Category: NBA

The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t have asked for a worse way to lose their season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. They were in complete control of the game in the first half, building a 29-point lead. Then they went away from everything that got them that lead in the second half, allowing the Sixers to come away with a 114-106 victory.

The Cavs will try to get the bitter taste of that defeat out of their mouths as they host the Brooklyn Nets for their home opener on Saturday night.

Brooklyn isn’t expected to compete for a playoff spot in a deep Eastern Conference. At the same time, they don’t have an incentive to tank, are led by a good coaching staff, and do have competent veterans in Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. Even if the Nets aren’t a great team, they do have the ability to steal games if you take them lightly.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (0-1) vs. Brooklyn Nets (0-1)

Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH

When: Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 PM

TV: DAZN, NBA League Pass

Point spread: Not yet set

Cavs injury report: Nae’Qwan Tomlin – OUT (back), Khalifa Diop – OUT (left knee), Ernest Udeh Jr. – OUT (G League)

Nets injury report: Tyler Bilodeau – OUT (shoulder)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Nets expected starting lineup: Mikel Brown Jr., Egor Demin, Michael Porter Jr., Julius Randle, Day’Ron Sharpe

Cavs jersey:White Association Edition uniform

Previous matchup: The Cavs have won seven straight meetings dating back to November 2024. Cleveland won the last matchup 106-102 on March 1.

Here’s a look at both teams’ regular-season impact stats from last season via Cleaning the Glass.

	Offensive Rating	Defensive Rating	Net Rating
Cavs	118.9 (8th)	115 (15th)	+3.9 (9th)
Nets	108.8 (30th)	119.6 (26th)	– 10.7 (29th)

The Detroit Pistons are getting an early-season test with three games on the road against three of the most talked-about teams in the Eastern Conference. First up is a trip to Miami to face a Heat team now led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. Afterwards, they’ll jet off to face the Philadelphia 76ers and then the New York Knicks.

First up, though, is Giannis. The Heat were embarassed 131-106 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on their opening not. There isn’t much shame to be had on being on the receiving end of a masterclass from Anthony Edwards, but 30-point blowouts are not what Miami had in mind when they traded for Giannis. The star forward equitted himself quite well, scoring 35 points and getting to the line 14 times. But outside Antetokounmpo, the lineup lacked punch and the bench was nonexistent. That was sorta the worry when Miami made their big moves.

For the Pistons, this could be a night where their depth is what propels them past the Heat. Detroit has a deep roster of folks who all defend their ass off, but can also occasionally pop off for buckets. Case in point, Game 1 hero Javonte Green. Perhaps tonight it will be Daniss Jenkins. Or maybe Ron Holland. Or maybe Isaiah Joe. But it feels like the game will be won when the lineups start changing.

Game Vitals

When: 8 p.m. ET
Where: Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
Watch: TV: 20 Detroit | Streaming: DAZN
Odds: Pistons -1.5

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (1-0)

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, John Collins, Jalen Duren

Miami Heat (0-1)

Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo

Rui Hachimura is now in his fifth NBA season in Los Angeles but returns to Crypto.com Arena wearing a different uniform.

He spent the past three-plus seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers before signing with the L.A. Clippers as a free agent during the offseason. The Lakers and Clippers play Friday night.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Hachimura said Wednesday after the Clippers’ season-opening win over the Sacramento Kings. “I’m going to see all my old teammates and coaches. Playing in that arena is special. I’m excited.” 

The former Gonzaga basketball player signed a two-year deal with the Clippers worth $28 million.

“I’m excited to see the fans,” Hachimura said. “I love them. It’s a special game but we got to get the win.”

Hachimura nearly produced a double-double in his debut with the Clippers. He finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes of play as a starter.

Rui Hachimura on Friday's game vs. Lakers

Hachimura spent the first three-plus seasons of his career with the Washington Wizards before he was traded to the Lakers in January 2023.

The Japanese player started nine of the 33 games he played for the Lakers that season. He earned a key role in the rotation.

He averaged 45 starts per season during his final three seasons with the Lakers. He averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds during his tenure with the Lakers, shooting 41.5% from the 3-point line.

Lakers coach JJ Redick knows what kind of person Hachimura is after two seasons as his coach, and he knows what kind of threat Hachimura will be as an opposing player now.

“In terms of his offensive packaging, he’s one of the best shooters in the NBA,” Redick told reporters this week. “We got him at a good point in his career. ... His mid-range game is great. 

“He's one of my favorite players I've ever been around in the NBA and one of my favorite players that I've ever coached and it's because of the consistency of joy and personality that he brings every day.”

Lakers standout Austin Reaves shared a similar sentiment about Hachimaura and described his initial reaction to him.

“He's an unbelievable human, but I didn't know if he spoke English for the first two weeks,” Reaves told reporters. “I would sit by him on the plane and he didn't speak to me and then after that I couldn't get him to shut up, but he's a great guy and a great player and I miss him.”

When will Clippers play Lakers?

The Clippers will visit the Lakers Friday for a Pacific Division game at Crypto.com Arena. Tip-off should come shortly after 7 p.m. PT.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rui Hachimura looking forward to playing on other side of Lakers-Clippers rivalry

Luka Dončić looked like an NBA MVP candidate during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 127-105 win over the Golden State Warriors.

But looks can be deceiving, or at least tiresome over a prolonged period of time.

This is why Warriors star forward Draymond Green doesn’t believe Dončić can win the NBA MVP award, which he conveyed when speaking to The Athletic for an article that was published on Friday.

“Nah, I don’t think there’s anything that [Dončić] can do [to win MVP]. And by the way, it’s not a knock on him. I don’t think there is anything that he can do. If they’re the 1, 2, 3 seed — great. It’s still Luka Dončić,” Green was quoted as saying.

“No one is going to be surprised that Luka Dončić’s team is the 4 seed. Nobody. He’s that good. There’s no element of surprise if his team is the fourth seed,” he added.

“I just think, ultimately, he gets screwed because of it. And it’s probably a little unfair. Anybody else puts those numbers up, and they’re walking away with the MVP. Like, home free. That’s why I made the comparison to [LeBron James]. He’s got, what, four MVPs? You’re telling me he wasn’t the best player in the NBA for at least 10 seasons? It’s greatness fatigue,” Green continued.

In other words, Green believes that Dončić — whose 33.5 points per game last season led the league — has been great for so long, that the basketball community has become numb to this sustained greatness. And that’s what will ultimately keep him from winning MVP.

Perhaps Dončić can prove Green wrong.

During JJ Redick’s tenure as the Lakers head coach, the team has gotten off to strong starts to seasons. 

They have a golden opportunity to do so again this year. 

And considering what’s waiting for them in the winter, it’s an opportunity they have to capitalize on.

The Lakers are projected to have one of the league’s easiest schedules through the first 10 games of the season for each team when accounting for opponents’ projected over/under win total for the 2026-27 season. 

While they have matchups against respectable opponents who are projected to be playoff contenders in the first couple of weeks of the season, such as the Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 matchups against the Raptors and Heat, respectively, or even two games against the Trail Blazers (Tuesday and Nov. 6), they still have a favorable schedule to open the season compared to most teams.

When accounting for Friday’s home game against the Clippers, the Lakers have four combined matchups against their in-city rival and the Warriors, who they blew out to open the season on Wednesday, within the first three weeks of the season. 

Both teams are expected to fight for a spot in the play-in tournament.

The Jazz, who the Lakers will play on Sunday in Salt Lake City, also fit the mold of a team expected to be fighting for a spot in the tournament that the Lakers should have an early advantage against.

It’s no secret that the top of the Western Conference, and the six guaranteed playoff spots, are going to be a battle to claim. 

The Lakers are projected to compete with the Nuggets, Rockets and Timberwolves for spots Nos. 3-6 in the West’s standings, with the Thunder and Spurs battling for the top two spots. 

They’re no strangers to what a strong start to a season can do for a team. 

The Lakers’ 10-4 start to 2024-25 helped them achieve their first 50-win season in a few years despite the roster changes, which included acquiring superstar guard Luka Doncic in February 2025.

Starting the 2025-26 season 15-4 helped them withstand injuries to key players and subpar play from December-February before tearing it up in March en route to a 53-win season.

It would behoove the Lakers to get off to another strong start this year considering it should be easier for them compared to most teams.

One team will leave TD Garden with an even 1-1 record after tonight’s game between two winless clubs, the Knicks and Celtics. No stars appear on the injury report. Fun Fact: These franchises have played more regular-season games against each other than any other NBA pair. And, yes, tonight we’ll see Benedict Robinson in Celtic green. Prepare the vomit bucket!

Game time is 7 p.m. EST on Amazon Prime. This is your game thread. This is CelticsBlog. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Enjoy yourselves. And go Knickerbockers!

The Golden State Warriors return to the Chase Center for their home opener Friday night as they host the Memphis Grizzlies. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM PT in San Francisco and can be watched on NBC Sports Bay Area.

We’re back on #WarriorsGround

🏀 GSW vs MEM
🕖 7:00 PM PT
📺 @NBCSAuthentic
📻 @957thegame
📱 https://t.co/0vjnnp4ykh
🎟️ https://t.co/CHS4EdrTND
@Chase || Home Opener pic.twitter.com/MP1GtX7sLE

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) October 23, 2026

Previously with the Warriors:

Golden State’s season got off to a rough start Wednesday night with a 127-105 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. While the Warriors managed to keep pace in the first quarter, the game quickly got out of hand, largely due to their lack of depth. Starting shooting guard Brandin Podziemski was ruled out prior to the game with a back injury, while an already thin frontcourt missing starting center Kristaps Porzingis was further depleted by the absence of Charles Bassey.

As a result, the Warriors had no answer for new Lakers big man Walker Kessler, who dominated the paint with 26 points on a perfect 12-of-12 shooting from the field, including 11 dunks. Golden State’s defensive struggles were on full display as Los Angeles built a lead as large as 35 points before ultimately handing the Warriors their first loss of the season.

Hell of a debut for Walker Kessler. The game looked so easy for him with Luka and Reaves generating shots.

Kessler has never played with guards as good as them, and they've never played with a big that fits as well as Kessler.

Better tests are ahead than the tiny Warriors… https://t.co/otsMjMAE0jpic.twitter.com/Jjfa8CDtXf

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) October 22, 2026

What to watch for tonight:

The Warriors will look to bounce back Friday night against the Grizzlies, with one player worth keeping an eye on being rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg. The 11th overall pick made headlines during his NBA debut Wednesday night after exchanging words with Lakers superstar Luka Doncic, who finished with a game-high 28 points. Lendeborg’s willingness to challenge the five-time All-Star drew support from his veteran teammates after the game, and the rookie backed up his confidence with a solid debut outing of 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal.

Draymond Green on Yaxel Lendeborg going at Luka Doncic: “Everyone will say the rookie learned his lesson. What he learn? The next time he see him, go at his ass again.”

Full soundbite pic.twitter.com/jb87fMCjJW

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 22, 2026

Now, he’ll look to build on that performance in his home debut against a Grizzlies team featuring a highly touted rookie of their own in big man Cam Boozer, the third overall pick in this year’s draft.

If you liked Yaxel Lendeborg vs. Luka Doncic, you're going to love Yaxel Lendeborg vs. Cam Boozer: "I'm always gonna circle that matchup." https://t.co/8S3eoyKFrM

— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) October 23, 2026

Enjoy the game Dub Nation. GO WARRIORS!!! 

Projected Starters

Warriors: Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg, Draymond Green

Grizzlies: Ty Jerome, Jaylen Wells, Jerami Grant, Cameron Boozer, Zach Edey

How to watch Regular Season Game 2

Who: Golden State Warriors (0 – 1) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (1 – 0)

When: Friday, October 23rd, at 7:00 p.m. PT

Where: Chase Center — San Francisco, California

TV and Streaming: NBC Sports Bay Area

The Dallas Mavericks (0-1) stay on the road to start the season, matching up against the Indiana Pacers (1-0) on Friday night. The Mavericks are looking for a win after getting throttled by the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Indiana held off the New Orleans Pelicans to start the season, winning 123-120 in Tyrese Haliburton’s return to the court after missing the entire 2025-26 season due to injury. Here’s the main things to know:

• WHO: Dallas Mavericks at Indiana Pacers
• WHAT: Staying on the road for the second game of the season
• WHERE: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
• WHEN: 6:00 pm CST
• HOW: KFAA

The injury report remains the same for Dallas: Dereck Lively and Santi Aldama are out, same as they have been since the start of training camp. Tarik Biberovic is missing the game with heel bursitis. Caleb Martin is missing the game with a thumb sprain. Jett Howard is doubtful with a right calf issue.

The Pacers are without TJ McConnell, due to a hamstring injury. Aaron Nesmith and Ben Sheppard are questionable as of this writing.

This will be the home debut for the Pacers and Haliburton’s first game since going down with the Achilles tear in game seven of the 2024 NBA Finals. Dallas will battle both the emotions in that building as well as a very solid Pacers team. The Mavericks must play better transition defense or the Pacers may quickly put this one away. Dallas, particularly their big men, need to rebound the ball better than they did against the Rockets.

If you’re checking out this post, it’s for one of two reasons:

• Injury report news
• Discussion and comment thread

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

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

The Washington Wizards play their 2nd game of the season at Capital One Arena against the Toronto Raptors. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. tonight. Watch the game on Monumental Sports Network.

Go Wizards!

The Hawks look to keep their start perfect with another road contest at a Southeast Division foe, the Charlotte Hornets, who are missing Hawks killer Kon Knueppel.

Hawks starting lineup:

G CJ McCollum

G Nickeil Alexander-Walker

F Dyson Daniels

F Jalen Johnson

C Onyeka Okongwu

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen

Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

Start Time: 7:00 PM EDT

TV: Peachtree TV (WPCH), Atlanta News First (WANF)

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM)

Streaming:Amazon Prime, NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill. If you don’t then follow the handy instruction below to sign up and join the conversation:

This is now an open thread

Update, 1:25 p.m.: LeBron James has officially been ruled out Saturday night vs. the Milwaukee Bucks.

---

And now we get our first glimpse of how the Sixers will manage back-to-backs this season.

Philadelphia released their injury report ahead of their matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday and they’ve listed LeBron James as questionable with back management. Joel Embiid was not listed at all, indicating those two will be staggered across the weekend. Embiid said after their home opener win that he was only going to play in one of them, and it’s safe to assume that will be the case for LeBron as well.

The Sixers should be able to dispense of the Bucks without James’ services. Milwaukee is playing on short rest themselves, having hosted the Chicago Bulls on Friday. How the Embiid-less Sixers fare against the size of the Detroit Pistons on Sunday will be a much harder challenge.

The rest of the injury report remains the same as it was for the first two games of the season. Dean Wade is again listed as questionable with an ankle sprain. He has yet to make his Sixers debut since rolling his left ankle in the team’s final preseason game. Dominick Barlow remains out, still over a week a way from his next evaluation, and Tacko Fall is out as well with his quad injury.

The Sixers have an injury report for tomorrow's game vs. Milwaukee:

LeBron James — back management — QUESTIONABLE

Dean Wade – ankle – QUESTIONABLE

Dominick Barlow – back – OUT

Tacko Fall – quad – OUT

This is the front end of a back-to-back.

— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) October 23, 2026

Jake LaRavia’s “Iron Man” streak with the Lakers will come to an end on Friday night. 

The fifth-year forward will sit out of his team’s home game against the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena because of a sprained right ankle that he suffered during the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s season-opening win over the Warriors. 

It’s LaRavia’s first missed regular season game because of an injury or illness since he signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Lakers in July 2025 after having played in all 82 regular season games in 2025-26.

He was one of 18 players to play in 82 regular season games last season.

LaRavia played in 90 straight games, the 82 regular season games and eight playoff games, in 2025-26 before being a DNP-CD (did not play, coach’s decision) for the Lakers’ final two playoff games of their four-game second round sweep against the Thunder.

The 6-foot-8 forward suffered the ankle injury midway through the fourth quarter, with the Lakers up by 33 points, when he attempted to drive into the paint with LJ Cryer guarding him.

Cryer impeded the drive, with the 2022 first-round draft pick awkwardly twisting his right ankle/lower leg before hobbling and falling to the floor.

LaRavia laid on the court and writhed in pain before team trainers helped him back to the bench.

He was able to put weight on the leg before going back to the locker room after subbing out of the game.

While coach JJ Redick didn’t have an update on the veteran forward immediately after the game, he was encouraged about his status compared to how it felt in the immediate aftermath of the injury.

“I’m probably more positive than when it first happened,” Redick said.

LaRavia was having a strong game before going down with the injury, scoring 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting off of the bench.

“I saw him being himself,” Redick said. “Again when he is shooting with confidence and making catch-and-shoot 3s, that’s an added bonus. We have a group of guys that do a lot of things to impact winning that don’t necessarily show up in the box score, certainly won’t show up in a highlight reel on Instagram. He’s a winning player.”

The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon was seen on an exercise bike alongside Adou Thiero, who’s also sidelined because of left knee swelling, at shootaround Friday morning before being ruled out.

The Golden State Warriors are set for their home opener tonight, as they host the Memphis Grizzlies. The Dubs are hoping to collect their first win of the season, but, needless to say, it won’t be easy given how many improvements they need to make following Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

It also won’t be easy because the Warriors are once again dealing with some notable injuries and absences, though they’re hopefully getting some reinforcements as well. Here’s the full injury report.

Warriors

Out — Charles Bassey (right patellar tendinopathy)

Bassey, who was injured in last week’s preseason finale, missed Wednesday’s opener and will miss today’s game as well. The Dubs will certainly be hoping that Bassey makes some significant improvements in the next 24 hours, because they’ll be deeply undermanned at center on Saturday in Phoenix, as Al Horford won’t be available in the second half of the back-to-back.

Out — Jimmy Butler III (right ACL repair surgery)
Out — Moses Moody (left patellar tendon repair surgery)

No new news for either of these two. The team is likely targeting a return around the All-Star break for each of them.

Out — Kristaps Porziņģis(not with team)

Also no new news for Porziņģis, who seems likely to have played his final game for the team … and possibly in the NBA.

Probable — Brandin Podziemski (bilateral low back soreness)

And finally some good news! Podziemski looks primed to make his season debut, after some late-occurring preseason back soreness kept him out of the opening night loss. Playmaking and shot creation beyond Steph Curry was a huge concern on Wednesday, and Podziemski should really help there.

Grizzlies

Doubtful — Cedric Coward (left wrist sprain)

Last year’s 11th overall pick figures to build on a successful rookie campaign, when he started over half of Memphis’ games, averaged 13.6 points, and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. He’ll be in the Grizzlies’ starting five when healthy, but suffered a mild wrist injury in Wednesday’s opener.

Questionable — Isaiah Stewart (left ankle sprain)

After spending his first six seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Beef Stew is now on the Grizzlies, where he’ll provide a veteran presence at center next to young bigs Cameron Boozer, Zach Edey, and former Warrior Quinten Post. He didn’t play in Memphis’ season-opening victory over the Utah Jazz, and is questionable to debut tonight.

Enjoy the game, everyone! It tips off at 7:00 p.m. PT from the Chase Center on NBC Sports Bay Area.