DENVER, CO - MARCH 11: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets handles the ball while defended by Alperen Sengun #28 of the Houston Rockets during the game on March 11, 2026 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Denver Nuggets played in Mexico two nights ago. They beat the Indiana Pacers 114-102. With the extra level of travel, Denver has listed their entire rotation as a game-time decision. More than likely, some of them will have to play. However, if they do sit everyone, the Houston Rockets will owe them a huge debt of gratitude.
Houston has looked poor, to stay the least, over the past two games. Against Minnesota at home and in Phoenix, the Rockets got off to sluggish starts and it cost them in the fourth quarters when they couldn’t score. Turnovers have also plagued the team in those losses. It was a stark reminder of last season’s struggles, and casts Houston’s hot start in doubt. Further, it brings into question the perceived importance of Fred VanVleet. If the team is making the same mistakes it made last season (sans FVV), how helpful is he?
The sky isn’t falling, but boy do the Rockets need to prove that they aren’t the exact same team as last season. Because if they are, what are we even doing here? I’m not arguing for a full teardown and I’m certainly not saying that a loss tonight should start that process, but if Denver doesn’t play their stars and Houston still finds a way to lose, well…it’s going to get loud.
DALLAS, TX - NOVEMBER 8: Walter Clayton Jr. #1 of the Dallas Mavericks looks to pass the ball during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on November 8, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks (6-4) took on the Brooklyn Nets (2-8), winning 130-93 on the first night of a back-to-back. This may be a game where one could draw correlations that aren’t really there, or it may be the perfect example of a lesson learned. The Mavs slept on the Kings a few nights ago and got embarrassed, but tonight they came out strong and stayed that way, holding a lead for roughly 47 minutes.
Let’s get to the grades!
Kyrie Irving: 8/10
21 PTS / 3 REB / 4 AST / 1 STL / 29 MIN
Irving displayed his typical veteran poise, recognized his matchup against an inexperienced player and took advantage while staying within himself and doing what was best for the team. His three-ball left a bit to be desired (2-of-7), but there were times it felt like he was literally working on that part of his game in real time, as if to work out a kink. More importantly, he finished well at the rim with no hesitation getting amongst the trees; hopefully that is a sign of building confidence and there will be more of it to come. Despite the misses from downtown, Irving still shot 9-of-15 overall (60%). His circus shot for the and-one to end the third quarter was the cherry on top.
Cooper Flagg: 9/10
25 PTS / 5 REB / 12 AST / 1 STL / 28 MIN
Flagg led all scorers in his double-double effort. He hit 8-of-13 from the floor, 3-of-5 from downtown and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Three turnovers was about the only blemish on his game. In relatively few minutes, he all but dominated every aspect of the game and set a new career high in assists in less than 30 minutes of action.
Caleb Martin: 6/10
2 PTS / 2 REB / 2 AST / 19 MIN
Martin insists on being the most difficult player on the team to grade. Since getting the starting job a few games ago, Martin hasn’t blown up the box score but has done a lot of intangible things. He’s smart, lets the game come to him and finds teammates (even if it comes by way of the hockey-assist or poking a rebound to a teammate that doesn’t register for him on the stat sheet).
P.J. Washington: 6/10
6 PTS / 5 REB / 1 STL / 1 BLK / 25 MIN
This was a tough grade to give, as it’s not especially high despite Washington having a pretty solid night. He was 2-of-3 from the floor, both from deep and did little bits here and there to contribute. It felt like this was a game he could go gang-busters in, especially off a great outing last game, but he was instead quietly effective.
Daniel Gafford: 8/10
18 PTS / 5 REB / 2 AST / 3 BLK / 19 MIN
Gafford was a mixed bag early on, with some strong finishes through contact for the and-one, but some matador defense on the other end. Then all of sudden he locked in and you blinked and realized he put together a very nice game. All said, he scored nearly a point per minute on a highly efficient 7-of-8 shooting from the floor while connecting on 4-of-6 free throws. His presence early on was a big help in the Mavs getting early separation.
Walter Clayton, Jr.: 6/10
5 PTS / 4 REB / 6 AST / 2 STL / 16 MIN
May Clayton go down as a super slick pickup by the front office. The guy is totally in control, makes good plays and seems to be in the right spot all the time. In just 16 minutes he was terrific, boosting his grade given how little time he had to work. He drained 2-of-3 shots including 1-of-2 from beyond the arc. Two turnovers and three fouls hurt him, but he gets the benefit of the doubt relative to his role and minutes played.
Morez Johnson, Jr.: 8/10
4 PTS / 9 REB / 1 AST / 19 MIN
He gets a major grade boost for how he managed himself throughout some chippiness with Noah Clowney. Clowney hit the deck after Johnson boxed him out, then proceeded to jaw with Johnson and bump him on their way back down court. Clowney persisted, bodying up into Johnson for an intentional foul, but literally bounced off Johnson for all the good it did. Johnson never got flustered, never retaliated and even though he was assessed with a technical foul, he showed poise well beyond his years. Also, Johnson made a heads up play that stood out in the first quarter. Instead of hopelessly closing out on an open shooter (he gave it a thought), he instead dropped to the basket to get a body on a cutter and ended up with the rebound. It was a savvy play he wasn’t necessarily making a few weeks ago.
Santi Aldama: 8/10
12 PTS / 2 REB / 1 STL / 15 MIN
Aldama was 5-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-4 from deep. He barely played a quarter, but came in scorching. In the flow of watching the game live, it was hard to remember him getting so many shots – he was totally within the flow of the offense and got a couple easy ones right at the rim. It’s a small sample size, but Aldama has thus far been everything Mavs’ fans could hope for. Another smart player that doesn’t get ahead of himself and makes the absolute most of his time on the floor.
Zaccharie Risacher: 8/10
11 PTS / 6 REB / 1 AST / 16 MIN
Like Aldama, Risacher did a lot with a little. Aside from an air-balled three that he had to put up after getting the ‘live grenade’ tossed to him, he was on fire, shooting 5-of-8 (1-of-3 from downtown). He didn’t commit a foul and pursued rebounds including two on the offensive end. He joined Aldama as a big reason the starters got a lot of rest.
Final Thoughts
This was a fantastic game all around. One could argue the Mavs played a struggling team. While that is true, we saw what happened against Sacramento just a few nights ago. Sunday night, Dallas got out to a lead, extended it and maintained it. The latter may have been the best part – the Mavs never relented and it seems to be in no small part due to Dusty May’s coaching. May at one point (with a large double-digit lead) was still yelling to his players to box out. Anyone could have mailed it in on the first night of a back-to-back, but no one did.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
Nov 8, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) hugs forward Cooper Flagg (32) during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Dallas Mavericks (6-4) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (2-8), 130-93 in a Sunday evening matchup at the American Airlines Center. The win over the Nets marks the Mavericks’ second straight win and follows Friday night’s 112-100 win over the Utah Jazz in NBA Cup Group Play.
Dereck Lively, Tarik Biberovic, and Sergio de Larrea were out for Dallas. Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. were notably absent for Brooklyn.
Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 25 points and 12 assists. Kyrie Irving added 21 points. Michael Porter Jr. contributed 19 points for the Nets.
Here are three numbers to know from Sunday evening’s win.
40%: Dallas’ 3-point shooting
The Mavericks shot efficiently from the floor this evening, making 14-of-35 shots from behind the arc. The Mavericks are a better team when they are hitting their threes and not trying to force them up. Though against a less-talented and less-experienced team, the Mavericks won both the field goal and three-point percentage advantages. Dallas took care of a team that was a scheduled win and will need to carry their efficient night from the field into their next matchup.
18/3: Daniel Gafford points, blocks
Daniel Gafford had an active showing for the Mavericks, finishing with 18 points, three offensive rebounds, and a season-high three blocks. Gafford’s ability to finish at the rim at an efficient rate and his shot-blocking abilities have allowed him to have a nice start to the season as the Mavericks’ starting center. He has improved his efficiency this season and built on-court chemistry with Flagg, scoring on five of his assists for 10 points this evening. Gafford has been able to impact the game in a way he once did for the previous iteration of the Mavericks, allowing the Mavericks to stay afloat at the center position as Lively continues to rehab from his injury.
12: Cooper Flagg career high in assists
After an outing last week that served as a reminder that Flagg is still 19 years old, Flagg finished with an emphatic 25 points, 5 rebounds, and a career-high 12 assists. Notably, he shot 8-of-13 from the field in the win over the Nets, an improvement from his 17-of-54 (31.5%) field goals made in the Mavericks’ three games last week. He played more decisively tonight on offense, highlighting his passing abilities and shooting 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Though the Nets are a borderline G League team, Flagg was able to completely dismantle their defense. When Flagg is playing confidently, he is one of the league’s best players, and tonight’s outing will give him the motivation to carry his performance into Monday night’s matchup with Indiana.
Up next
Try not to miss them for too long; the Mavericks will be back in action Monday night as they host the Pacers. Tune in to KFAA-TV and Mavs TV at 7 p.m. CT to catch the matchup.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 08: Kyle Kuzma #18 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots the ball against Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics in the first quarter at Fiserv Forum on November 08, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Milwaukee Bucks started strong but faded in a 117-97 loss to the Boston Celtics. In a rematch of Wednesday’s back-and-forth loss to the Celtics, the Bucks led by as much as 14 in the first quarter, but ceded ground thanks to Boston’s strong shooting and pesky defense. The Celtics retook the lead at the start of the second quarter and never looked back in a comfortable 20-point victory. Kyle Kuzma led Milwaukee with 27 points on 10/17 shooting, followed by Brayden Burries (13 points) and Tyler Herro (13 points). Paul George scored 27 on 18 shots, while Jayson Tatum (21), Neemias Queta (13), Payton Pritchard (12), and Mitchell Robinson (12) all logged double-digit points.
Milwaukee rolled out its new starting lineup of Brayden Burries, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner. Boston started Mike Conley, Derrick White, Paul George, Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta. The story early was Kyle Kuzma, who dropped 16 points on 6/10 shooting in the first quarter alone. The Bucks led 20-6 after five minutes of play, forcing the Celtics to call a timeout as Kuzma had already dropped 14 of those 16—he was hot. But of course, the Celtics remained calm and worked their way back into the game, largely thanks to Tatum’s high-level shooting and aggressive defence that forced turnovers and let Boston score easy points. Tatum finished the quarter with 16 points on 4/9 shooting as Boston strung together a 10-0 run to end the period, with the Bucks leading by just two, 27-25.
Paul George connected on a corner three to give the Celtics their first lead just seconds into the second quarter. Boston kept clicking from the perimeter and pestered Milwaukee’s ball handlers. The Bucks really hit an offensive wall at this point, connecting on just two threes from 12 attempts. In comparison, Boston looked at ease; White got to his spots at the midrange, Queta consistently beat Turner on the interior, and George splashed three after three. In fact, PG finished with a ridiculous 16 points in the second quarter on 6/9 shooting, helping Boston outscore Milwaukee 33-18 in the period. Tatum found Queta wide open in the paint, who threw down a big jam to put the Celtics up 58-45 at halftime.
Things got uglier for the Bucks in the third, as the Celtics opened with a 7-0 run and stretched their lead to 20. Herro also hobbled off the court with an apparent knee injury after being fouled by Derrick White, but thankfully, returned later in the game. To their credit, the Bucks showed resolve; Turner converted an and-one layup over Queta and Kuzma knocked down a three to trigger a Boston timeout. Ousmane Dieng saw his first minutes in nearly four games and made his cameo count with a pull-up midrange jumper to cut the Celtics’ lead to 16. Ryan Rollins also began to pick up steam from long range, but Boston still held a huge advantage, leading 91-74 entering the final frame.
Pritchard fired a step-back three, and Brayden Burries responded with a midrange jumper to start the fourth quarter. Boston continued to dominate Milwaukee, though they slowed marginally as they brought in their deep rotation to finish the game. That was no matter, though, because they still had Pritchard on the court, who connected on three three-pointers within two minutes. Special hat tip to Dieng, though, who scored eight points in the fourth quarter along to get his year heading back in the right direction. The Celtics coasted to a comfortable 20-point lead, dropping the Bucks to 1-9 in their first 10 games.
Stat That Stood Out
The battle on the glass was one-sided today. Boston grabbed 20 offensive boards to Milwaukee’s nine and led the game in rebounds, 48-36. Boston picked up a lot of second-chance points through the efforts of Queta and Robinson, which ultimately helped the Celtics pull away in the second quarter.
Obscene Overreaction
Ousmane Dieng deserves a permanent spot in the rotation after that fourth quarter. Dieng shined in his limited minutes, scoring 10 points on perfect 3/3 shooting. Dieng has struggled this season, especially finding a rhythm from beyond the arc and competing with wings for playing time, but he certainly took a step forward against Boston. It could translate to more meaningful minutes in Tuesday’s outing against the New York Knicks.
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) reacts after a dunk during a game against the Brooklyn Nets in Dallas, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026.
DALLAS — The Nets let go of the rope Sunday. There was a disconnect, bad body language and even worse defense.
And the result was as horrible as it sounds, a 130-93 beating at the hands of the Mavericks before a crowd of 19,184 at American Airlines Center.
Looking sluggish and spent, the Nets got shredded on defense, never led, fell behind by 37 and were noncompetitive the whole night.
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) reacts after a dunk during a game against the Brooklyn Nets in Dallas, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“Yeah, obviously defensively we were not connected, and we made a lot of mistakes. And then a team like this, when they’re in rhythm with the players that they have, it’s when you can get hurt,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “They made some tough ones, and we also allowed some. I thought offensively, we created good shots, but we again turned it over too much — and the nature of the turnovers, 17 turnovers for 24 points. That’s just not acceptable.
“And a lot of them were like we’re trying to run in transition and we give it to the other team, and those are tough. We still created 21 turnovers with 25 points, and I think that that’s the pressure and who we want to be. But overall, a poor defensive game.”
That’s an understatement.
The Nets (2-8) saw Cooper Flagg dominate with 25 points, 12 assists and five rebounds while Kyrie Irving scored 21 against his former team.
Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 19 points and nine boards, but Julius Randle struggled with just 13 and finished a minus-33. This team isn’t capable of winning with that sort of performance from Randle.
The Nets allowed 57.1 percent shooting, including 61.9 percent in a first half that saw them trail 66-46, and unlike the Hawks a day earlier, they never rallied.
Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving (11) drives to the basket against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Getty Images
The Nets had caught Atlanta on the tail end of a back-to-back and built a 17-point cushion. They even led by four with 1:45 to play before coughing up 10 unanswered points, letting the Hawks close the game on a 14-7 run.
Fernández had hoped they could replicate their energy from the night before, but actually sustain it. Instead, apparently they had exhausted it.
“The second quarter, we didn’t make shots, didn’t play defense,” Randle said. “They were giving a lot of stuff off of switching. But credit to them, they executed really well.”
The Nets shot 38.8 percent and 11-for-39 from deep.
Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., center, tries to score against Dallas Mavericks defenders Daniel Gafford, left, and Cooper Flagg on Nov. 8, 2026. AP Photo/LM Otero
Brooklyn fell behind by 13 in the first quarter, and that deficit doubled to 26 in the even sloppier second.
When Randle threw the ball behind Porter coming upcourt, it was a turnover on the sideline with 1:48 left in the half. The latter banged the ball on his head in frustration.
But the sequence that really typified the evening for Brooklyn?
Noah Clowney got whistled for a foul on Morez Johnson Jr., and the two had to be separated with 3:51 left in the third quarter as the officials went to replay to see whether the Net forward had committed a flagrant. The replay showed that Johnson had actually brazenly knocked Clowney to the court on the other end of the floor moments earlier, so he was assessed a technical.
Then Moritz Wagner clanked the ensuing free throw with the Nets trailing 92-62.
Clowney promptly fouled out to salt the wound.
“We couldn’t make shots, they made a lot of them. And then once adversity hits, it seems to be really difficult for us to kind of get our head out of … whatever it is,” Wagner admitted.
“It’s never all bad, and it’s not all good, you know. It never is as bad as it looks, but our body language does drop. We lack a little maturity there as a group. It’s nobody’s fault; it’s just everybody kind of in new roles, everybody getting used to it, which is an excuse. It’s something we have to look in the mirror for, everybody for himself and kind of figure it out.”
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 08: Head coach Will Hardy of the Utah Jazz reacts in the third quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on November 08, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Jazz 115-110. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well… We can only go up from here right? The Utah Jazz suffered yet another road loss Sunday night at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, without Anthony Edwards. Now 1-9, the Jazz tonight matched the 2013-14 Utah Jazz for the worst 10-game start to the season since the team has been in Utah. As you will recall, that 2013-14 squad included a rookie Rudy Gobert and head coach Ty Corbin… So, that is definitely not great at all!
The Bench
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – NOVEMBER 08: Kyle Filipowski #2 of the Utah Jazz shoots the ball against Joan Beringer #19 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at Target Center on November 08, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Even under ideal circumstances, you are just not going to win a lot of basketball games when your bench unit is as poor as the Jazz’ bench was tonight, and honestly, really all year. Tonight, the Jazz bench scored only 2o points. Not only were they not scoring points, but they were bleeding points on the other end with extremely porous defense. With three of the Jazz’ most important players already not in uniform, and Keyonte George clearly hampered by illness, you just need bench guys to come in and at least hold the line by making some shots or getting stops on defense. None of those things happened.
More Injuries
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – NOVEMBER 08: Keyonte George #3 of the Utah Jazz reacts to an apparent injury against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at Target Center on November 08, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Jazz 115-110. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Already down three starters in Jusuf Nurkic, Lauri Markkanen, and Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George joined the ever-growing list of injuries for the Jazz when he suffered an ankle injury in the 4th quarter. Aside from the fact that today is Keyonte’s 23rd birthday and it sucks to get hurt on your birthday, if Keyonte is out for an extended period of time with this ankle injury, the Jazz truly might be in a whole different realm of trouble. Here’s to hoping Key can rebound quickly and get back on the court soon.
The Shining Pillar of Hope
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 8: Darryn Peterson #22 of the Utah Jazz shoots a three point basket during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 8, 2026 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
With all the doom and gloom surrounding the Utah Jazz right now, Darryn Peterson showed up and showed out tonight, proving once again why he was the #2 overall pick in the draft. Darryn finished the night with 26 points 6 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 52.4% from the field and 50% from three.
Darryn Peterson is the only rookie this season to have a game with 25+ PTS & 0 FTA. pic.twitter.com/z5Qt3Mnkxp
All of that, while not shooting a single free throw, indicating there is still plenty of room to grow. His aggressiveness and decisiveness were clear throughout the entirety of the game. Some of that was out of pure necessity due to the number of guys not in the game for the Jazz, but Darryn very obviously starting to get more comfortable in his abilities on an NBA floor. As the season progresses, it is very reasonable for Jazz fans to expect Peterson to clearly take the reins as one of the best, if not THE best, player on this Jazz squad.
Anyways, you can’t go 73-9 without losing 9 games… We move.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 08: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a late second half three point basket against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on November 08, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One trait JJ Redick teams will have is that they play hard.
Redick had a revelation of sorts early in his coaching career that just trying hard was enough to mask over flaws on most nights in the regular season. From that point on, the Lakers have, for the most part, tried hard.
With previous rosters, playing hard looked different because of a lack of energy or athleticism across the board. On a younger, more athletic, more tenacious team like this, playing hard looks like a team without their superstar jumping all over the Pistons on the road in the first quarter.
It’s quite the encouraging trait to have.
So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
This is Thybulle’s third consecutive subpar offensive game. He’s hit just one of his last nine threes in the span. Unironically, no longer shooting no-dip threes might have messed with his timing. I don’t think his starting spot is in jeopardy yet, but there are plenty of options behind him.
An interesting use of LaRavia in this game as he was more of a ballhandler with the Lakers down Luka Dončić. I had hoped that experiment stayed in the 2025-26 season, but it wasn’t disastrous on Sunday.
Kessler’s ability to stuff the stat sheet is going to make him a sneaky 5×5 candidate. Seven of his 16 rebounds were on the offensive glass and each one felt like it led directly to another basket. A huge showing from him.
Almost all of Grimes’ production came in the first quarter, but it was all very useful. He hit four of his first five shots and was a necessary ballhandler to alleviate some of the pressure off Austin Reaves.
Even if he faded as the game went, this was a far more encouraging performance from Grimes than most of his recent outings.
This is everything you needed from your nearly max player with your superstar out. He took on every bit of Luka’s role, dealt with the intense ball pressure all night long and still put up 43 points on great efficiency.
Vando was immediately impactful in the first quarter, grabbing nearly as many rebounds in that quarter (5) as he had in his last three games (6). His only basket came on a great finish on an and-one as well.
Credit to him for remaining ready even after falling out of the rotation with Adou Thiero’s return.
For a number of reasons, this was a really strong performance from Ziaire, none more so than his clutch baskets in the fourth quarter. He stepped up and knocked down some huge shots and rightfully closed this game.
You know what? Fair play to Sexton. It still wasn’t a perfect game, especially with him fouling on a 3-pointer at the end. But the Lakers needed him and he had some important buckets throughout the game.
Grade: B+
Adou Thiero
Another brief cameo from Thiero as he works his way back from injury. He still had a highlight with a big dunk after corralling an offensive rebound. It will be interesting to see how his knee responds and if he’ll be available against the Hawks.
JJ Redick
Great work from Redick to have the team ready to go from the start on Sunday. They jumped out to an early lead and forced the Pistons to play from behind all game. He has this team in a great spot mentally and schematically right now.
MILWAUKEE, WI - NOVEMBER 8: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 8, 2026 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images). | NBAE via Getty Images
The Boston Celtics traveled to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks in their second meeting of the season. The first quarter was close, but Boston outplayed the Bucks through the final 3 quarters to comfortably win the game, 117-97. Paul George led Boston with 27 points on the night, Jayson Tatum had 21 points as the Boston Celtics move to 8 wins on the season. Mike Conley started his 1,143rd game in the NBA alongside Derrick White in the backcourt, with Jayson Tatum, Paul George, and Neemias Queta in the frontcourt. Milwaukee started Tyler Hierro, rookie Brandon Burries, Kyle Kuzma, Jaime Jacquez Jr., and Myles Turner in their fifth home game at Fiserv Forum.
Milwaukee came out of gates rolling; they went 8 of 11 from the field to start the game. Boston was ice cold at the other end, going just 2 of 10. Kyle Kuzma outscored Boston by himself with 14 points in just 5 minutes of play shooting the lights out with 4 triples to start the game. Boston was down early, 6-17, before Joe Mazzulla eventually called a timeout.
Kuzma eventually cooled off, bricking a pair of threes as Boston had seemingly weathered the early storm. Jayson Tatum had 9 points to start the game, with 3 triples of his in the first seven minutes. Jordan Walsh, Payton Pritchard, Mitchell Robinson, and Sam Hauser checked into the game with Jayson Tatum, the only starter for either team to play the first 12 minutes.
Boston cut the Bucks lead to just 7 points at the 2-minute mark, the C’s making inroads on the scoreboard as Kuzma and Hierro went to the bench in the first quarter.
Boston kept getting stops to end the quarter and eventually cut the Bucks lead to just 2 points, 25-27. A stunning comeback considering the early hole they dug themselves to start the game. Tatum led the way for Boston with 16 points in 12 minutes of play. Boston only had four scorers after the first quarter; Paul George and Mitchell Robinson had 4 points each, and Queta made 1 of 2 free throws.
Luka Garza and Baylor Scheierman got into the game to start the second quarter and raised the defensive intensity for Boston with a pair of hustle plays. Paul George drained a fadeaway three-pointer to give Boston their first lead of the game, 28-27. PG scored all 8 points to start the second quarter before Bucks’ head coach, Taylor Jenkins, called a timeout.
Baylor Scheierman had a two-hand dunk in front of the visitor’s bench, which had the Celtics’ players up off their seats. Derrick White had 5 quick points for Boston as the C’s went on a 17-7 run to start of the second quarter. Jayson Tatum had a long 7-minute spell on the bench and returned to the game with Boston up by 10 points, 44-34, with 4 and a half minutes to go in the half.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 08: Kyle Kuzma #18 of the Milwaukee Bucks defends Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics in the first quarter at Fiserv Forum on November 08, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The second quarter was all Paul George for Boston; he poured in 16 points in the 2nd quarter, heading to the bench after a solid 10 minutes of play. Boston were in complete control at halftime with a 13-point lead, 58-45.
Boston opened up the third quarter where they left off, they hit seven straight points in the first 2 minutes of play. Queta hit a tip layup, followed that up with a fadeaway jumper, Boston up by 20 points, 65-45. The Boston lead swelled to 23 points at one point before Kyle Kuzma and Ryan Rollins had back-to-back 3-pointers for Milwaukee to cut it back to 16.
Mitchell Robinson provided some great minutes to close out the third for Boston, he had a tip in basket and a lob dunk for his 12th point of the night, Boston in cruise control to close out the third quarter.
Payton Pritchard went supernova to start the 4th quarter, he hit 3 triples in a row for Boston as they were looking to close it out on the road before a big game in Philly on Tuesday night. Boston connected on 6 three-pointers midway through the fourth quarter, they had a 109-86 lead with 5 minutes left in the game.
The final minutes saw the stay ready crew take the floor for Boston, with Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Luka Garza, Jordan Walsh and Ron Harper Jr. The game was never in doubt after halftime for Boston, a clinical win on the road to a struggling team.
Boston next travel to Philly to take on Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and the 76ers, at 8pm EST.
DALLAS, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 8: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks drives against Nolan Traore #10 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half at American Airlines Center on November 8, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This time, the Net took a far more direct route to a loss.
Continuing their first legitimate road trip of the season, Brooklyn sure looked like weary travelers tonight in Dallas. They also played this one as the second half of a back-to-back, and that likely didn’t help either.
In that prior game, the Nets let a contest they had complete command over slip away in its final moments. Rookie Mikel Brown Jr. kept his team in the driver’s seat for as long as he could, dropping 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Held out for back injury management, the Nets were without him tonight, and any sense of control over whatsoever. It was in a lot of ways the worst loss of the season and that’s saying something. Br00klyn is now 2-8.
Danny Wolf got the start once again for Egor Dëmin, who’s also still out with a bone bruise in his right leg. But even with a seven-footer technically in their backcourt, Dallas looked like the bigger team early on. In the game’s first few minutes, the Nets missed an abundance of attempts around the rim and even saw three of their shots get rejected. The Mavs nearly doubled Brooklyn up on the glass as well, out-rebounding them in the first 13-7. However, they did triple them in paint scoring, adding 18 points inside to Brooklyn’s six.
Those statistical discrepancies would only swell as the game went on. By the end of it, the Nets were out-rebounded 46-30 and lost in the paint 64-40. The score was ugly too, but I’ll save that score for later.
Keon Ellis also returned to the rotation in the first after not logging any minutes yesterday vs Atlanta. Still expected to be a spark plug kind of player for the Nets this year, Ellis’ reappearance didn’t give the Nets much juice, but nobody else outside of Michael Porter Jr. could either.
Brooklyn began the game 4-of-14 from the field. Kyrie Irving alone had the same amount of field goals as them through the 3:21 mark of the first, adding nine points on 4-of-7 shooting in the opening period. But after Porter Jr. got free in transition for a few triples, everything else started to fall for him. He scored 11 points in the period’s final 2:51 and 15 in the quarter, just beating out Cooper Flagg, who had 14. That kept us out of blowout territory, with the Nets down 33-26 entering the second.
No, that’s what the second quarter was for. The Mavericks started it with an extended 21-6 run in the period’s first five minutes, quickly hurling the Nets into a 22-point hole. After a turnaround jumper from Kyrie with 4:06 to go in the quarter, it got as deep as 26 points.
“We were not connected, and we made a lot of mistakes,” Fernández said. “And then a team like this, when they’re in a rhythm with the players that they have, it’s when you can get hurt. And I think they made some tough ones, and we also allowed some.”
Were than any positives? Nolan Traoré continued to look like a confident, true point guard, navigating around the Dallas defense, directing traffic, and picking the right shooting spots. Turnovers, which were a major problem in the fumbled game vs the Hawks, also weren’t as abundant. The Nets even won that battle in the first half, forcing Dallas into 12 and only committing eight themselves.
Still, Brooklyn posted .385/.287 splits going into the break, while the Mavericks shot .619/.400, and no silver linings or improvements around the margins could cover that up. The Mavs led at half 66-46. By that point, Flagg had 20 points, seven assists, and four rebounds on just 10 shots. Brooklyn’s only man in double figures was Porter Jr., who had 16 points with seven boards on 3-of-7 downtown shooting.
If you expected the Nets to take that first-half embarrassment personally and respond accordingly, you were mistaken. By the 4:20 mark of the third, Dallas had gotten up by 30.
Things got borderline humiliating when Noah Clowney fouled out of the game with 2:23 to go in the third after shoving Morez Johnson Jr. in the chest away from the ball. They got into it earlier in the quarter too, where officials tagged Johnson Jr. with a technical foul after he knocked down Clowney on a box out. This time, however, Clowney took the guilty charge. He picked up the six fouls to disqualify himself in just eight minutes or burn.
“That’s something that he’s got to figure out,” Fernández said. “He put us on the bonus right away and in one minute, and that’s tough. And I think that it comes from a good place because I know he’s extremely competitive guy. But then doing the war on your own, it’s just tough at times.
“You got to choose the right way to do it, and channel all that energy and sometimes frustration the right way. I think the one person that you know is helping him and will help him is Juwan [Howard] because he’s been there. I know that the intentions are great. It’s just, keep doing what’s best for the group. A nd we need Noah Clowney. L ike that first half against Charlotte, we don’t win that game without him, so we need the best version of himself because we know how good he is.”
PJ Washington waves as Noah Clowney fouled out of tonight’s contest with the 4th quarter still remaining. pic.twitter.com/OoLPvAbYEK
And, at the same time, the Mavericks kept inflating the lead, just having fun out there. With two seconds left to go in the third period, Naji Marshal connected with Kyrie with a beautiful cross-court dime to set him up and-one…
Dallas also opened the fourth with a Cooper Flagg three after Wolf went under a screen for him, which extended their lead to a game-high 32 points. Flagg might’ve had a career night had the Nets been more competitive and gave Dusty May any reason to keep him in, but the star sophomore didn’t play past the 8:28 mark of the fourth. He still finished with 25 points, five rebounds, and a career-high 12 assists while shooting 8-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from deep. Irving finished with 21 points, four assists, and three rebounds while shooting 9-15 from the field and 2-7 from three.
Around that point, Drake Powell and Josh Minott came in, giving us something fresh to watch, even if necessarily not fun.
Minott did hit two “Chris-Paul-hits-a-huge-three-to cut-the-lead-to-down…” shots on back-to-back possessions on near the quarter’s midpoint. Leveraging the defense’s newfound awareness of his shooting, he attacked a closeout and got up for a jam a few minutes later as well. He finished the game with 10 points, two steals, and two rebounds while shooting 4-of-10 from the field and 2-of-8 from deep.
Powell got through the defense for a rushed, but made floater that came back down and in after bouncing high off the back iron, but produced little outside of that.
With Brooklyn still down 25+, Dallas gave Jett Howard, son of Nets assistant coach Juwan Howard, some run as well. In front of his pops, he added five points and grabbed a rebound in three minutes of play.
That was cool. Everything else that happened on the court tonight was not. The Nets ended up losing by a whopping 37 points, where nobody on the team put up more than 20 points. Porter Jr. got up to 19 with nine rebounds while shooting 9-of-19 from the field and 4-of-11 from three. Randle contributed 13 points, four assists and four rebounds while shooting 5-of-10 from the field. He also had three turnovers and was a -33. Traoré got to 14 points and two dimes, shooting 6-15 from the field and 2-of-6 from deep.
Final: Dallas Mavericks 130, Brooklyn Nets 93
Next Up
Brooklyn’s road trip continues with a Wednesday evening game in New Orleans vs the Pelicans. The Pels are 4-5 at the time of writing. The Nets split their series against them last year. This one tips off at 8:00 p.m. EST.
DALLAS, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 8: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at American Airlines Center on November 8, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks (6-4) made quick work of the hapless Brooklyn Nets (2-8) on Sunday at American Airlines Center, scoring a 130-93 win behind 25 points and 12 assists from Cooper Flagg. Kyrie Irving added 21, and Daniel Gafford had 18 points and three blocked shots in the win as well.
Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 19 points and nine rebounds in the loss. The 37-point margin of victory against Brooklyn was the largest for the Mavs since Oct. 22, 2022, when they beat the Memphis Grizzlies 137-96.
Flagg scored eight quick points in the game’s first five minutes, and when he went to the bench midway through the opening quarter, Irving took over from there. Flagg’s finger roll in secondary transition just 4:16 into the proceedings put Dallas ahead 13-5, then Irving scored on back-to-back possessions, including a finger roll of his own in traffic with 5:13 left that put the Mavs up 17-11.
Walter Clayton Jr.’s hit Dallas’ second 3-pointer of the game two possessions later, on an assist from Morez Johnson Jr., to make it 22-12 and force Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez into a timeout. Irving knocked down a little teardrop after a whirling dervish drive to the bucket to give him nine points in the quarter and extend the Mavericks’ lead to 26-13 with just over three minutes left in the frame. After Michael Porter Jr. hit two straight contested 3-balls to bring Brooklyn back to within six, Flagg converted a beautiful spinning 3-point play with two minutes left in the first, and Dallas was back up 30-21.
Despite another driving dunk being called off for an offensive foul on the play, Flagg finished with 14 points in the first, and Dallas led 33-26 after one.
Dallas opened up a huge lead in the second quarter as Flagg’s run of brilliance continued. You had to wonder when Mavericks head coach Dusty May would look to start resting Flagg and other key contributors as the lead swelled to 19 just four minutes into the second. The Mavs were on the front end of a back-to-back set with a game against the Indiana Pacers looming on Monday.
Flagg found Naji Marshall alone in the corner for his fourth assist of the first half to make it a 22-point lead on a baseline 3-pointer with seven minutes left before the break. All of a sudden, the Mavs were on a 15-2 lead and the Nets hadn’t scored in over three minutes. The Mavericks led 66-46 at the break.
Despite a somewhat sloppy third quarter, the Mavs outscored the Nets 34-25 in the period to cement the blowout as Brooklyn began to fold. Marshall found Irving with a pinpoint lead pass in transition with two seconds left in the third for a three-point play up ahead that made it 100-71 going into the fourth.
Dallas coasted home for the 130-93 win, resting Flagg, Irving and Gafford for most of the fourth. Santi Aldama showed progress in his second game of the season, too, finishing with 12 points off the bench.
Flagg announced his presence with authority in that first quarter, nailing his first 3-pointer of the contest on the Mavs’ last possession of the frame, then using one dribble to get into the lane and rising up for a vicious slam over Noah Clowney on Dallas’ first possession of the second. Danny Wolf drew the initial defensive assignment on Flagg for Brooklyn, and the young man simply had no hope of containing the combustible force that Flagg is morphing into before our very eyes.
After assisting on two straight Daniel Gafford three-point plays early in the second, Flagg got the ball along the perimeter late in the shot clock with Wolf sagging off one step too many to avoid another blow-by. Flagg stepped back for his second 3-ball as the shot clock expired to put the Mavericks up 47-32 with 9:22 left in the first half. Flagg had already collected 20 points to that point on 7-of-8 shooting.
After exploding for 14 points in the first, Flagg added six more in the second quarter, but dished seven dimes in the frame as he sucked the helpless Brooklyn defense into his gravitational vortex and adjusted to what the game presented him. He doled out five more dimes in the third, before nailing his third 3-ball of the game early in the fourth to extend the Mavs’ lead to 103-71.
Flagg made three of his five 3-point attempts on the night before going to the bench for some rest with 8:20 left to play.
Overcoming turnovers
Despite the domination on the scoreboard, the Mavericks turned the ball over 12 times in the first half, including two rare palming violations. Flagg was called for palming late in the first quarter, and Santi Aldama, in just his second game with the team, was called for another along the perimeter while trying to fight through a screen late in the second.
Aldama scored his first bucket of the game a possession after being called for his palming violation, on a fading jumper over Wolf with 1:30 left in the half, to extend Dallas’ lead to 23, up 63-40. Flagg found Aldama open along the right wing for a 3-pointer with about a minute left in the second to make it 66-44.
The Mavs dominated the Nets in the paint (64-40) and off the bench (58-31) in the win to overcome a little bit of uncharacteristic carelessness on offense. Dallas finished with 20 turnovers in the win.
Despite getting out to an awkward start on offense in the first quarter, Gafford turned in another quality performance on the interior for the Mavericks in the win. He was consistently on the receiving end of open looks as the Brooklyn defense sent multiple defenders at Flagg and Irving. He scored 11 points in the first seven minutes of the third quarter as Flagg kept feeding open teammates. And that was on top of the three blocked shots and the three offensive rebounds Gafford accounted for through the game’s first three quarters.
Of Flagg’s 12 assists in the second and third quarters, five of them went to Gafford in close to the basket. Gafford cashed in seven of his eight field goal attempts on an incredibly efficient night despite three early fouls. He cut toward an empty lane with 5:17 left in the third and Flagg found him for his 12th assist of the contest to extend the Dallas lead to 90-62.
“[Flagg is] a phenomenal player,” Gafford said in his televised postgame interview. “Everybody is paying attention to him, and that leaves me with open shots. He keeps saying he’s going to get me the ball, and that’s what he’s doing.”
Gafford, Flagg and Irving combined to shoot 24-of-36 from the floor in the win.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 10: Nique Clifford #10 of the Sacramento Kings stands on the court during the second half of the preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 10, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Godofredo A. Vásquez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Thunder and the Kings completed an early-season trade that surprised most observers. Oklahoma City acquired second-year player Nique Clifford from Sacramento in exchange for two second-round picks, as first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The trade is strange from the Kings’ side, and we’ll get to it. As far as the Spurs are concerned, however, the biggest impact comes from the Thunder once again getting cost-controlled, young talent for middling draft assets to bolster their depth in the present and the near future. Let’s start there.
Clifford won’t likely make a big difference this year, but the trade puts OKC in a better overall position
First things first: Clifford is not Jared McCain. All they have in common is that they were both second-year players whose previous teams gave up on them, and they were both traded to Oklahoma City for two second-rounders. The main difference between the two is that McCain was so impressive to start his first season in Philadelphia that he was the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year for a while, before getting hurt. Clifford, who entered the league at 23 years of age, had an acceptable but unimpressive first season for a horrible Kings team. The McCain trade was a bigger deal than this one at the time, and McCain’s impact will likely be bigger than Clifford’s in the future.
With that out of the way, it’s still a good move for Oklahoma City, as they needed depth at the wing after losing Jalen Williams and likely Cason Wallace for the rest of the season. Clifford is 6’5 with a 6’8 wingspan, a jack-of-all-trades player who can fill in the gaps in lineups. He’s someone who, in theory, can contribute in many different ways, which is always helpful for good teams that already have elite scorers and creators in place and can use guys who won’t demand too many touches. There’s a really good chance he thrives as a secondary or tertiary creator in Oklahoma City while providing solid defense. Considering what it took to get him, he’s not a bad stopgap.
The real impact this trade could have, however, is on the future affordability of an increasingly expensive Thunder roster. Clifford is almost certainly not good enough to give OKC even half of the production of either of their starting wings who are out with injury, but he could be a solid depth piece going forward. He’s in the second year of a very cheap rookie deal, so Sam Presti could get almost three years of production out of him on a cost-controlled contract, which means that when everyone returns, the Thunder could have both top talent and depth, which is becoming increasingly hard to do in the apron era.
By essentially re-drafting guys using second-round picks, OKC is building a pipeline of young talent to replace their own misses in talent evaluation and veterans who become too expensive.
That’s bad news for every Western Conference team, including the Spurs.
The new lottery rules might be behind the Kings’ decision to make the trade
Both analysts and people on social media are mocking the Kings for trading a first-rounder to OKC to select Clifford in the 2025 draft only to, just after a season and change, trade him to the Thunder for two seconds. It’s a funny sequence of events from a poorly run franchise, so the jokes are understandable, but, in reality, it isn’t as bad as it might seem at first glance.
First, the first-round pick the Kings traded to get Clifford was the Spurs’ 2027 pick that they got in the De’Aaron Fox trade. The pick will likely be in the late 20s. Moving that asset for a pick of similar value (Clifford was selected 24th overall) was not necessarily a terrible idea by the Kings at the time, since they clearly liked Nique then. And cutting your losses if you think you made a mistake drafting someone is better than falling for the sunk-cost fallacy and holding on even after you’ve concluded the player just isn’t good. Sacramento actually had to send out a second-round pick to shed former lottery pick Devin Carter Jr.’s salary, so they were probably trying to avoid doing the same with Clifford, who was out of the rotation.
But there might be an explanation for the trade that doesn’t involve Sacramento thinking Clifford is a bust: the new lottery rules put the Kings in a bad position, and the move was a way to salvage something.
Starting next draft, the teams with the bottom three records will be in the relegation zone and will actually get worse odds of getting the top pick than a non-playoff team with a better record. The entire point of the change was to make sure coaches didn’t just sit their veterans with fake injuries to tank as hard as they could while trotting out lineups featuring players who didn’t belong in the NBA. It’s entirely possible that the Kings felt like they needed to put guys on the floor who could lift them to at least the fourth-worst record, and thought Clifford was not one of them. Not yet, at least. At that point, trading him before he loses all value after being buried on the bench makes sense.
The Kings’ reputation is so bad that explaining the move this way might seem too charitable, especially since even while playing their veterans, they are 1-8 and are a likely bottom-three team. Whether this specific move by this specific franchise is smart remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see more mediocre-to-bad teams with young players that need developmental minutes that just aren’t there moving on quickly while trying to get some value back.
If that’s the case, contenders should be on the lookout for re-drafting opportunities, and Brian Wright should be ready to pounce if someone he likes becomes available.
DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 8: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket during the game against the Detroit Pistons on November 8, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Who needs Luka Doncic when you have the US equivalent from Newark, Arkansas, Austin Reaves? The Los Angeles Lakers guard scored a game-high 43 as his MVP-level teammate rested with a back injury, propelling LA past the Detroit Pistons 121-116.
Honestly, the game had no reason to be as close as it was in the end. The Lakers led 40-14 one basket into the second quarter courtesy of insane shotmaking (hitting 72% from the floor) and an insane amount of Pistons miscues, including having more turnovers (eight) than made baskets (six).
But the Pistons, being the Pistons, weren’t about to give up. While Detroit pulled within one point early in the fourth quarter, the Lakers led wire to wire. So while it was only marginally competitive from Detroit’s point of view, it was certainly an instructive game. Here are some of the things I learned:
1. Kevin Huerter
Kevin Huerter is going to be a critical component of the Pistons’ rotation this season. In a game where Detroit’s entire backcourt didn’t really show up to play (both Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson were largely no-shows until some fourth-quarter scoring), Huerter was by far the biggest bright spot for the Pistons.
It also happened to be his best game in a Detroit uniform. Huerter hit four three-pointers, scored 24 points overall, and added five rebounds, five assists, five blocks(?!) and two steals. Ever since the Pistons traded for him at the deadline last season, it was clear Huerter makes winning plays, and you were hoping he’d be able to combine that with rediscovering his 3-point shooting stroke from earlier in his career. The early returns indicate the shot might be back, as well as everything that goes with it. After tonight, he’s hitting 40% from deep this season.
2. John Collins and Paul Reed
Detroit’s starting front court simply does not work, and it will never work. For as long as Jalen Duren remains sidelined or off the floor this season, this is going to be a significant issue for the Pistons. Duren is ramping back up from a hamstring injury and will be out two more weeks. Detroit has been, and will continue to be able to weather that storm. But it ain’t pretty, and any additional time off from Duren will have me significantly worried.
Most will want to pin the blame on the newcomer John Collins, and he has certainly played worse than Reed, but I think it’s the combination that brings out the worst in both players. Each is the kind of big man that relies on the gravity from teammates that allows them to use their athleticism to create the chaos that makes them effective. With both of them on the floor, it’s two bouncy balls pinging around the floor with no semblance of a plan on how to actually get the ball to the rim. The defense is also bad, and the rebounding is even worse. It’s an ugly situation, and it was exacerbated tonight by both men getting out-physicaled by the behemoth seven-footer Walker Kessler. Kessler, the Lakers’ big offseason addition, had 12 points and 16 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. The Lakers also dominated the Pistons in the paint, 58-46.
Again, the lion’s share of the blame goes to Collins. He’s been quite bad all season, and it’s getting less clear by the day how he’s going to turn it around and be a positive force for the Pistons. I don’t think he’s ever met a 50-50 ball he couldn’t surrender to the opposition. But the pathway to him playing well lies with sharing the floor with Duren. Get well soon, JD.
3. Austin Reaves
The Pistons were correct in trying to give Austin Reaves the bag this offseason. Detroit reportedly was ready to give the wing a max contract this offseason as the second scorer and potential missing piece in a Detroit Pistons title run. Once the Lakers believed the pending RFA had a max offer on the table, they quickly moved to get an agreement to sign him on the eve of free agency so he’d never hit the market.
Reaves was insane tonight. The degree of difficulty on his shots begged belief. He was able to create space, get balanced, and score at all three levels. It was a sight to behold, and he was by far the best player on the floor for either team tonight.
4. Daniss Jenkins
Daniss has that dog in him, especially under two scenarios: 1. There is an impending buzzer. 2. He feels like his team is getting punked. Jenkins was truly the other hero of the game behind Huerter. He hit yet another buzzer-beater tonight, and he scored a career-high 31 points. When the Pistons were down huge, Jenkins got that look in his eye, as if to say, “This is not going to happen.”
From there, Jenkins started firing away from deep, and he was hitting. In the end, he canned eight three-pointers. He was also the ONLY Pistons player to go to the free-throw line more than once in the game. Really, Jenkins is like a better version of Marcus Sasser. He’s got scoring in his blood, and he’s more of an off-guard than a point guard, despite being stuck in a point guard’s body. He’s got three inches on Sasser and better floor vision, so he’s better overall and can cosplay as a point guard better than Sass, but Jenkins works best in this Pistons lineup when he’s not running the offense.
4. The refs.
The referees love the Lakers. Nothing else needs to be said.
DETROIT — The Lakers’ minutes without Luka Dončić on the floor have been a problem they’ve yet to figure out during the first three weeks of the season.
Austin Reaves (15) of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
And while it got shaky at the end, the Lakers found enough answers against the league’s best defense to leave Little Caesars Arena with a victory, beating the Pistons 121-116 to improve to 9-2 on the season.
The beginning of those answers started with star guard Austin Reaves, who had his best game of the season with his backcourt co-star watching from the bench.
Reaves scored 43 points on 14-for-27 shooting for his highest-scoring and first 40-point showing of the season.
After having a brief midgame confrontation with a courtside fan, he scored 13 points in the third quarter to keep the Lakers afloat while the Pistons came back from being down 26 points in the second quarter and 13 points at halftime.
The Lakers got out to a 38-14 lead after forcing the Pistons to turn the ball over eight times, scoring 17 points directly off those giveaways.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) moves the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. NBAE via Getty Images
Quentin Grimes, who started in place of Dončić, also got off to an explosive start, scoring 10 points of his scoring total (12 points) in the first.
The Pistons took advantage of Reaves being on the bench, going on a 7-0 run when the Lakers star guard subbed out with 2:30 left in the third to cut their deficit to 84-81 before Collin Sexton (17 points) made a lauyup and a pair of free throws to give the Lakers an 88-81 lead going into the fourth.
Ronald Holland II of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
The Lakers didn’t let go from there, pulling off the wire-to-wire win despite the Pistons cutting their deficit to one midway through the fourth.
Reaves, Sexton, Walker Kessler (12 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots) and Ziaire Williams (17 points) all made big plays late to help the Lakers secure the win.
The Lakers will play the Hawks in Atlanta Monday night to close out their back-to-back set.
Reaves embodied Doncic in almost every way Sunday, leading the Lakers to a 121-116 win over the Detroit Pistons as Doncic sat out with low back tightness. The Lakers replaced the guard averaging a league-high 40.1 points with Reaves’ season-high 43 points, four assists and five rebounds.
The Lakers (9-2) needed every bit of Reaves’ magic. Their 26-point second-quarter lead nearly evaporated under an avalanche of second-half turnovers and 53 combined points from Detroit bench guards Daniss Jenkins and Kevin Huerter.
Fresh off a max contract extension, Reaves has had a quiet, yet ruthlessly efficient start to the year in Doncic’s shadow. Doncic is getting most valuable player chants each time he steps to the free throw line. Reaves, averaging 25.3 points per game on 50.8% shooting from the field and 41.3% from three, has at times looked clumsy while getting comfortable with new teammates in the minutes without Doncic.
He looked comfortable in the starring role again Sunday. Reaves hit a seemingly impossible baseline fadeaway in the first quarter, flinging the ball almost over the backboard. When two fans sitting opposite the Lakers bench started chirping at Reaves, he bent down, put his hands on his knees during a stoppage of play and talked directly at them for several seconds.
Doncic, dressed in black pants and a gray jacket, took it all in from the sideline.
“Sometimes when they’re playing together, AR kind of has to take a secondary role,” said center Walker Kessler, who had 12 points and 16 rebounds, including a clutch put-back, three-point play that put the Lakers up by eight with 2:15 remaining. “But I mean, as you can see now, he’s very capable. He’s a heck of a playmaker, heck of a scorer and a competitor.”
On the front side of a back-to-back, Doncic missed his second game of the season with low back tightness, although Lakers coach JJ Redick said he didn’t anticipate it to affect Doncic significantly throughout the season.
The Slovenian superstar is averaging a league-high 40.1 points per game, but Doncic was doing more than just scoring at rates not seen since Wilt Chamberlain. His estimated on/off of 37.7 — the difference between the Lakers’ net rating when he was on the court compared to off — was the second-highest in the league, following only Victor Wembanyama’s 41.5. In addition to having the highest scoring average through nine games since Chamberlain, Doncic is the team’s second-leading rebounder at 7.8 per game and is second with 1.7 steals.
Austin Reaves goes to the basket against Pistons guard Kevin Huerter in the second half Sunday. (Duane Burleson / AP)
But the Lakers already showed they could compete without Doncic this season. They dominated the Clippers on Oct. 28 when he was sidelined, also with back tightness.
Just as they did against the Clippers, the Lakers needed contributions from everyone. Ziaire Williams hit four three-pointers and finished with 17 points. Collin Sexton, serving as the Lakers’ second ball-handler, had 17 points on five-of-10 shooting.
Jarred Vanderbilt’s energetic six rebounds, two assists and one block in less than six minutes during the first quarter helped lift the Lakers to a 26-point lead early in the second.
The Pistons, playing without All-NBA center Jalen Duren (hamstring), didn’t get their first points from star point guard Cade Cunningham until early in the third quarter. Instead, Jenkins nearly mounted the comeback on his own.
Jenkins, a familiar Lakers foe who scored 30 points in Detroit’s win over the Lakers here last year, scored 22 points of his career-high 31 in the first half, cutting the Lakers’ 26-point lead to 13 by halftime. He drained a three-pointer at the buzzer that injected life into the antsy home crowd. The Lakers, who have benefited from two halftime buzzer-beating heaves from Doncic this season, know what it’s like to be on the other side of that momentum swing.
Pistons fans banging inflatable thunder sticks erupted in the third quarter as Detroit ripped off an 11-0 run to close the lead to three with 1:03 remaining in the quarter. The Lakers, playing with Sexton as their primary ball-handler during the stretch, had four turnovers during the drought, including a shot clock violation after a timeout.
Reaves rested from the sideline during the slide, but Redick stayed committed to the pre-determined rotation matrix to ensure star players get their necessary breaks.
“If you start just overreacting in-game and saying ‘I gotta get this guy back in, I gotta get this guy back in,’ it’s just chaos,” Redick said. “And we’re trying to create consistency for our players.”
Redick called Reaves “Mr. Consistency” earlier this season. He had 13 points in the third quarter, including five straight on difficult fadeway jumpers that pushed the lead to 17 with 6:41 to go in the third. After his step-back three from the wing kissed off the glass and rattled through the rim, Reaves shrugged.
“It was 100% lucky,” Reaves said.
Reaves shot Doncic’s shots then talked Doncic’s talk. After hitting the dagger shot to put the Lakers up by eight with 44.5 seconds left, Reaves turned and waved goodbye directly to the two fans sitting courtside.
SACRAMENTO, CA - NOVEMBER 6: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs dunks the ball during the game against the Sacramento Kings during the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup on November 6, 2026 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Spurs put together two of their finest wins during SEGABAGA road victories over Sacramento and Portland. When the NBA schedule came out, my sister and I reviewed which game that we’d want to go to, saw the airfare prices to and from Austin and San Antonio…. and concluded Sacramento made the most sense for both of us.
The best comp that I could come up with was slightly slower and less athletic Allen Iverson with Jamal Murray’s shooting range on offense. However, he and the rest of his teammates seemed lost on most defensive possessions, which resulted in quite a few paint points for San Antonio.
(Lack of) Crowd Control
Not only were there wide swaths of the lower bowl that had empty seats, but there was entire rows in the second level that lacked humans, too. Though the Kings did themselves no favors by falling and staying behind by nearly 20 points most of the game, the ambience itself lacked the fervor of past seasons.
Things I saw in-person that I haven’t noticed on the good ole television:
Luke Kornet seems 15-20 pounds heavier than last season.
Domantas Sabonis tried a lot of his bull-in-a-china-shop physicality on Wembanyama in the paint – something that worked well in earlier seasons – but found it no longer works for him beyond occasionally.
Dylan Harper (see highlights below) looked like the best guard out there.
Wembanyama suffered his infamous face-plant during game 2 of the first-round series and turned his ankle rather gruesomely on Sabonis’ closeout tonight – so maybe I shouldn’t be going to these games in-person anymore.
I’m sad I didn’t get video evidence of Jordan McLaughlin’s dunk attempt in the second half. It was impressive!
Chik-Fil-A rewarded its fans with a free appetizer if a Spur missed two free throws in a row, and this might have been the biggest win tonight in Sacramento…. with the exception that fans had to claim their victory a) in the app and b) before 10 AM the next morning. I’ll take breakfast tacos anytime.
What started as a bad omen but ultimately was a big nothing-burger: the Spurs’ rim was being repaired for over 20 minutes right after Wembanyama finished his pre-game prep, affecting the tip-off by roughly 15 minutes or so. Right before the repairs took place, I was impressed with Wembanyama’s (mostly) in-motion routine instead of just practicing stand-still jumpers:
The audacity AND accuracy of Stephon Castle’s re-direction here to Vassell in the first period will likely put this in the season-ending highglight rankings:
These simple two-man motions with Victor and a guard and shooters on the other side are good enough to win a lot of regular season games while keeping both the big man and his teammates happy. Devin’s shotmaking ability late in the shotclock is exquisite.
On a personal note, this was the first chance to watch the Spurs in-person with my sister and her two kids since my dad passed. During the last Spurs game here in Sacramento on March 17, my dad suffered his last major fall hurriedly trying to get into his TV room to watch the game. My Kings rep Gavin was kind enough to gift us post-game free throws, and Shirley credited my dad for willing her free throw into the net.
My attempt felt like a ham-fisted Shaq free throw coming out of my hands, but it also founds its way home:
