They had a scoring differential inside of 14.2 points per game. This season, Detroit ranks just 22nd in the paint at 44.8, down 13.1 points per game.

Rim gravity, it turns out, is just as important as perimeter shooting in creating the space needed to run a successful offense.

Paul Reed is a dynamic scorer inside, and he has some pop to his game. But he isn’t a rim runner like Duren. You give it to him on the block, and you let him work his magic. John Collins is opportunistic in transition, but those opportunities are dried up when he is the only big on the floor applying rim pressure, usually trying to duck in from the corners.

Ausar has the ball in his hands more, and it is working to create opportunities from others on the perimeter, but it is taking away a lot of those dunker-spot opportunities and back cuts that Thompson feasted on last season.

The lack of inside pressure is manifesting in other ways. Detroit has gone from a top-5 team in second-chance points to 22nd. They are 28th in offensive rebounding. Last season, they were third.

This team needs Jalen Duren back ASAP. And I think fans need to start reckoning with how crucial he is for this team to succeed.

I had already started thinking about what a comfortable Celtics win over the Bucks might tell us about this team when Milwaukee decided to rewrite that narrative.

Boston led by as many as 22 points Wednesday night, held the Bucks to 14 in the first quarter and went into halftime up 62-41. Considering Milwaukee entered the game at 1-6, and the Celtics were playing without Jayson Tatum for the first time this season, things were looking awesome.

Then Tyler Herro caught fire, Boston’s offense went missing and the Bucks somehow found themselves leading in the fourth quarter. Payton Pritchard had also left with an eye injury, leaving the Celtics without two of their most important offensive players.

Thankfully, Derrick White remembered how to score, Paul George continued being wonderful and a few Celtics made the kind of plays that deserve their own place in the box score.

Boston survived 109-102, improving to 6-2 on the season. Here are ten takeaways from a game that was significantly more stressful than it needed to be.

1. A 22-point lead remains a dangerous thing to give the Celtics

As noted NBA insider Jerry Seinfeld once observed, anyone can take a reservation. It’s holding the reservation that’s really the important part.

The same logic apparently applies to 20-point leads in Boston.

Against Chicago last Friday, the Celtics led by as many as 32 before winning by 14. Wednesday against Milwaukee, Boston was up 21 at halftime, had led by 22 at its peak and looked well on its way to a stress-free evening. By the middle of the fourth quarter, the Celtics were losing.

Now, the circumstances matter. Boston was missing Tatum, lost Pritchard during the second half and had to figure out some unproven lineup combinations on the fly. Milwaukee also shot the lights out in the third quarter, with Herro doing most of the damage.

Still, the Celtics helped create their own problems. Milwaukee scored 38 points in the third after managing just 41 in the entire first half. Boston’s offense became stagnant, turnovers gave the Bucks opportunities to run and suddenly a team that had looked completely overmatched was playing with all the confidence in the world.

A 3rd quarter run brings the Bucks back in it and now trail just 8 headed into the 4th pic.twitter.com/DyMTV43pgt

— SleeperBucks (@SleeperBucksNBA) November 5, 2026

Joe Mazzulla pointed to the offensive struggles as a major part of the defensive problem afterward. Boston wasn’t executing well enough to put consistent pressure on Milwaukee, and the Bucks took advantage.

Now, to Joe’s credit, the Celtics are 139-5 when leading by at least 20 points under his watch. That’s a 96.5 percent winning percentage, for anyone keeping track. But after watching Philadelphia erase significant deficits during last year’s playoffs, and now seeing these early-season scares, I understand why Celtics fans aren’t particularly comforted by a 20-point advantage.

The good news is that Boston found a way to win anyway. I’d just appreciate fewer opportunities to practice that particular skill.

2. Learning to play without Jayson Tatum

For the first time this season, the Celtics had to figure out what their offense looked like without Jayson Tatum. It was a useful test, especially considering how much of Boston’s early success has come from his scoring and playmaking.

Hugo González moved into the starting lineup alongside Derrick White, Sam Hauser (his first start as well), Paul George and Neemias Queta. George took on more offensive responsibility, and Joe Mazzulla adjusted his substitution pattern to accommodate the change.

One of the more interesting decisions was George playing the entire first quarter. He returned midway through the second, then had his minutes managed differently after halftime so he could play the entire fourth.

Mazzulla explained afterward that he wanted George on the floor to close, particularly after some of Boston’s third-quarter lineups became stagnant. And that was before Pritchard’s injury complicated things further.

Joe Mazzulla provides an in-depth explanation of how the Celtics lost their lead in the 2nd half before narrowly defeating the Bucks.
–@CLNSMedia | Q: @JackSimoneNBApic.twitter.com/jR57cPnXHu

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) November 5, 2026

The absence of both Tatum and Pritchard became obvious when Milwaukee began mounting its comeback. Boston struggled to create clean looks, and there were stretches when every possession seemed to require George to manufacture something on his own.

But the Celtics also got meaningful contributions from players who might not normally have as much responsibility. Queta made plays with the ball in his hands, White took over late, and Baylor Scheierman helped create second chances when the offense desperately needed them.

Nobody should expect Boston’s offense to look equally comfortable without Tatum. The encouraging part was seeing Mazzulla find different ways to get contributions out of the rest of the roster.

3. I’d like to be president of the Paul George fan club

I wrote after the Bulls game that Paul George looks like he was meant to be a Celtic. Wednesday versus the Bucks only strengthened that belief.

George finished with 25 points, five assists and four steals, shooting 5-for-9 from three. He scored 10 points in the first quarter, helping Boston establish an early lead, and then spent much of the second half trying to keep the offense alive.

The responsibility looked different without Tatum. George was asked to initiate more possessions, create his own offense and operate as Boston’s primary scoring option for long stretches.

For the most part, he looked perfectly comfortable doing it.

Paul George showed up when Boston needed him most 🧊☘️

25 PTS, 8/18 FG, 5/9 3PT, 4/7 FT, 59.3 TS%

pic.twitter.com/6LaSeBMl1p

— Every Bucket (@EveryBucketNBA) November 5, 2026

There were some mistakes, including six turnovers and a pair of missed free throws in a tie game late in the fourth. But George also hit a massive step-back three with 1:23 remaining to put Boston ahead 107-99 and give the Celtics some desperately needed breathing room.

What continues to impress me is how easily he seems to move between roles. When Tatum plays, George can spend stretches operating without the ball, finding open space and making the extra pass. When Tatum sits, he’s more than capable of taking the wheel.

Mazzulla praised George’s defense after the game and talked about how important his versatility has become to the team’s identity.

“We need the best version of him for us to be a great team,” Mazzulla said.

I think we’re getting a pretty good look at that version already.

George has been an excellent teammate, a disruptive defender and a much more natural fit than I expected this quickly. If this keeps up, I’m going to run out of new ways to say how much I enjoy watching him play basketball.

4. Ah, there’s the Derrick White we’ve been looking for

There you are, Derrick!

The version who looks completely comfortable taking over an offense when the moment calls for it. The guy who doesn’t hesitate when the ball finds him late in a possession, and who occasionally seems to decree that he’s had enough of the other team scoring.

White finished with 24 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two blocks against Milwaukee. Eleven of those points came in the fourth quarter, when Boston needed them most.

After the Bucks tied the game at 97, White helped settle things down. He converted a crucial and-one after Queta and Scheierman kept a possession alive, then followed with a driving floater that pushed the Celtics’ lead to seven.

Great hustle by the Celtics underneath the basket leads to a HUGE AND-1 for Derrick White pic.twitter.com/rwhDfpPa41

— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) November 5, 2026

He also went 9-for-9 from the free-throw line.

The performance was especially encouraging because White’s offensive start to the season has been fairly underwhelming. Through eight games, he’s averaging 12.8 points and shooting around 29 percent from three.

In the offseason, White talked about improving his outside shooting after last season, and Wednesday’s 1-for-7 performance from deep didn’t do much to suggest he’s found the answer yet. But I’ve been waiting to see the confident version of White who could become Boston’s second offensive option when Tatum or Jaylen Brown missed games in previous seasons.

Derrick White on finding his offensive rhythm this season:

"Every game is a little different. Different lineups, different matchups…Obviously, with JT out and P going out too, I had a more aggressive mindset…you just kinda go out there and have fun playing basketball."
-… pic.twitter.com/Xo0REyO1kB

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) November 5, 2026

The Celtics will need more of this version of White if they’re going to make a deep playoff run. He doesn’t have to score 24 every night, but the willingness to attack and create offense when things get uncomfortable is going to matter.

Hopefully the jumper comes along for the ride.

5. Neemias Queta’s journey continues to amaze me

Think about where Neemias Queta was a few years ago.

In 2023, the Sacramento Kings waived him after two seasons in which he struggled to establish a consistent NBA role. Boston brought him in on a two-way contract, and he spent much of his early Celtics career trying to prove he belonged in the rotation.

Now we’re talking about him making critical plays down the stretch of NBA games, getting praised by his coach for his development and playing on a four-year, $56 million contract.

That’s pretty friggin’ cool.

Queta finished Wednesday with nine points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 29 minutes. His impact was especially important late, when Boston desperately needed someone besides George or White to make something happen.

With the score tied at 97, Queta scored on a driving layup off a feed from George. A little later, he battled Myles Turner for an offensive rebound after a White miss, helping keep the possession alive before Baylor Scheierman found White cutting for an and-one.

Those are enormous plays in a game that was slipping away.

Mazzulla pointed to Queta’s continued improvement after the game, particularly his ability to contribute as a playmaker and deliver defensively in important moments. He also noted that Queta has been showing those improvements consistently since the season opener against Detroit.

Joe Mazzulla on Neemias Queta’s impact in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ win against the Bucks tonight:

“That’s an area of growth for him.” https://t.co/Imxq6EW4aWpic.twitter.com/vTlxjPX0Ws

— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) November 5, 2026

It’s easy to look at the Celtics’ current center rotation and start arguing about minutes and matchups. But I think it’s worth occasionally appreciating what Queta has built for himself. Boston’s player development program deserves credit, and Queta deserves even more for putting in the work.

The Kings decided they didn’t have a place for him. Three years later, the Celtics are counting on him to close games.

6. Baylor Scheierman is becoming allergic to the bench

I’m starting to think Baylor Scheierman’s greatest skill might be convincing basketballs to find him.

He grabbed 11 rebounds against the Bucks. Eleven! From a wing coming off the bench.

Three came on the offensive glass, and he added nine points on 3-for-4 shooting from deep. Boston was plus-11 in his 29 minutes, the best mark among the Celtics’ reserves. But the thing that jumps out when watching Baylor is how frequently he seems to be involved in possessions that have already become a complete mess.

A missed shot bounces toward the baseline? Baylor’s there. Someone gets a hand on a loose ball? Baylor’s already moving down the court. A rebound starts ricocheting between players? There’s a decent chance Scheierman ends up with it.

The Celtics were able to stop the bleeding some down the stretch of the third

Baylor Scheierman continues to quietly rise in the value he’s bringing to this team

C’s lead the Bucks 87-79 entering the 4Q pic.twitter.com/HIyzigR8p1

— SleeperCeltics (@SleeperCeltics) November 5, 2026

Noa Dalzell made a good observation after the game that some of Baylor’s most valuable hustle plays didn’t even register as rebounds. He was constantly involved in securing loose balls and keeping possessions alive.

The best example came late in the fourth, when Queta and Turner battled for a rebound and the ball eventually found Scheierman. Baylor immediately located White cutting toward the basket for the and-one that helped Boston retake control.

That’s the kind of sequence Joe Mazzulla dreams about.

There’s still a crowded group of young wings competing for minutes, and I don’t think we’ve seen enough to declare a permanent rotation hierarchy. Hugo got the start Wednesday, while Baylor came off the bench and played significantly longer.

But Scheierman keeps finding ways to make his presence useful.

I described him recently as a dog who just heard the cheese drawer open. Watching him chase rebounds this year, I’m beginning to think someone has left the drawer open all season.

7. Mitchell Robinson finally looked like Mitchell Robinson

After many were disappointed with his early performances, I’m happy to report that Mitch gave us considerably less to complain about Wednesday.

Robinson finished with 10 rebounds in just under 20 minutes, including six on the offensive glass. He also had a steal and a block, and Boston was plus-five during his minutes.

He scored only three points on 1-for-8 shooting, so this wasn’t exactly a complete offensive performance. But the rebounding looked much closer to what Celtics fans expected when Boston signed him over the summer.

Mazzulla has talked repeatedly about the adjustment Robinson is making to Boston’s system. In New York, his offensive responsibilities were more narrowly defined. With the Celtics, he’s being asked to screen farther from the basket, handle the ball more and contribute in ways that take him away from his traditional rebounding spots.

Joe Mazzulla on Mitchell Robinson, who had 10 rebounds tonight (6 offensive):

“He played great tonight … You saw the best version of him… It just takes a little bit of time. The greatest thing you can give a guy like Mitch, who's been in the league for nine years, played on a… pic.twitter.com/tbLZXfuTOD

— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) November 5, 2026

After Wednesday’s game, Joe said Robinson’s rebounding process had been consistent even when the results weren’t there.

He also called Robinson one of the best rebounders of all time, which is quite a thing to hear your coach say when you’ve spent the first two weeks wondering why you aren’t grabbing more rebounds.

I’m still curious about Robinson’s fit alongside Queta and how Mazzulla plans to divide those minutes. But I thought Wednesday was a meaningful step in the right direction. This looked much more like the player Boston was hoping to get. Now the question is whether he can make it a regular occurrence.

8. Something enormous is approaching. I fear it may be…Garzilla.

Do you hear that?

There’s a faint rumbling coming from somewhere beneath TD Garden. Or is it above? My coffee is trembling on the table. A few pigeons just took flight outside my office.

Dear me.

IT’S GARZILLA.

First, I owe Luka Garza an apology. During my offseason analysis of Boston’s roster, I identified him as a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option, assuming most of the meaningful center minutes would belong to Queta and Robinson.

Well, apparently Garza is the reason the other team needs to break the glass. He is the emergency.

Garza scored 11 points against Milwaukee, shooting 3-for-4 from three and grabbing five rebounds in 18 minutes. All three of his made threes came in the first half, when Boston’s offense was humming.

He’s now shooting 52.4 percent from deep through eight games, including nine made threes across his last three outings. That’s an admittedly small sample, but it’s becoming impossible to ignore.

Celtics three-point % leaders this season (as of halftime, minimum 10 attempts)

1.) Luka Garza, 55.0%

***Gap

2.) Baylor Scheierman (42.9%) https://t.co/nJIxM8WUmy

— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) November 5, 2026

Garza’s shooting gives Mazzulla something different from his other centers. Defenders have to respect him away from the basket, which creates some fun possibilities when he’s sharing the floor with a traditional interior presence.

We saw that against Milwaukee when Mazzulla paired him with Robinson, allowing Garza to operate farther from the basket while Mitch attacked the glass.

I still don’t know exactly how many minutes Garza should play when everyone is healthy, or how sustainable this shooting will be over an entire season. But the man is currently shooting better than half his threes, and I feel obligated to take that seriously.

The villagers outside of Boston have been warned. Garzilla is loose.

9. Can somebody please check Payton Pritchard’s head?

Payton Pritchard was getting treated like a crash test dummy last night.

First, he took a shot to the face that left his nose bleeding during the first half. Somehow, he kept playing and even managed to score while dealing with the aftermath.

Payton Pritchard has blood dripping down his face pic.twitter.com/kR0uoIA5v9

— Danielle H. (@DanielleHobeika) November 5, 2026

Then, in the third quarter, he suffered another blow to the face and left the game with what the Celtics officially described as a right eye abrasion. He didn’t return.

Pritchard finished with 10 points and five assists in 18 minutes, shooting 4-for-7 from the field. He had entered the night dealing with a right shoulder contusion, too, so this was hardly the most relaxing evening for a historically durable player.

Afterward, Mazzulla said Pritchard seemed okay but acknowledged that he didn’t know the exact extent of the injury. Boston will have to monitor his status heading into Friday’s NBA Cup game against Charlotte.

Before exiting, Pritchard also found time to reprise his role as Smooth PP, the jazz pianist who has recently taken to using opposing defenders as unwilling dance partners.

Kyle Kuzma found himself involved in the latest performance.

PAYTON PRITCHARD DROPPED KYLE KUZMA

OH MY GOODNESS. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hlmDBW1Zos

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 5, 2026

The man is apparently capable of improvising an entire musical number while his face is being repeatedly rearranged. All jokes aside, hopefully Pritchard is okay. Boston missed his ballhandling and ability to create offense during the fourth quarter, especially without Tatum available.

10. Joe Mazzulla has some interesting new toys, but the second-half adjustments need work

One of the more intriguing developments Wednesday was Mazzulla’s willingness to experiment with lineups that we haven’t seen much of this season.

The Robinson-Garza pairing was particularly interesting.

Before the Bucks game, the two had shared the floor for only about two minutes. Against Milwaukee, Mazzulla gave them a longer look, and the early results were encouraging.

Robinson attacked the offensive glass while Garza provided spacing and perimeter shooting. By halftime, Robinson had nine rebounds and Garza had scored 11 points, making all three of his three-point attempts.

The combination made sense against Milwaukee’s first-half approach. Boston could control the boards without completely sacrificing the ability to space the floor. But things changed after halftime.

The Bucks began playing faster, spreading the floor with shooters and attacking Boston off the dribble. They shot 7-for-8 from three in the third quarter, and suddenly the Celtics’ bigger combinations weren’t nearly as comfortable.

Mazzulla acknowledged afterward that the double-big pairing worked better in the first half than the second. Milwaukee’s adjustments forced Boston to reconsider its lineups, particularly as the Celtics struggled to generate offense without Tatum and, eventually, Pritchard.

I actually appreciate Joe experimenting this early in the season. There’s a lot to learn about this roster, especially with so many new players being asked to take on unfamiliar responsibilities.

But Wednesday also showed how quickly a promising lineup can become a problem when an opponent changes its approach.

Boston won the game because its players made the necessary plays down the stretch. White took over, George hit the big three and the Celtics’ frontcourt helped secure some enormous possessions.

The win is what matters. But so does understanding why the team needed late-game heroics after leading by 22.

The Celtics are 6-2, and I still think we’re only beginning to understand what this version of the team can become. Wednesday offered plenty of reasons to be excited about its depth, even if the road to discovering that depth involved nearly losing to a 1-6 Bucks team.

Maybe next time we can conduct the experiment without involving everyone’s blood pressure.