Category: NBA

This is the fifth and final of a series of roundtable questions I’m asking the staff here at Peachtree Hoops about the Hawks this upcoming season. The final question: what is your regular season record prediction for the Hawks this season and where do they finish in the Eastern Conference?

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Wes: My prediction may seem a tad pessimistic, but I have misgivings about the top end offensive talent on this roster. If Jalen Johnson doesn’t take another step, to me this might just be an average offense that struggles against top end teams.

Having said that, there’s a great chance this is an elite defensive unit with perimeter defenders for days. I think the Hawks will be able to grind out a 43-39 record in super deep Eastern Conference and land the 7th overall seed, placing them in pole position to advance to the playoffs through the Play-In Tournament.

Garrett: I have the Hawks going 48–34 and finishing as a top-six seed. There will still be growing pains, particularly when the offense slows down, but I expect this group to win enough games to earn a playoff spot without going through the play-in.

Graham:  The Eastern Conference got better, there’s no question about it. Teams that finished below the Hawks last year include the Sixers, Heat, Magic, and Pacers; they all stand to be significantly better this season (other than, perhaps, Orlando). And when you look at the teams who finished above the Hawks – the Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, Cavaliers, and Raptors – the only teams you could say may drop below the Hawks are the Pistons, and the Raptors (if Kawhi Leonard doesn’t play many games). In saying that, the Hawks also improved. I think the Hawks can win 46-50 games this season, so I’m going to predict a 47 win season and finish 6th in the Eastern Conference. 

I’m leaning towards 47-35 because I expect the bottom teams in the East will want/need to win more games to avoid the NBA Draft relegation zone, so those teams who the Hawks picked off at the back-end of last season may not come as easy this time around. Nevertheless, I think 46 wins and sixth in an improved East would be a very impressive season – this Eastern Conference is stacked, and the Hawks are one of those teams who will showcase that depth this season. 

Malik: Even though my bold was that the Hawks finish as a top-2 seed, realistically, I think they’ll finish 47-35. There’s no doubt that they got better this season, but the Eastern Conference got better as well. There’ll be no days off for any team, and they’re going to have to bring their best every night. The Hawks finished sixth last season, and the teams above them got better, as well as some of the teams that were below them. 

It’s hard to tell if 47 wins will actually be enough to get into the top-six, but it should be, and the Hawks should find themselves in the playoffs for the second straight season.

The Celtics have had some special defenders over the years, players like Marcus Smart, Jrue Holiday, and Kevin Garnett who can quarterback a defense and effectively set the identity of their unit. So far, Paul George fits that mold.

Through two games, George is tied for third with his former teammate Kawhi Leonard at 3.5 steals per game. That number is amazing, while simultaneously underselling just how good he’s been.

Against the Knicks, George quietly put together a masterpiece of defensive versatility, combined with game-changing on and off ball work.

George spent time guarding every single Knicks starter. He opened the game shadowing OG Anunoby, took the Jalen Brunson matchup on the perimeter, and battled with Karl-Anthony Towns in the post. In each scenario, it was as if he had the perfect set of skills to bother them all.

In this instance, George has both Brunson and Landry Shamet to himself in transition. He quickly makes the call to stick with Brunson, asking someone else to pick up Shamet.

He sits down, slides his feet, and beats Brunson to the spot. Accepting the bump and forcing the turnover. This was one of many moments like this where he’s directly responsible for a change of possession that he doesn’t necessarily get credit for in the box score.

It’s extremely impressive that he not only has the foot speed and lateral quickness to stay in front of Brunson, but the instincts to predict what his plans are as well. He’s a player that wins with deception and shiftiness, and George was step for step with him on most possessions they faced off.

This is a nice example of how dialed in George is. Run this clip and just watch him the whole time.

There’s the versatility of being asked to chase Anunoby around a screen, and then being prepared to switch onto the smaller Alvarado. But in the aftermath of a broken coverage, it’s how he’s constantly scanning, rotating and adjusting. He manages to find a man, and effortlessly plucks the ball away from Alvarado.

Watching him glide around, it almost felt inevitable that the play would end with the ball in his hands. He is always trying to plug up the holes even when the possession has morphed into chaos.

Here we see more of his utility. On a sideline out-of-bounds play, he gets the matchup against the larger Towns.

Even with his focus occupied by the Knicks center, he immediately snaps to action, cutting off Brunson’s drive and forcing an earlier dribble pickup than he planned. It results in a tough miss, but the pair of Anunoby and Towns are there to collect it.

Staying with the play, George pokes the ball free to prevent an easy put back. He somehow still has an understanding of the possession to recognize in a millisecond the pass to the corner was coming, managing to deflect it out of bounds.

He claps his hands after that play seemingly disappointed that he didn’t get a steal. That says a lot about his instincts and playmaking abilities.

This is another moment where it’s best to roll the tape and watch George go. It’s very difficult to miss him though, he is everywhere on this possession.

There’s the smaller initial detail where he’s mindful of the matchups, sending Queta to defend Hart so he can stick with Towns. But then it’s a switch onto Brunson. Drive stopped. A switch onto Hart, same story. Then there’s the unreal reaction time to spot Brunson breaking free to the rim, and very nearly shutting that down too.

George was asking for the challenge, and he probably had an argument on the foul call but this is one of those moments where the process is much more noteworthy than the result. We might have to call him spackle with the way he covers up holes.

This one had me sitting up from my couch.

This is a 36-year-old wing with a lot of mileage chasing Brunson around screens. Then he covers up the driving angles and forces a near turnover on the pass deflected by White.

You can trust him in elite matchups on-ball, and it doesn’t feel like there’s a real weakness in his skill set. He’s comfortable navigating screens, and can handle strong or shifty creators.

He sometimes resembles a cat stalking its prey, waiting until the perfect moment to pounce.

This play unfolds so quickly. Right after the Knicks cross half court, Towns and Brunson are already working a two-man game. White gets caught up on the screen and Brunson has daylight ahead of him. In a blink, George is there and ripping the ball free almost the same moment it arrives. Any later to the spot and Brunson gets time to adjust and spray a pass to the corner.

He showed the full package in this one.

The timing of the first rotation is perfect. I appreciate the small detail of coming to a jump stop to challenge McBride, while being careful not to overcommit. He does basically the same thing on Anunoby’s drive, making sure to clear the restricted area, and leaving him caught in the air without a plan.

This level of help defense allows the Celtics to be more aggressive. They can trap, scramble, and recover knowing that George will be exactly where he’s needed.

When Walsh had Brunson, George got to play free safety. He described that role after the game.

“For me on the back end, it was kind of cool to be a safety in that moment, roam around, see where I can be helpful at, and rebound,” George said.

That’s demonstrated perfectly on this possession.

With Towns driving, Walsh, Tatum, and Queta all swarm him. This leaves George to zone up between Hart and Shamet. He reads Towns initially looking to the corner, but doesn’t fully commit, and manages to lunge back into the other passing lane. Taking it all the way to the rack after the steal is vintage Paul George.

One layer of his defensive impact that isn’t getting enough love is his rebounding. He had seven against New York and five in Detroit.

He’s not alone, but getting involved on the glass here likely kept points off the board with Drummond getting good position. He had several contested rebounds, and makes a legitimate effort to find a man and box them out too. Being able to secure a stop with a rebound matters a lot, and George has really done his part there.

We’ve talked about his versatility, and being able to handle different types of matchups. Here he’s battling for position with Towns.

Towns really wanted this ball, and George wasn’t going to let him have it without working for it. What started as a true post up ended with Towns pushed all the way out to the perimeter. George fronted him, denying a touch until he was at the three point line. More on the rebounding front, George finds Towns and boxes him out, then cleans up the loose rebound.

He didn’t have a game saving defensive play, and it was Tatum that took them home, but a moment like this in crunch time matters.

The Knicks grab the rebound and get out running in transition 4-on-4. George should be matching up with Hart who has the ball here, but he’s able to make the instantaneous decision to go pick up Brunson instead. He meets him beyond the three point line so there’s no pull-up available. He sticks with him downhill and forces Brunson to reconsider a drive over him and Robinson. Brunson makes a seemingly open pass but George is all over it. He doesn’t quite get the steal, but he mucks up a whole possession and Towns settles for a deep three.

All it takes in a clutch game against the Knicks is one opening. If George doesn’t think to pick up Brunson in transition, he either has a shot or someone else gets freed up. Stopping these moments before they happen makes all the difference.

George is giving the Celtics everything they could’ve hoped for in his first few games. He’s been an easy fit in the system, and there’s still so much room for chemistry to grow with him on the team.

For him to still be able to handle this kind of workload is incredible. He was switching 1-5 for a full game against the reigning champions and consistently blowing up their actions. He looks like he was built in a lab for defense.

It’s early, but if he stays healthy, I’ll have no problem pushing the All-Defense agenda.

Everyone remembers the big names for the Raptors: Damon Stoudamire, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh. Lowry, DeRozan, Leonard, Siakam, and Barnes. But, in between those titans of Jurassic Park, I worry (and strongly believe) that there will be a lot of players who fall through the cracks of history, undeservingly so.

In between the purple dinosaur and the 2019 championship, there were a great many Raptors who contributed to the Raptors getting to the top of the basketball world, and for this reason, I really hope we don’t forget about Terrence Ross.

Ross played 11 years in the league, mainly for Toronto and the Orlando Magic, and occupies a minor, but very distinct position in the history of the Toronto Raptors. While on the Raptors, he never averaged 11 points in a single season, but played more than 70 games in every year on the roster.

In a 2017 article on Ross, Sean Woodley for RHQ wrote in the same story that “Ross exudes apathy. It’s his most awe-inspiring strength and simultaneously his greatest downfall,” and that “watching him break loose of his easy-going demeanor for one game leaves you salivating at the thought of him stringing performances like it together.”

To say that Ross was purely under-appreciated would be a matter of revisionist history, a business I have no interest in entering. However, it’s not any type of consistency that makes Ross a noteworthy part of those early 2010s squads. Rather, it’s his position as an important transitionary figure, who took some important steps to help the franchise move on from two of its eras of pre-championship identity.

Out with the old, in with the Ross

Ross the first player of the post-Vince Carter era to tie Carter’s single-game scoring record of 51 points, and to this day, Ross has only has his achievement surpassed by three players. Not only that, but Ross was the winner of the 2013 NBA Dunk Contest, which made him both the most recent Raptor who won the contest, but also, the first to do it since… you guessed it, Vince Carter in the year 2000.

While the Raptors have since made amends with Carter, for years after his departure to the then-New Jersey Nets, there was a genuine animosity towards the former Air Canada in Toronto. Ross’ high flying dunks and three-point shooting showed that even without Carter, Raptors players could put themselves on the map.

The “Human Torch” as he came to be known, started more than 140 games for the Raptors before ultimately being traded away to the Orlando Magic in the 2016-17 season. Who was he traded for? Serge Ibaka.

Without Ibaka anchoring the Raptors’ frontcourt in the back-half of the ‘10s, the Raptors would have had a far more difficult path to the championship, despite some publicized difficulties with an initial mesh in Toronto. Josh Kern, in a 2020 retrospective, called Ibaka the Raptors’ “hope, finally, at the power forward spot that had been a disaster since Chris Bosh left town.”

Ross’ years of service to the Raptors allowed him to be traded for the big man, in a deal that helped to uplift Toronto past years of “maybes” and into a realm of concrete success. In a roundabout way, the ghost of Ross was still present on ring night, years after he departed from the 6ix.

On the other side of the arena

That considered, Ross had a final role to play in the Raptors’ ultimate success in 2019, that being the dutifully played position of on-court antagonist to the Raptors, who faced off against him and the Orlando Magic in the first round of the ‘19 playoffs.

The Magic, then led by Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vučević, had Ross coming off the bench in a year he got some Sixth Man of the Year votes, but in the playoffs, Ross was second in the team in both point-per-game and steals, all without starting in a single game.

Orlando won the opening contest of the series before falling to the Raptors in five games, ultimately bringing the story of Terrence Ross and the Toronto Raptors to a close. But, while he ultimately came to oppose the Raptors in their greatest moments, some mercy should be extended to an old compatriot, a final reward for years of service.

Ross won’t be getting a statue outside Scotiabank Arena any time soon, but popping on his highlights and remembering “that boy nice” is a fair ode to the man’s mixed legacy in the North.

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s relationship has been scrutinized for much of the past decade. The conversation has only intensified in recent weeks, after Brown left a “cap” emoji on a behind-the-scenes Tatum YouTube video about his reaction to the trade.

Both players spoke at length to the media about their relationship this past weekend, Tatum on Friday night and Brown on Saturday.

“I don’t have any animosity or beef or ill will towards him,” Tatum said after the Celtics’ home opener. “The frustrating part is since he’s not on the Celtics anymore, the narrative or conversations haven’t been enough about what we accomplished, all the games we won, winning the championship, how we’ve grown together, right?”

Tatum also made it clear he’d like to talk with his former running mate.

“I reached out to him the day he was traded. I called, I texted,” Tatum said. “I understand people process things differently. At this point in our lives, we’re too old to be having our relationship discussed on the internet. If there’s a conversation to be had, we can definitely have the conversation.”

The next night, after the 76ers win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Brown reacted.

“I didn’t see the full thing, but I saw that he said there’s no beef, and he’s right,” Brown told reporters, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. “There’s no beef. Jayson comes from a wonderful family. We’ve accomplished some great things. He’s a hell of a basketball player. He’s got a great PR team. There’s no beef, but it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times.”

At Celtics practice on Sunday, Joe Mazzulla reacted to the saga

“Those two guys, they were together for 10 years, and they had great, great moments together,” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day, nobody is perfect. We all can be better. We all did great things. We all did things that we want to be better at. So, I think it’s more just focusing on the greatness that those two were able to achieve, and the fact that they’re both great people.”

Mazzulla also noted how different Tatum and Brown are.

“They’re different in how they play the game,” he said. “They’re different in how they handle things. They’re just — they’re different. It doesn’t mean that it’s good or bad. They’re just different.”

“We’re focused on Jayson because he’s with us. He plays for us. He’s our guy. We’re grateful for what Jaylen did in the past, but our focus goes to Jayson — who he is as a player, who he is as a person, and we just move on from there. But you never forget the gratitude and the perspective of a former Celtic who has left this place in a better place. You can’t forget that.”

Joe Mazzulla on Tatum-Brown's comments this weekend: "We're focused on Jayson because he's with us, he plays for us, he's our guy. We're grateful for what Jaylen did in the past." @CLNSMedia | Q: @GwashburnGlobepic.twitter.com/4xkbrzeP4M

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) October 25, 2026

Mazzulla was asked if he’s sad that this is what Brown and Tatum’s relationship has come to.

“It doesn’t necessarily make you sad,” Mazzulla said. “I think that’s just kind of the nature of the space that we’re in. I think you just, you have a choice to decide what we’re going to focus on.

“We make this phrase for every Celtic — once a Celtic, always a Celtic. You left this place better than you found it. You cannot forget that. You have a gratitude and a perspective of that, and then refocus on the present moment.”

But through all his comments, Mazzulla made one thing clear: Jayson Tatum is the priority.

“We can’t let a day go by where we don’t focus on Jayson’s greatness, who he is as a player, and what he does for this organization and what he’s done on and off the court,” he said. “That’s our guy now. So it doesn’t necessarily make you sad. It just forces you to choose what you’re going to focus on, and you have to focus on the gratitude and the perspective of a great former Celtic. And we’re going to choose to focus on the greatness of Jayson and what he’s done for our organization, what he’s continuing to do, and what he is going to do for us.”

Despite Jayson Tatum’s efforts to cool the conversations around the Celtics star and his former teammate, Jaylen Brown poured fuel on the fire by Saturday night.

The most recent development in the back-and-forth saga in regards to having “beef” with one another, Brown — now a 76er — didn’t say there is as much.

However, he suggested there are “lamp chops and some gravy” and that Tatum “should stay ready at all times.”

“I didn’t see the full thing, but I saw that he said it’s no beef, and I think he’s right,” Brown said of Tatum’s most recent comments following the 76ers’ 127-116 victory over the Bucks on Saturday. “There’s no beef. Jayson comes from a wonderful family. We’ve accomplished some great things. He’s hell of a basketball player. He’s got a great PR team. There’s no beef, but it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times.”

When a follow up question came, asking why he said that Brown stated “That’s what it is.”

“No beef. It should never, ever be that. It’s just basketball. We both blessed. But it might be a little lamb chop. We’ll be alright,” he concluded.

The he-said, he-said all stems from a comment Brown made on Tatum’s post of the new episode of his “The Sit Down” series on Thursday.

The episode highlighted how Tatum learned of Boston trading Brown to Philadelphia during the offseason in July. He explained he was “caught off guard as the rest of the world.” That didn’t seem to sit right with Brown, who commented the blue cap emoji on the post.

The following day, Tatum responded to Brown’s comment during his postgame press conference after the Celtics’ win over the Knicks, stating the situation “ain’t no f–king Shaq and Kobe.”

“I understand we’re in the entertainment business. Me personally, I’m not much of an off-the-court entertainer type of guy,” the 28-year-old said. “For me, I don’t have any animosity or beef or ill will towards him. I think the frustrating part is, since he’s not with the Celtics anymore, the narrative or the conversations haven’t been enough about what we accomplished. All the games we won, winning a championship, how we’ve grown together. And it’s turned into this drama type of thing.

“I’ve seen all these things about ‘get your popcorn ready when they play.’ This ain’t no f–king boxing match. I play basketball. Again, there’s no animosity. There’s no beef. I just hate the way the conversation and the narrative around it when there’s not enough communication. And I think a conversation would solve or put out a lot of fires.”

After Saturday’s game, Brown was asked if his cap emoji comment was meant to suggest Tatum was lying about the true sequence of events in Boston. Yet, he dodged the question.

“Hey, look, like I said, there’s no beef. The PR and all that type of stuff, it is what it is. But I think we’re just both focused on what’s in front of us,” the 30-year-old said.

In 2016, the Celtics drafted Brown third overall in the NBA Draft. The following year, Tatum was taken third overall out of Duke.

Since then, the two have been defining figures for the franchise.

Since the 2016-2017 season, the Celtics made four Eastern Conference Finals appearance and two NBA Finals berths. The two led Boston to take home the title in 2024 and Brown won the Finals MVP.

Despite their successful history, it’s unknown if the two will reconcile their differences. When asked if he’s open to having a conversation with Tatum, it didn’t seem high on Brown’s to-do list.

“We both got so much stuff in front of us. So, you know, at the end of the day, he gotta do what he gotta do for his team. I gotta do what I gotta do for my team,” he said.

The 76ers will host the Celtics for their first meeting of the season on Nov. 10 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Through three games, Joel Embiid has been healthy and available.

That wouldn’t be notable for most players, but Embiid didn’t play all three of the first three games of the 2024-25 or 2025-2026 seasons.

While he’s not likely to play Sunday in the Sixers’ second leg of their home back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons, it won’t be for lack of trying.

“I have no idea,” Embiid said when asked about the plan to play him Saturday. “I actually want to play tomorrow, so can you guys put pressure on them?”

Embiid relented a little, understanding there are still 79 games to go and greater goals ahead.

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask them, but obviously you get three days off,” he said. “Could have been two, but you get three days off. It doesn’t really matter. It’s all about the beginning of the season. It’s going well, so I guess more time you can get to recover, the better, and then get used to it.”

Still, Embiid couldn’t help himself.

“But yeah, I want to play tomorrow, so start writing articles. Put pressure on them so they let me play,” he said playfully.

It makes sense Embiid would want to keep things rolling. He put up a triple-double in the team’s 127-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday, moving the Sixers to 3-0 on the young season.

Embiid’s performances have been a mixed bag — unsurprising, as Embiid is a notorious slow starter and still needs to adjust to his new superstar teammates, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. On the one hand, he’s looked better physically than he has in two years and is contributing to winning. On the other hand, he’s still not moving like his former MVP self and is still feeling out his place in a new offensive ecosystem.

After a poor shooting performance on opening night, Embiid has been much more efficient in his last two games. He was 8-for-20 against the Bucks, but did have an outstanding stretch in the fourth quarter, being the team’s offensive hub. He seemed to make the right plays consistently throughout the night. His 10th assist came at a great time as Brown nailed a three late in the game to extend a shrinking lead back to six.

With James sitting the first leg of the back-to-back, Embiid became the team’s primary facilitator. The abundance of talent allows Embiid to play his preferred brand of basketball.

“I get more fulfilled when I play team basketball and the ball is moving and I’m making plays for everybody,” he said. “Like it just feels so much better as a basketball player. A night like tonight … that’s the way I like to play. The ball moves, everybody’s touching it, side to side, and then that’s good offense.”

So much for all that there’s only one ball! talk.

Embiid isn’t moving like he was in 2023, but you have to be encouraged by what you’ve seen so far if you’re the Sixers. This is a guy who thought he might have to retire not all that long ago. To get to this point three games into the season is a positive start.

Even Embiid knows he still has work to do, but he believes he can do it — no small thing for a player who’s lacked confidence in his body the last several years.

“I’m happy that I’m playing basketball, but I’m not really happy about the way I’ve been playing,” Embiid said. “I just haven’t been efficient. Not even close to what I should be. So, yeah, that’s the part that I got to work on.

“But everything else, kind of getting the feeling back, whether it’s on defense, rebounding, making plays for guys — slowly getting there. But as myself, as the great scorer that I’ve always been, I gotta figure it out because I think once I really get back to myself — whether it’s in the post, midrange, from three — that’s going to be a game-changer for us.”

Embiid, Edgecombe and Walker out for Sixers vs. Pistons to finish back-to-back  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers on Sunday afternoon ruled Joel Embiid and Jabari Walker out for the last leg of their back-to-back. 

Embiid’s official injury report listing was “right plantar fasciitis injury management” and Walker’s was “left knee soreness.” The 3-0 Sixers will host the 2-0 Pistons on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

VJ Edgecombe was a late addition to the Sixers’ list of injuries.

The Sixers ruled Edgeceombe out with an abdominal contusion approximately 45 minutes before tip-off. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that Edgecombe picked up the injury Saturday night during the team’s win over the Bucks when he took a knee to the abdomen and was “very sore.”

Embiid, Edgecombe and Walker joined Dominick Barlow (lower back stress reaction), Ariel Hukporti (right Achilles tendon tear) and Tacko Fall (left quadriceps strain) on the sidelines. LeBron James was set to return after sitting Saturday. 

Following a 28-point triple-double in the victory over Milwaukee, Embiid made a good-natured public pitch to play. In his postgame media availability from the Sixers’ locker room, Embiid asked reporters with a smile to make it known that he felt good and wanted to go Sunday. The Sixers stuck with their original plan of Embiid splitting the back-to-back. 

Walker “tweaked his left knee” against the Bucks, Nurse said. He played 12 solid minutes, posting six points and three rebounds, before exiting late in the third quarter. 

Nurse named Dean Wade, LeBron James and Adem Bona as the Sixers he expected to play center minutes in Embiid’s absence. Detroit was also down its usual starting big man with Jalen Duren out because of a right hamstring strain. Former Sixer Paul Reed has stepped into a large role for Detroit without Duren. 

The Sixers’ starters vs. Detroit were Tyrese Maxey, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jaylen Brown, James and Wade.

Embiid and Walker out for Sixers vs. Pistons to finish back-to-back  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers on Sunday afternoon ruled Joel Embiid and Jabari Walker out for the last leg of their back-to-back. 

Embiid’s official injury report listing was “right plantar fasciitis injury management” and Walker’s was “left knee soreness.” The 3-0 Sixers will host the 2-0 Pistons on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Embiid and Walker join Dominick Barlow (lower back stress reaction), Ariel Hukporti (right Achilles tendon tear) and Tacko Fall (left quadriceps strain) on the sidelines. LeBron James is set to return after sitting Saturday night. 

Following a 28-point triple-double Saturday in the Sixers’ win over the Bucks, Embiid made a good-natured public pitch to play. In his postgame media availability from the Sixers’ locker room, Embiid asked reporters with a smile to make it known that he felt good and wanted to go Sunday. The Sixers stuck with their original plan of Embiid splitting the back-to-back. 

Adem Bona will presumably be the next center in line behind Embiid. Detroit is also down its usual starting big man with Jalen Duren out because of a right hamstring strain. Former Sixer Paul Reed should play a large role for Detroit without Duren. 

Walker “tweaked his left knee” against the Bucks, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said postgame. He played 12 solid minutes, posting six points and three rebounds, before exiting late in the third quarter. 

With 5:53 left in the second quarter, Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford grabbed an offensive rebound, dunked it home, and screamed at his home crowd. The energy play gave the Mavs a 49-43 lead, despite missing several key starters like Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving. That play prompted a timeout from San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson.

At that point, all of the doom and gloom about the Spurs’ first two games seemed warranted. The team looked sluggish and disengaged in a genuinely worrisome way. What happened to the fire and spunk this team played with last season? Johnson may have asked them the same question in the huddle during that second-quarter timeout. A different team emerged from the bench after the pep talk.

San Antonio responded with a 25-11 run after the timeout, leading to their first win of the season, 122-106.

So what changed after that point? It started with defensive pressure at the point of attack. Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and De’Aaron Fox all had multiple steals as the team forced 21 turnovers, leading to 26 points off them. The energy and intensity on defense changed after the timeout. The Mavericks’ backcourt mistakes led to easy runouts for the Spurs, igniting a scoring explosion that inevitably won the game. Just a tweak in intensity and aggression made a major difference on the scoreboard.

To start the season, San Antonio’s players and coaches have talked a lot about effort and focus. Fox cited a bad preseason, and Mitch Johnson talked about playing up to a standard and not being a team that just flips the effort switch on and off. It’s concerning that a team coming off an NBA Finals in which they blew multiple winnable games is still showing inconsistent effort. But maybe a dominant win against a team they are supposed to beat will wake them up from this early-season stupor.

San Antonio is entering an easier part of their early-season schedule with games against teams that failed to make the playoffs last year. Some dominant wins would be the type of continued response this team needs, and could signal this game as a turning point for this year’s squad.

Takeaways:

• San Antonio is still struggling to figure out its new rotation. The four-guard starting lineup has forced Johnson to change how he staggers his guards. The results thus far have been mixed. The starting lineup has a +1.8 net rating in 28 minutes, with the defense looking great and the offense shaky. Johnson has then taken Fox out first and brought him back in to run the second unit with Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, Carter Bryant/Harrison Barnes, and Luke Kornet. Small sample size here, but that lineup has a net rating of -77.8 in 9 minutes. The group simply needs more playmaking to succeed. It ultimately turns into Fox dominating the ball with limited movement, and no offensive flow. The bench lineup was on the floor for most of Dallas’ scoring runs on Saturday.
• Part of what has made those second-unit lineups look so bad, and what killed San Antonio in the playoffs last year, has been the play of Kornet. Plus-minus is not usually a great stat, but it can be helpful when it matches the eye test. Kornet was -18 in 14 minutes, going 0-2 from the field, grabbing 4 rebounds and recording 2 turnovers. He has not finished in the paint, nor protected the rim well to start this season. His offensive limitations are exacerbated by the Spurs’ lack of second-unit creation, and if he’s not crushing the glass or holding down the paint, it’s hard to find a lot of positives in having him out there.
• With Kornet struggling, the Spurs went to the rookie, Tarris Reed, to start the third quarter. The rookie helped the team go on an 11-4 run in his 4-minute stint. Reed scored his first NBA bucket on a lob from Vassell, and snatched an offensive rebound that eventually led to a Champagnie three-pointer. He had 2 points, 3 rebounds, and a turnover in 7 total minutes. That performance, and Kornet’s struggles, should earn the rookie some more minutes moving forward. We’ll see if the coaching staff gradually increases his opportunities as they did for Bryant last season.
• Victor Wembanyama had a much better game by keeping things simple against Dallas. He led the team in scoring with 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting, making 2 of his 6 three-pointers. He mainly served as a lob threat in the pick-and-roll, particularly thriving when running the action with Fox. He still took some frustrating three-pointers, but the ones he made genuinely came within the flow of the offense. He was also one of the players who benefitted from Johnson’s second-quarter pep talk. Wembanyama looked a step slow and lethargic in the first half, but responded with improved defense in the second. It was a step in the right direction, but we still haven’t seen Wembanyama put it all together this season.
• Fox was the Spurs MVP on Saturday night. He had 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting, adding 9 assists and 3 steals. He was fantastic in the pick-and-roll, developing chemistry with Wembanyama. He’s taking and making shots within the flow of the offense. He may be thriving more than any of Spur in these new guard-heavy lineups.
• Castle’s shooting may be real. The third-year guard is now shooting 37.9% from three on 9.7 attempts to start the season. He went 3-for-8 from deep on Saturday. Teams are leading him open for the most part, and he still struggles to shoot threes off the dribble, but when his feet are set, his shot looks good. If he becomes a 36%+ shooter this season, he’ll make it easier for the Spurs to play him alongside Harper and Fox.
• Keldon Johnson was back to playing the high-energy role that made him so successful last season. He had 7 points and 6 rebounds, 4 of them offensive, in his 26 minutes. Johnson continues to be at his best when he is driving hard to the cup in transition and crashing the boards.

Having completed a remarkable comeback to knock off the Pelicans on Saturday night, Nikola Jokić shifted his attention toward his unexpected next opponent: Nuggets fans who had booed the team.

The superstar center heard the jeers of an unhappy, home crowd at Ball Arena, who witnessed the Nuggets getting stomped through the first half. After leading a rally that ended in a 141-135, overtime victory, Jokić used his postgame news conference to state that those disbelieving and venting fans are not welcome in the Denver arena.

“We get booed in the first home game,” Jokić told reporters after the Nuggets’ first victory of the season. “I think those fans who booed us, they don’t need to come anymore. Because if you guys follow us, you know that we never quit. And we came back from much worse or similar situations.

“If they ask me, they are not welcome anymore.”

The Pelicans are blowing out the Nuggets in Denver

Loud boos coming from the crowd pic.twitter.com/hRGo7MKAX0

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) October 25, 2026

The Nuggets had trailed, 45-26, in the second quarter when the boos began to rain down, according to the Denver Post. Coming off a season-opening defeat in Oklahoma City, the Nuggets dug a hole as great as 23 and were losing by 16 points at halftime against a New Orleans team that is not expected to be good.

Nuggets head coach David Adelman told reporters his team’s first-half effort was “dismal.”

“I didn’t expect our team to come out the way they did,” Adelman told reporters. “It was a horrendous first half for us. But I liked the fight back.”

Perhaps motivated and clearly angered by the boos, Jokić scored eight of his 35 points in overtime and added 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his 222nd triple-double of his regular-season and playoff career, passing Russell Westbrook for the most combined in NBA history. It was the 199th of Jokić’s regular season, second to Westbrook’s 209.

As Jokić made history and led the comeback, Nuggets fans cheered. Afterward, though, Jokić remembered the boos during an odd start to his 12th season with the team.

With the Bucks going 2-3 in the preseason—beating the Thunder and Pacers and losing to the Wolves, Hornets, and Bulls—we wanted to take the fans’ pulse on whether their optimism had changed for this week’s survey. As the graphic shows, a plurality (48%) of fans were neutral, voting that they felt “about the same” as before preseason, while 38% felt worse. This left 14% of fans voting that they felt better.

VoltantheDestroyer: “About the same. Ware is worse than expected. Others non-Herro players from Miami look marginally better than expected. Burries/Ament better; Dieng worse. All in all a wash. Plus it’s preseason.”

naveed2000s: “Worse. Our key guys often looked pretty bad out there, but our overall depth makes us a great garbage time team. I had a lot of opinions on who should stay and who should go, who should be featured or not. But I’m settling into the idea of this being a complete retool season, and am not getting too attached to anyone. We may be really bad, but let’s introduce concepts and a general identity, and continually clean up the roster. See what (probably few) players emerge as keepers, trim the fat where needed, and make an impactful trade or two to set the tone.”

Nate O: “I went with Better: I’m definitely worried about Ware. I was hopeful he would slot right into a Jenkins’ run system, and there’s still time, but the early returns were disappointing. Jaquez Jr. in my opinion was “meh”- not worried, not thrilled, saving any judgements until I can see way more minutes from him regularly. He played sporadically during the preseason as many did so the hot and cold, up and down here doesn’t worry me too much for now. So the “better” is coming from Burries and Co. appearing to be ahead of schedule. I really thought he looked impressive on his drives and his court vision, but I sort of expected the pieces to look sloppier than they have been. Ament showed more promise than I ever originally gave him credit for, and Jakucionis really looks comfortable with the ball in his hands.“

The Toronto Raptors are off to a hot start so far this season, with two double-digit wins, albeit against opponents of…let’s say “uncertain” quality. Still, they’ve been more or less as advertised, especially on defence, where they’ve given up just 97 points per game and held players like Anthony Davis and Josh Giddey to to horrible shooting nights. Now, they’re hitting the road to take on the new-look Minnesota Timberwolves, who have had nothing but good vibes lately. Will the Raptors pick up another win? Let’s take a look at how the two teams match up.

On the last episode

Last year’s Raptors lost both matchups against Minnesota, both by single digits. Both teams have made notable changes since then, which could make for an exciting early-season game.

Know thy enemy

There’s a new kid in town! After a couple of seasons of hoping an aging Mike Conley can turn back the clock and buoy them at the point guard position (not to mention their point guard of the future, Rob Dillingham, not working out and already on his second team), the Wolves shocked the league by trading the jettisoning the talented-but-mercurial Julius Randle and the locally adored Naz Reid while bringing in a walking highlight reel in LaMelo Ball.

For all of his goofiness, Ball is one of the league’s premier playmakers, a rare tall guard with a dangerous handle, real creativity, and the ability to make any pass with either hand. His shot selection can be, um, optimistic, and his defensive focus has come and gone, but he’s looked like a surprisingly natural fit in his first-ever stint on a serious team with serious aspirations, even stepping up on the defensive end so far.

But Anthony Edwards’s new backcourt partner isn’t the only thing that’s changed the look of these Wolves. Jonathan Kuminga is also new in town, and starting at Randle’s old power forward spot. He’s smaller, but one of the most explosive athletes at his position. Like Ball, if the Wolves can hone in on what makes him dangerous and hide some of his weaknesses, they’ll be hell to play against. The defensive foundation in Minnesota was already strong, but the added offensive dynamism and juice in transition (Ball is electric on the break and Kuminga will no doubt get tons of alley-oop opportunities) could propel them to another level, especially if Kuminga keeps shooting like he has been this year.

Depth could still be an issue, though. Ayo Dosunmu is one of the best bench players in the league, but there aren’t exactly a ton of reliable players outside of him and Terrence Shannon Jr. Toronto’s a much deeper team and could feast if the Wolves are forced to play bench-heavy units.

Key matchup(s)

The Wolves can put up points in bunches, as they demonstrated when they dropped 131 on the road against the Miami Heat in their season opener, but the Raptors match up pretty well defensively against anyone not featuring an elite scoring centre. That being said, Rudy Gobert’s size could cause them problems as an offensive rebounder, especially if the Raps play a lot of small-ball.

Speaking of Gobert, he’s the key on the other side of the floor, as always. He’s pretty good at defending on switches (despite what viral clips of elite scorers cooking him would lead you to believe), but he’s at his best when he can organize a defence in drop coverage against teams that feature non-shooting bigs, which is exactly what the Raptors are. It’s tough to score in the halfcourt against any Gobert-led defence, but there could be opportunities to take advantage of unproven defenders like Ball and Kuminga off the ball.

This game will be the both teams’ first real test of the new season, and it’ll be must-see TV for anyone curious about how two teams at the centre of some of the NBA’s biggest offseason moves will shape up this year.

The San Antonio Spurs have big goals this season, so finally getting in the win column after an 0-2 start must have felt cathartic, especially against a rival like the Dallas Mavericks. Luckily, there wasn’t too much to complain about on Saturday.

Divisional matchups are always fun but the first half was all gas and not much brakes as both teams laid a stack of bricks from deep. The game was decided by three things: the Spurs’ offensive rebounding (which turned into 26 second-chance points) scoring off turnovers, and the defensive intensity of the fourth quarter, holding the Mavericks to 31.8 percent shooting.

Let’s check out the cool stuff.

Carter Bryant has looked lost at times to start his second season, but moves like this baseline dunk are reminders of what we can expect when his composure matches his athletic abilities.

with AUTHORITY 💥

📺 @_daznuspic.twitter.com/JsfPCHaaI1

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 25, 2026

Are the Mavs for real? Perhaps an assistant should have told coach Dusty May that it’s a terrible idea to play a zone against someone like Wemby who can stack up rebounds and jump higher than everyone else on the court. This was just too easy.

OOP THERE IT IS‼️

📺 @_daznuspic.twitter.com/wL8rYS4jWM

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 25, 2026

Stephon Castle is a hunter on defense and this was one of his three steals.

YEAH STEPH 💪

📺 @_daznuspic.twitter.com/NIKyGcTYky

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 25, 2026

Alley oops get lots of great PR, but the next most exciting play in basketball is the pick-6 in the opponent’s territory and it might be the most deflating one for them. Castle gets extra points on this one for the mean mug after the dunk.

picked his pocket 😎

📺 @_daznuspic.twitter.com/5gYcI6ey6X

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 25, 2026

I present the Showtime Spurs. This was the second time Devin Vassell blew up a pass and started the break.

all over that one 👏

📺 @_daznuspic.twitter.com/4KbTqelVcO

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 25, 2026

The thing about this Wemby lob is that it is only getting taken away with a big gamble at the expense of the arc or if the on-ball man makes a miraculous play because he grew a longer, third arm. The Spurs should be running more of these. 

🦊⬆️
👽⬇️

📺 @_daznuspic.twitter.com/mkvNkrIc7D

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 25, 2026

Yeah, this is year four of Victor doing this stuff, but it’s still hard to get over the novelty of him being that big and making this look so smooth. I must whisper “Oh my gosh” to myself a handful of times per game.

PULL UP….SPLASH 💦

📺 @_daznuspic.twitter.com/auuxBP8tvF

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 25, 2026

The rook, Tarris Reed Jr., is going to remember this moment for life and it’s cooler since the game was up for the taking at this point. He had been hovering by the dunker spot, which is a good idea for others to get open on this team. He showed some moves at school, and might be an option to turn to if a backup big needs minutes. 

FIRST NBA BUCKET FOR TARRIS 👏

📺 @_daznuspic.twitter.com/GS3OZ0hc29

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 25, 2026

I’ve said it a million times: Wembanyama post ups are gold because few in the league have the minerals to stop it, and in this instance, he had four players looking at him, making it easier for De’Aaron Fox to get loose on a curl. This arguably could’ve been a foul because Wembanyama didn’t have much landing space and got it to go anyway. 

W🤯W!

📺 @_daznuspic.twitter.com/1pBdI0MCC5

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 25, 2026

Julian Champagnie took eight shots, which is what’s needed from him, but whoever said shooters are unwilling to go to the body had clearly never heard of him. Aside, Wemby’s screen is the MVP of this play because look how wide he is standing. 

OH MY JU‼️

📺 @_daznuspic.twitter.com/ht8c9JkVLX

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 25, 2026

This would probably get a head nod from Nikola Jokić.

SBSUSHWNSOWAL pic.twitter.com/rDkVCerEe9

— Bala (@BalaPattySZN) October 25, 2026