Category: NBA

How a small Philly production company brought the Sixers' hype to life originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

When a sports team is starting one of the most anticipated seasons in franchise history, it needs a hype video that does it justice.

On Tuesday morning, Sixers fans woke up to the team’s 2026 hype video on social media. NBA tip-off was that night, and LeBron James was set to make his Sixers debut. 

The video was a huge hit, with more than 1.25 million views on Instagram and X alone. But the Sixers didn’t ask just any corporation to help piece it together. When outsourcing the project, the team wanted a local production company. 

Enter JTWO Films.

JTWO Films is a small production company based in Old City, and it started over a couple of beers shortly after the 2008 recession. Co-founders Justin Jarrett and Travis Capacete, who both worked in sports production at the time, decided that instead of continuing to look for production assistant jobs in New York or Los Angeles, they’d start their own company. 

Fast-forward nearly two decades later, they’ve built a small empire and have now launched their most recent of several projects in collaboration with the major Philadelphia sports teams. It’s as Philly an origin story can get.

“Anytime we get to collaborate with a pro sports team, especially one like the Sixers in our backyard, it’s absolutely incredible because we’re all fans here,” co-founder Jarrett said. “It’s kind of like playing in the most fun sandbox you could play in creatively.”

JTWO has worked with the Sixers before, when they produced the visual effects for the team’s 2024-2025 in-arena hype video. This year’s project begame production about two weeks before the regular season.

The Sixers asked JTWO to help piece together a short hype reel that embodies what this Sixers season is all about. The footage outlines themes of community, grit and sports – three major pillars of the City of Brotherly Love. The best part? The Sixers gave JTWO full creative freedom.

“The Sixers are super collaborative,” Jarrett said. “They reached out to us and said these are the types of things we want to capture, but you guys have creative freedom to run wild within that space. So we basically started tracking down fans in all parts of the city because we wanted to represent every corner of the city.”

One of JTWO’s various film sites took place in West Philadelphia at the Rufus Williams Basketball Court, a place of vast significance to the community. In June 2025, the Sixers collaborated with Penn Medicine to renovate the community court and hosted an event for the neighborhood with Allen Iverson. This year, members of that same community got to play a role in a symbolic representation of the Sixers fan experience.

Jarrett put a lot of thought behind creative decisions he and his crew made when filming. 

“We were shooting on both digital and 8-millimeter Kodak film stock to give it a raw and very silly vibe to it. We tried to put our own little spin on it by making it a little gritty, handheld, everything very much as if you’re in the city. We didn’t want it to feel fabricated, we didn’t want it to feel commercial. We wanted it to feel raw and real.”

When shooting in the field, JTWO also got to see firsthand how excited Sixers fans were through their storytelling. The crew shot Sixers-themed murals around the city and visited small businesses to capture the excitement.

“We actually interviewed about 20 fans,” Jarrett explained. “It’s so cool to see fans and the local business owners talk about how excited they are for the season. If you’re a fan, it’s been a long drought for a title, so these people have true hope.”

You could write a book about all the ways this offseason has affected the people of Philadelphia. The Sixers’ additions of Jaylen Brown and James opened the floodgates for one of the most exciting season openers this franchise has ever seen. 

“There wasn’t one fan we talked to that wasn’t overjoyed that LeBron chose Philly. Out of all the places he came here, chose us. … He sacrificed a lot to come here and try to win a ring with his crew, and I think that means a lot to people because it kind of represents what Philly’s about. It’s like, put your head down, work hard, and good things will come.”

It’s been a long, long time since the Lakers have had a defense like the one they appear to have this season. With the caveat of it just being the second game of the season, the 26 turnovers forced against the Clippers were more than they forced in any game last season.

Pair that with the 16 turnovers forced against the Warriors in the first game — nine of those coming in the third quarter — and the Lakers have a defense that can swarm teams and create chaos. That’s not been a quality of the Lakers’ defense in recent seasons, or for a long time, really.

It lets them not only disrupt the opponent’s offense but also get easy buckets. They scored 33 points on those 26 turnovers and took more shots in the first three quarters, even while shooting 61% from the field. If it’s a trend that continues, these Lakers will be able to get out and run and be a particularly fun team this season.

And for those wondering, yes, I did completely forget about these articles throughout the preseason and opening game of the year. But we’re back and you can yell at me all you want now.

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.

Matisse Thybulle

23 minutes, 13 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 fouls, 5-8 FG, 3-6 3PT, +13

Thybulle showed off a no-dip 3-pointer in the preseason and apparently fell in love with it because I’m not sure he dipped on any of his six 3-point attempts tonight.

Grade: B+

Ziaire Williams

30 minutes, 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 fouls, 5-7 FG, 1-3 3PT, 3-3 FT +9

It was a great showing on both ends from Williams. He gives the Lakers as athletic a wing as they’ve had in years. His ability to hound players defensively also is something the team hasn’t had from someone that size in a long time either.

Grade: A-

Walker Kessler

34 minutes, 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 6 blocks, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 10-14 FG, 2-5 FT +18

A truly awful performance from Kessler as he only shoots 71.4% from the field and not a perfect 100%.

Jokes aside, he’s truly revolutionized this offense. It’s immediately clear why the team wanted him and, even then, he’s been in the 100th percentile of outcomes through two games. What a start to his Lakers career.

Grade: A

Austin Reaves

38 minutes, 28 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 6 turnovers, 4 fouls, 10-13 FG, 3-5 3PT, 5-6 FT, +14

A big second half from Reaves not only helped the Lakers create some cushion after being tied at halftime, but also was necessary with Luka struggling. Nearly half of his points came in that third quarter where LA went ahead by as many as 14. Then it was Austin who got the big basket late to calm things down late in the game.

Grade: A-

Luka Dončić

37 minutes, 23 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 11 turnovers, 2 fouls, 8-21 FG, 2-8 3PT, 5-7 FT, +10

A bit of a deceptive scoreline from Luka as he never really had his rhythm in this one. He started the game 2-10 from the field and didn’t have Yaxel Lendeborg to fire him up. Then, in the fourth, he turned the ball over four times and while they weren’t all his fault, he was at the center of the Clippers comeback, and not in a good way.

Grade: C+

Quentin Grimes

30 minutes, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 3-6 FG, 3-5 3PT, 4-4 FT, +2

It’ll be interesting to see how much longer Grimes will stay out of the starting lineup. Perhaps head coach JJ Redick is committed to the starting lineup, which is fine so far. But Grimes did close the game on Friday, so he has a lot of trust, too.

Grade: B+

Sandro Mamukelashvili

23 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 fouls, 3-4 FG, 1-2 3PT, -8

Mamu has taken a step back in the regular season after riding a high through the preseason. It’s still early, so there’s nothing to worry about yet.

On Friday, though, his defensive shortcomings were noticeable. The Lakers played him at the five and the Clippers spread the floor out and drove by him multiple times.

Grade: B-

Collin Sexton

16 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls 2-6 FG, 1-3 3PT, -9

Sexton’s long-awaited debut was a mixed bag at best. Predictably, he looked rusty and like someone who missed the whole preseason. He had flashes of what could come, including a nice drive and drop-off to Kessler for a dunk.

Grade: C-

Kevon Looney

He only played four minutes, but it’s pretty clear that he’ll be unplayable most nights. Redick didn’t have him play a shift in the second half, opting for a Mamu-at-center lineup instead.

JJ Redick

A solid game from Redick, who did a good job of finding the right combinations. He quickly pulled out of playing Looney and went to Grimes to close after a solid game.

Grade: B+

Friday’s DNPs: Jaden Hardy, Bronny James, Arthur Kaluma, AK Okereke, Jarred Vanderbilt

Friday’s inactives: Cameron Carr, Adou Thiero, Jake LaRavia, Chris Mañon

Surprise, surprise: the Golden State Warriors just blew another lead to lose another heartbreaker of a game, a disasterclass of epic proportions. Truth be told, however, with how they’ve been playing the past couple of seasons, we should all have seen this coming.

To add insult to injury, the Warriors will have to fly to Phoenix right away for their second night of a back-to-back slate against the Suns. The immediate question following that situation: Will the Warriors’ 38-year-old superstar play on that back end of the slate?

Steph Curry himself provided that answer — and it didn’t bring hopes up that the Warriors could rebound from the loss.

Steph Curry said he "probably" won’t play tomorrow in Phoenix in the Warriors’ first back-to-back of the season. Plans to talk to training staff, but clear they are easing him into the season.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 24, 2026

This decision was made with the intention of easing Curry into the season and hopefully prolonging his ability to play meaningful minutes as the season progresses. However, starting the season 0-2 — and in all likelihood, 0-3 after tomorrow night — means that anything of meaning from this season is quickly starting to slip from the team’s grasp.

Well, it sure didn’t take long for the Dallas Mavericks (1-1) to find their first back-to-back of the season, did it?

After a night game in Indianapolis against the Pacers (1-1) on Friday night, the Mavs head to Dallas for the home opener against the San Antonio Spurs (0-2). Dallas pulled off a 121-105 upset over Indiana on Friday night.

However, the scoreboard is secondary to the main news of the night, as Cooper Flagg left the game with a shoulder injury just before halftime. The injury, which was termed “shoulder soreness” by Mavs PR, figures to hold Flagg out of the home opener on Saturday night. Head coach Dusty May said after the game that Flagg, who had 17 points, five boards and six assists in just 17 minutes on Friday, will be evaluated over the coming days.

Meanwhile, the Spurs fell to 0-2 after a four-point loss to the Houston Rockets at the Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin. The schedule has seen them play two pre-season contenders in the West, but no one in San Antonio would’ve expected an 0-2 start after last year’s NBA Finals trip. Urgency to avoid a three-game skid will be high for the reigning Western Conference champs.

A complicating factor here is the travel. With both teams on the butt end of a back-to-back, and Dallas traveling quite a ways from Indiana, we could see a bit of rest and workload management by both squads. Dallas will certainly get a boost with this game being the home opener, but this Spurs team is still awfully tough to beat. As you get ready for tipoff, here’s a couple things you should be aware of.

Victor’s vengeance

After shooting an abysmal 1-for-13 against the Thunder on opening night, Wembanyama didn’t get much of a reprieve on the physicality and defensive intensity against the Rockets. Well, the Mavericks do not present near the level of physical or tactical defensive challenge that those two teams did.

Wemby has found success against Dallas in the past. Last year, Wembanyama went off for 40 points against Dallas twice, scoring 29 in another meeting. I expect the Frenchman to have a lot of success in this matchup.

Who joins the fray?

Flagg picked right back up where he left off last season in the opener, scoring 32 points on a very good Rockets defense. The issue for the Mavericks in that contest was a complete lack of help from everyone not named Marcus Sasser. In game two, Flagg was his usual self before getting knocked out of the game, but others stepped up enough to hold the fort down.

Now, seemingly without Flagg, where does Dallas go for production? Does Kyrie Irving play in this game, give it’s the second night of a back-to-back? Can some of the vets who have gotten off to slow starts get a bit of flow going at home? Will these Mavericks be able to guard anyone at all? It’ll be an interesting test for the depth that Dallas has accrued.

The Kyrie of it all

If Irving is indeed a go in this one, it should be a wonderful reception for now the longest tenured Maverick. Irving hasn’t seen the floor in a regular season game in Dallas since he tore his ACL against the Kings in March of 2025. Now 19 months later, he’ll make his return. Regardless of how he plays or how the Mavericks do, this will be a big moment for him and I expect that it will feel that way as well.

How to watch

Standard operating procedures are in place for this contest. KFAA Channel 29, MavsTV or NBA League Pass will have the coverage, depending on where you are viewing from. Tip between the Mavs and Spurs is slated for 7 p.m.

Put Wednesday night’s embarrassing 20 point drubbing in Memphis down to first night jitters, a team still finding its offensive and defensive chemistry, and an other worldly performance by Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome. Friday night’s home opener against the New Orleans Pelicans gave the Utah Jazz the chance to regroup in the friendly confines of the Delta Center. And regroup they did behind double doubles from Jaren Jackson Jr. and Keyonte George, and the raucous roar of the home fans.

Ace Bailey got the start after an impactful 24 minutes off the bench on Wednesday night, especially on the defensive end. But it was Jaxson Hayes, entering the game after the Pelicans scored their first 12 points in the paint, who set the defensive tone in the first quarter. Keyonte George ran the point like an experienced floor general, getting both Markkanen and Jackson involved early, and firing a left hand heat seeking missile to Hayes for a dunk.

The Jazz led 31-28 after the first quarter and used their aggressive defense to stifle the Pelicans and extend their lead to 10 in the second. Jackson and Markkanen both had double figures by the break, Darren Peterson eclipsed his nine point outing in Memphis and Keyonte tallied 7 assists. Hayes in just 10 minutes off the bench hadn’t missed a shot, scoring 10 points and amassing 1 assist, 2 rebounds and a block as the Jazz took a 10 point lead into the locker room.

The Pelicans clawed their way back into the game in the third quarter, using a 19-5 run to tie the game at 73. The Jazz caught the turnover bug and struggled from the free throw line, going into the fourth quarter down 90-86.

The Jazz used scrappy defense and the Pelicans’ fouls to retake the lead with 7:24 left (101-100). Keyonte extended the lead to 5 with a three pointer. From that point on it was a back and forth affair, leading to Dejounte Murray’s last second shot, which careened off the rim to Jaren Jackson Jr.

The win certainly wasn’t perfect—the Jazz had 18 turnovers, many of them in the third quarter, and struggled at times from the free throw line—but the team’s defense and ball movement were greatly improved. And the fight the team showed when faced with adversity bodes well for the tough game on Sunday versus Walker Kessler and the Lakers.

Victor Wembanyama is listed at 7-foot-4. He is — unquestionably — one of the supremely gifted players, especially around the rim.

Amen Thompson is 6-foot-7, though — to be sure — a freak athlete.

Yet, with the game on the line with five seconds left to play and the San Antonio Spurs trailing by two, Wembanyama called for the ball in the post. He had the size advantage on Thompson, who was, at this point, holding his own. But Wembanyama received the ball and spun in one motion, extending the ball with his long arms toward the rim.

It looked, quite comfortably, that the game was about to be tied.

But Thompson leapt up and met Wembanyama’s sweeping layup attempt and swatted away the ball to preserve the Houston Rockets lead.

It’s not often Wembanyama gets blocked, but in this matchup between two of the game’s best defenders, it was the shorter Thompson who sealed Houston’s 114-110 victory.

🚨 AMEN THOMPSON GAME-SAVING BLOCK ON WEMBY 😳😤 pic.twitter.com/ML75CaYMhJ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 24, 2026

The block lifted the Rockets to a perfect 2-0 record to start the season, while simultaneously sinking the Spurs to 0-2.

Thompson played a stellar game, scoring 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting, adding 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

Wembanyama struggled from the floor, shooting 9-of-21, though he finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rockets' Amen Thompson blocks Victor Wembanyama at rim in final seconds as Spurs fall to 0-2

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum used most of his postgame press conference to clear the air Friday night. After knocking down three clutch shots in the final two minutes against the Knicks at TD Garden, Tatum addressed his former teammate Jaylen Brown.

On Thursday night, after Brown and the 76ers mounted a 29-point comeback against the Cavaliers, he took to Instagram to comment “cap” under a video clip from Tatum’s ‘Summer of Jayson’ docuseries. In the video, Tatum recalled being stunned by the news that Boston had traded Brown, his longtime teammate of nine seasons, to Philadelphia on July 1.

Brown seemingly wasn’t convinced, using the modern-day slang term, which means an exaggeration or lie.

Tatum, in response, wishes to bury the online speculation as soon as possible and move on.

“I understand we in the entertainment business,” Tatum said after Friday night’s 107-104 win over the Knicks. “Me personally, I’m not much of an off-the-court entertainment type of guy. For me, I don’t have any animosity or beef or ill will towards him.”

In the finale of Tatum’s docuseries, he claimed he was in Las Vegas during the time of the trade. Tatum explained how Celtics player development coach God Shammgod Jr. broke the news to him and that Philadelphia being the destination for Brown caught him “off guard,” as much as anyone else.

That leaves a lot on the table to be speculated.

Tatum shared a goodbye message to Brown on Instagram, two days after the blockbuster. Communication between the two stayed under wraps for months, opening the door for uninformed conclusions. Neither of the two spoke out about their split at length, with Brown keeping his answers vague on media day in Philadelphia, and Tatum briefly addressing it at the Auerbach Center during Boston’s media day.

When the Celtics hosted the Sixers in the preseason over a week ago in Boston, Tatum and Brown warmed up at the same time — on direct opposite ends of the court. When the two were done, they made no direct eye contact, didn’t greet each other, and headed to their respective players’ tunnels as if to avoid one another.

The two presumably have yet to speak since the trade, although Tatum claims he made several attempts shortly after Boston pulled the trigger to speak to Brown.

In fact, Tatum is still open to having that discussion with Brown whenever the 2024 NBA Finals MVP is ready.

“I reached out to him the day he got traded,” Tatum shared. “I called him. I texted him. And I understand people process things differently. So for me, at this point in our lives, we’re too old to be having our relationship discussed, X, Y, and Z, on the internet. There’s a conversation to be had. We can definitely have that conversation. I’m hoping that.”

In the meantime, Tatum looks forward to getting back to basketball as usual, minus the theatrics. That day is still a ways off, as Brown won’t return to Boston for his first regular-season matchup against Tatum and the Celtics until Jan. 21, 2027. The two will first cross paths in Philadelphia on Nov. 10, with three more matchups scheduled for later in the season: Jan. 21 in Boston, Feb. 7 in Philadelphia and March 7 in Boston.

“I see all these things about ‘Get your popcorn ready when they play,’” Tatum said. “Like, this ain’t no f*cking boxing match. We play basketball. Again, there’s no animosity. There’s no beef. I just hate the way that the conversation, the narrative around it, went.”

Using Tatum and Brown as segment and online topic fodder was a constant all summer long. On talk shows, online blogs, and endlessly on social media, jumping to conclusions without hearing from either Tatum or Brown directly became the most worn-out offseason subject.

Still, Tatum might not have a full scope of Brown’s feelings or perspective on the trade. But that’s for them to discuss both privately and on their time.

“I think a conversation would solve or put out a lot of fires,” Tatum said.

Tatum and Brown spent nearly a decade together, leading the Celtics to five Eastern Conference Finals, two NBA Finals and a championship. Being the lone superstar in Boston now, Tatum would prefer those moments be what overrule the dialogue surrounding both him and Brown rather than rumored bad blood.

“All of y’all saw us grow up and all that we accomplished, and I don’t want that to be in the rearview mirror of what’s being talked about when it pertains to us two,” Tatum said. “It should be celebrated. You know how many people played in this league and never went to the Finals? We went twice and won a championship. So it should be more about that. This ain’t no f*cking Shaq and Kobe. There’s no beef. It’s not about that.”

First off, I am working a music festival this weekend and missed last night’s game in Austin. Don’t spoil it for me. I hope to watch the game after this evening’s festivities.

In the meantime, there was an interesting post on social media. Got to give it up to the algorithm. This came across my daily feed recently.

Reminded me of Rick Berry’s underhand free throws:

Of course Spurs can’t forget Jeremy Sochan’s attempt to raise his free thorw shooting percentage:

No matter the style, every player has a distinct form to their shot. Well, almost every player.

Spurs are in Dallas tonight for their third rivalry match in a row. First OKC, then Houston, and finally their I-35 rival. I’ll miss this one too, so hopefully there will be lots of good to talk about tomorrow.

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The Lakers appeared to be on their way to almost being whole Friday night when guard Collin Sexton returned to play for the first time this season. Then word came that key role player Jake LaRavia was out because of an ankle injury.

Still, the Lakers pressed on in their second game, against the crosstown rival Clippers, a game with meaning for both teams.

Though the Lakers were sloppy with the ball in the fourth quarter, having six players score in double figures helped them pull out a 125-117 win over the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.

Austin Reaves led the way with 28 points and nine assists, but he had six turnovers. Luka Doncic had 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds, but he had 11 of the Lakers’ 21 turnovers.

Walker Kessler was a force again, scoring 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking six shots.

The Lakers led by 15 points in the second half after the score was tied at halftime, but kept turning the ball over and saw the lead sliced to six with three minutes and 18 seconds left on a basket by Darius Garland, who finished with 26 points.

Read more:How the Lakers' Luka Doncic went from 'Wonder Boy' to 'The Man'

But Kessler played big in the final few minutes, making two free throws and blocking a shot late in the game.

Kessler opened the game with his defensive presence. He stole the basketball and took it the length of the court for a two-handed dunk in the first quarter.

Kessler blocked a shot by Derrick Jones Jr., leading to a three-pointer by Reaves for an 89-77 Lakers lead in the third quarter.

Kessler then went to work on the boards, grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring on a reverse layup while being fouled by Brook Lopez. Kessler flexed and yelled. He missed the free throw, but his basket had given the Lakers a 91-77 in the third quarter and it kept their momentum going.

Kessler kept up his fantastic play in the fourth quarter, challenging a shot on defense by Rui Hachimura and then running on the fast break to catch a lob from Reaves for a two-handed dunk and a 15-point Lakers lead.

It was also the return of Hachimura, who spent 3 ½-seasons with the Lakers before joining the Clippers this summer on a two-year, $28-million deal. The well-liked Hachimura was shown just how much when the Lakers played highlights from when he played with them.

Hachimura had 12 points at the half, doing his part to help the Clippers stay at 64-64.

Before the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick spoke glowingly of how Hachimura played during the preseason for the Clippers.

“They’re running a lot of the same stuff for Rui that they ran for PG [Paul George] and at times Kawhi [Leonard],” Redick said. “He’s playing free and he’s playing ultra-aggressive right now.”

With three minutes and 52 seconds left in the first quarter, Sexton checked into the game, and his first play was a steal.

Sexton missed the first regular-season game and five exhibition games because of lower leg injury. He played 16 minutes and had five points and three steals.

Etc.

LaRavia didn’t play because of a sprained right ankle. LaRavia played in all 82 games last season for the first time in his career. His goal was to play in all 82 this season, but he’s already missed his first game and might not be available to play until Sunday at Utah or Tuesday at home against the Portland Trail Blazers.

“We talked last week and mentioned that was one of his goals for the season. He had the same goal last year and he was able to do that,” Redick said. “Play through some stuff at times last year. Wanted to play. We talked to him this morning before shootaround and I was going to try to give it a go and went to the treatment room and just it’s not there, but he’s hopeful he could be back Sunday, if not Tuesday.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

For a significant chunk of Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, it looked like ghosts of the Lakers’ past – in the form of Clippers forward Rui Hachimura and center Brook Lopez – were going to be the reasons for their first loss.

Especially with their superstar guard Luka Doncic struggling to find an offensive rhythm.

But fellow star guard Austin Reaves showed why the franchise invested the big bucks in him over the summer, providing his team with a spark en route to a 125-117 victory to put the Lakers at 2-0 early in the season.

With the game tied at 64 at halftime, and the Lakers struggling to create separation, taking a small 73-72 lead early in the third, Reaves took matters into his own hands, sparking a 16-4 run that was the difference in the game.

The run started with Reaves converting a tough, physical layup over Isaiah Jackson before assisting Walker Kessler for an alley-oop dunk and Matisse Thybulle on a corner 3-pointer. 

From there, Reaves took over, scoring the game’s next nine points to put the Lakers up 89-76 after a pull-up 3 for the team’s largest lead of the game at the time. 

Reaves scored 13 points in the third, in addition to 3 assists, for nearly half of his scoring total (28 points). 

The Lakers nearly squandered Reaves’ run, allowing the Clippers to cut their lead to 120-113 late in the fourthm but they never relinquished the lead.

Kessler had 22 points, 8 rebounds, 6 blocked shots, 3 steals and 3 steals. 

Doncic finished with 23 points (8-of-21 shooting), 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. 

Reaves was once again ultra-efficient, shooting 10 of 13 from the field (3 of 5 on 3s, 5 of 6 on free throws) to go with 9 assists for the game. 

Lopez had 22 points and 4 rebounds off the bench, while Hachimura had 16 points and 6 rebounds against his former team. 

Darius Garland led the Clippers with 26 points and 6 assists.

After leading by double digits for much of the second half, the Lakers had to hang on late for a win over the Clippers on Friday, 125-117.

The purple and gold took control of the game in the third period and looked set to cruise to a win before the other team in Los Angeles used its defense to make a run and get back into the contest.

Some timely points from Walker Kessler and Austin Reaves down the stretch helped fend off the visitors as the Lakers picked up their second win of the season.

Both teams got off to a slow start with turnovers and missed shots, until Reaves got the Lakers on the board first with a floater down the lane. Kessler had an impressive sequence in which he stole the ball and took it all the way for a dunk. 

Kris Dunn had five of the Clippers’ first seven points. 

Everyone in the starting lineup for the Lakers, except for Luka Dončić, scored in the opening minutes. Former Laker Rui Hachimura drained his first triple of the game. It was followed by Reaves knocking down one of his own. 

Luka was on the receiving end of an alley-oop and laid it in for his first points of the quarter, forcing a Clippers timeout. Collin Sexton checked in for his first minutes as a Laker. The Clippers ended the first on an 11-3 scoring run, to give them a four-point lead. 

Brook Lopez entered double figures with 15 points to start the second period. The Lakers had no answer for him as he scored eight easy points early in the quarter. Kessler was now also in double figures with 10 points.

At the 9:38 mark, the Clippers were up by eight. 

Quentin Grimes drained two triples, helping the Lakers erupt for an 11-2 scoring run. Ziaire Williams was fouled from behind the arc and converted on all three free throws. After a midrange jumper from Luka, the Lakers were up by one. 

Hachimura and Luka had a fun exchange of triples for their teams. The rest of the half was very evenly matched with their offense and turning the ball over. 

It was a tied game at halftime. 

Darius Garland converted on a jumper for the Clippers early in the third period. Matisse Thybulle responded with a layup on the other end for the Lakers. After Hachimura nailed another triple, the purple and gold exploded with seven straight points, putting them up five.

Reaves was up to 17 points and Kessler now had 14 points. Thybulle drained yet another 3-pointer, pushing his point total to 10 points. The entire Lakers starting lineup was in double figures. 

Reaves then proceeded to score four in a row, leading to a Clippers timeout. 

Out of the break, the Clippers turned the ball over. On the other end, Reaves scored on a midrange jumper. He also knocked down a triple, giving him 26 points to lead the team in scoring. 

Lopez once again helped make the game a close affair, adding to his big night of 22 points. The Lakers, though, still had the upper hand and were leading by 13 at the end of the third.

The final frame began with Gradey Dick scoring on a layup for the Clippers. The Lakers were turning the ball over and struggling to find shots until Sexton scored on a triple. Keaton Wagler started heating up for the Clippers, scoring five points.

Sexton and Kessler then scored a combined four points to put the Lakers up by 15 with 8:12 left. Garland cut into the deficit with five points. After a layup by Derrick Jones Jr., it was an 11-point game.

Both teams struggled with turnovers, the Clippers having 24 and the Lakers 17. The Clippers nearly had an opportunity to cut the deficit to single digits, but they turned the ball over.

At the 4:21 mark, the purple and gold were up by 10. 

The Lakers were suddenly in nervous time as the Clippers scored four in a row, inching ever so closer. With 2:36 left, it was a six-point game. The Lakers were on a two-minute scoring drought. 

Kessler was fouled and converted on both free throws, putting the team up by eight. Both teams fumbled two possessions before Reaves scored off the backboard for two to snap a long drought.

The Clippers then scored four in a row, making it a six-point game with 53 seconds left. Grimes was fouled and converted on both free throws. The Lakers were able to get enough stops to hold on for the win. 

Key Player Stats

Luka finished with 23 points and seven assists. Reaves ended with 28 points and nine assists. Kessler pitched in with 22 points, eight rebounds, three steals and six blocks.

Williams had 14 points with five rebounds. Grimes logged 13 points with eight rebounds and four assists. Sandro Mamukelashvili notched seven points with five rebounds and two assists.

In his Lakers debut, Sexton scored five points, grabbed three steals and dished two dimes. Thybulle ended with 13 points. 

The Lakers’ next game will be against the Utah Jazz on Sunday at 2:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

The Spurs looked better in their second game of the regular season than they did in the first, but it was still not good enough against a Houston Rockets club that is whole and healthy again. It was a physical game with a playoff atmosphere throughout. The Rockets led by as much as 11 while the Spurs stayed close but never could go on any kind of game-changing run or make their free throws. Despite only leading by one a few times and usually ceding it on the next possession on their way to a 110-114 loss, they still had a chance to tie or send it to overtime, but Amen Thompson blocked Victor Wembanyama’s game-tying attempt to end any hope.

Wemby had a decent bounce-back game with 25 points and 13 rebounds on 9-21 from the field, but he can still be much better. All four other staters scored in double figures for the Spurs, led by 20 points from Dylan Harper and 19 from De’Aaron Fox. Alperen Sengun was a force down low on his way to 29 points, and Kevin Durant and Thompson added 20 apiece.

Observations

• If you visited the Game Thread you saw this already, but I’m not a fan of one of the Austin games being against an in-state rival. It feels like lost revenue for a surefire sellout at home, a homecoming of sorts for Kevin Durant, and an invitation for something closer to a neutral crowd. Sure enough, when Sengun hit the first bucket of the game, the roar was relatively loud for the “away” team. Not as loud as the home crowd, obviously, but louder than it probably would have been in San Antonio.
• Another game, another scuffle involving Fox, although this time he did nothing to warrant it. In the first quarter, he went flying by and fouled Durant to prevent a lay-up. Durant held his face before getting up and angrily walking towards Fox, but replay showed nothing malicious. If anything touched Durant’s face, it was the ball as Fox blocked it. Ultimately nothing happened — no techs, no video review, just normal free throws — but Durant may look back and realize he overreacted.
• It didn’t take long for Wemby to double his total number of field goals from Game 1, hitting 2-3 in his first stint on the floor: an alley-oop from Stephon Castle and a tip-in dunk. He also hit two of his first four threes. He admitted after the season opener that he was thinking and trying too hard, and he looked looser in this game.
• The Spurs almost never led in the first half and appeared headed towards another second quarter meltdown when they quickly got down by 11 points with the Rockets owning all the momentum, but the defense kept them in it while the offense recomposed itself and gradually chipped away at the lead. A flurry from Wemby got them their first lead of the quarter on an and-one alley-oop with 23 seconds left, but a VanVleet buzzer-beater three gave it back to the Rockets at halftime, 61-59.
• The entire game was physical, but the Spurs started growing visibly frustrated with the officiating in the second and third quarters, as the refs seemed to be allowing a lot more contract from the Rockets defense than the Spurs’. But that wasn’t why the Spurs briefly found themselves down by double digits again in the third. Turnovers were a problem, especially for Fox, who had two of his five getting stripped at the top of the key for open Rockets lay-ups.
• The non-Wemby minutes were mostly rough, especially with Luke Kornet struggling to contain Sengun, but the Spurs still managed to go on a run with him resting midway through the fourth quarter to briefly retake the lead riding the momentum of Castle. Wemby re-entered with 4:30 left and the Rockets up 2, and by then Sengun had found a rhythm and was pounding inside for buckets and fouls no matter who was guarding him. He even managed to draw a foul on Wemby by heading him in the mouth (it’s always amusing when the bleeding player is the one who committed the foul, but the Spurs were out of challenges).
• The Spurs still had a chance to win or send it to overtime with the ball out of a timeout with 5 seconds left. Whether by design or otherwise, Fox faked the fadeaway three before heaving it Wemby near the basket, but with his momentum taking him low and away from the basket, his attempt was blocked by Thompson, and VanVleet hit two free throws to seal it for good with 0.6 sec left. Free throws were ultimately the Spurs’ downfall in this game, with the Rockets hitting 28-31 compared to their 18-25.
• The Spurs drop to 0-2 to start the season, but at least they’re joined by the defending champions. When was the last time the two finalists started the next season 0-2? (I tried asking Google, and it called it “rare”, which to me implies it has happened before, but it only gave 2026 as an example, and it’s too late for me to care enough to dig deeper.)

Up next: Saturday at Dallas Mavericks, 7:00 PM CT

(It doesn’t feel right having a back-to-back with travel with tip-off times less than 23 hours apart no matter how close the games technically are to each other.)

When the Rockets started the game with consecutive three-point makes from Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, it felt like a good omen.

As it turned out, it was, as the Houston Rockets squeaked out a 113-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

The Rockets led for most of this contest, but it got hairy in the fourth quarter. Luckily, they found their way out of the woods:

And Alperen Sengun led the charge.

One thing is clear: This man is not afraid of Victor Wembanyama. Sengun was hyper-aggressive down the stretch, looking to score inside whenever he could, against whoever was there, and found tremendous success. He finished the game with 29 points on 10/20 shooting, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds.

Oh, and he hit 50.0% (2/4) of his threes, as did Amen Thompson (1/2). Chip Engelland’s deal with the devil continues to pay earthly dividends.

Speaking of Thompson…

Yes, he had 20 points and 10 rebounds. More importantly, he blocked the soul out of Wembanyama’s body to secure the win on the last play of the game.

One of the highlights of this game was Kevin Durant’s (relative) inactivity. The less Houston relies on him in the regular season, the better. He had a modest 20 points on 5/10 shooting from the field, although one of those shots was a massive triple in the closing moments that defined the game’s outcome.

What else? Tari Eason was great in his first (real) game of the season with 12 points, six boards and four steals, although he should probably dump off a pass or flush it with two hands instead of going for The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Glass-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Babies-Crying, Glass-Still-Flying, Cats-Crying, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Thank You-Wham-Bam-I-Am-Jam in a two-on-one fast break.

Another quirk in this game that’s maybe a non-sequitur here (if this is at all poorly written, please note that it is 1:50 AM and I have been up since 6:00 AM): It felt like Wembanyama was unstoppable at the rim. So many lobs, right? I wrote a whole paragraph about how Houston couldn’t stop him at the rim, but he was 9/21 in the game, so that couldn’t be true.

Ultimately, this was a game that was decided in the clutch. The team stats are nearly identical across the board. Sengun’s relentless inside scoring, Durant’s big triple, and perhaps the best play of Amen Thompson’s young career were the whole story. The Rockets improved to 2-0:

In mere hours, they’ll see if they can stay perfect against a talented Atlanta Hawks squad.

In a game where no Timberwolf scored more than 15 points and collectively shot 43% from the field, Minnesota routed the Orlando Magic with second efforts that stymied any attempts to close the gap. From the start, the Wolves were determined to pester the Magic. They forced turnovers, gang rebounded, and looked to pass the ball to teammates in transition. It was so impressive even older brothers were doling out compliments to their younger siblings.

Through two games, the Timberwolves showed that, make or miss, they are playing for each other. If one part of a player’s game isn’t working, they redouble their efforts on defense, rebounding or looking to pass. Despite their opponent’s rough and sometimes flagrant attempts to unsettle them, they kept their cool.

Speaking of the Orlando Magic. They boast a big, talented, and brutish team that lopes toward the basket with dribble penetration and some crafty pivots when they can get a one-on-one matchup. When they do kick it out for a three-point shot, prayers fill the Kia Center that the shot variance gods are in their favor.

Tonight, they were not.

Goldfish Mentality

In the midst of the first half, the Magic attempted to close the gap. Paolo Banchero hit a number of free throw line turn-around jumpers and chewed away at the Wolves lead. No Minnesota player hung their head for a moment. The inbounders quickly took the ball out of the net to go the other way, giving the Magic less time to breath, less time to set their defense, and less time to feel a sense of confidence grow.

The roiling sea of moodiness the Wolves navigated last year has calmed and it is reflective in their next play mentality. They play so fast that there is no option but to bring a constant energy. I don’t know if head coach Chris Finch got around to watching Ted Lasso, but Minnesota is playing with the ten second memory that allows them to brush off an opposing make.

In the fourth quarter, amidst a small surge from Orlando, the Wolves got creative. They beat the Magic’s full court press with a series of hit-ahead passes that created opportunities at the rim. Orlando soon gave up that approach.

If there is a thing that every Wolf always remembers, it is to celebrate any three-point make in front of the opposing bench.

Kuminga Up to the Challenge

Jonathan Kuminga has been given the most difficult defensive assignment in the past two games. In both, he has performed as well as any could have hoped. Despite Banchero injuring his ankle early in the third quarter, returning for a short stint before exiting for the night, Kuminga largely contained the All-Star when he was on the court. More than that, by taking the toughest challenge, he is allowing Jaden McDaniels to spread his wings more. While soaring to new heights, Slim is finding a few more rebounds a game. In the second game in a row against the bigger opponent, the Wolves ended the night with a +24 rebounding advantage.

Kuminga is feeling the full force of a team that believes in him and he is using it to make aggressive plays. In transition, Kuminga has been so forceful on the attack he was able to drive into Wendell Carter Jr., miss his shot, and get his own rebound as his drive sent WCJ reeling back into the basket stanchion. He connected with Ayo Dosunmu on a fast break and laid in a finger roll alley-oop.

Moments later he stole the ball and was fouled on his missed breakaway dunk attempt. Upset at the missed highlight, he slammed his fist against the stanchion. McDaniels was there right away to praise the steal and maybe to impart wisdom about punching inanimate objects.

Dos Unit

Led by Ayo Dosunmu, the Wolves bench ran rampant over any Magic player in front of them. Every bench player with double-digit minutes ended the game with a double-digit positive +/- numbers. Ayo, or Dos as he’s known by, filled up the stat sheet with a little bit of everything; 14 points, seven boards, nine assists, two stocks, and no turnovers. He was quick to run the break and brought the rest of the pack with him, getting the Wolves into early offense. The Magic closed out hard on Ayo on the perimeter, allowing him to drive into the paint, collapse the defense, and open up shooters. Again and again number 13 made the right play.

The rest of the bench followed that energy to extend the Wolves lead. Terrance Shannon Jr. hit above the break threes and drove with his usual panache, seeming to relish the Magic’s aggressive defense. After a rough game against two of the best bigs in the league, Joan Beringer found his place in the chaotic scrum under the basket. At the mere head fake of a shot, he quickly found someone to box out. He had one ferocious dunk and got a few more off of under the basket feeds and offensive rebounds (Seven!). Even Trey Lyles found ways to contribute on the glass, dishing out an assist to Rudy, and hitting a few threes of his own.

Ant Out of Rhythm

It wasn’t all good. After his 45-point explosion over Miami, Anthony Edwards’ shot appeared to abandon him. Attempt after attempt from outside clanked off the rim. When he tried to get to the basket, he met a well set wall of Magic players who nudged him off his spot and into a miss. He was at his worst when LaMelo Ball was off the court, falling back into old habits of iso-ball while his teammates sat waiting for a grenade should Ant’s attempt at finding his shot fail.

Edwards did find other ways to contribute, though. He snagged four steals and impressively outjumped WCJ. for a jump ball. As he chirped at the big man down the court, he buried a shot and scored again on the next possession. If there is a beef to be had on the court, then Ant will eat.

Free Points Left Behind

You got to make your free throws. The Wolves cannot afford to have a team free throw percentage worse than Rudy Gobert’s career average (63.3%). Minnesota left 13 free ones out to dry on 30 trips to the line. It’s a sign of respect for an opposing team to circle the matchup against you on the calendar. It’s a warning sign when fans circle the day after their team plays Minnesota for a free lunch courtesy of the Wolves missing both in the fourth.

Game Highlights

Next Up

The Timberwolves return home to Minnesota for their home opener. They take on their Neighbors to the North (technically south) in the Toronto Raptors. Catch the game on Sunday, October 25th at 6:00 PM CT on DAZN-MIN.

82-0.

Emotions ran high at the Pacers’ home opener in an unexpected way.

The 2025 Eastern Conference champions, who welcomed back Tyrese Haliburton for his first home game since he tore his Achilles during Game 7 of the NBA Finals 16 months ago, found themselves on the receiving end of a dominant Mavericks performance.

But during the contest, as the Mavericks, who won 121-105, continued building a monstrous lead, Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith delivered a hard foul to rising star Cooper Flagg on a dunk attempt shortly before halftime.

Things immediately got chippy after the hard foul as Flagg subsequently went to the locker room with a shoulder injury.

Nesmith was tagged with a flagrant foul, and he also received a double technical foul for his involvement in the subsequent skirmish, as did Mavericks wing Naji Marshall, who inserted himself into the action in defense of his injured teammate.

Two Mavericks players also appeared to leave the bench though Mavericks head coach Dusty May said he thought both went to check on Flagg, perhaps avoiding any disciplinary action from the league.

“Look, Nesmith is a great guy, a heck of a player. I’ve known him since he was in high school,” said May, who reached two NCAA Final Fours and won last year’s national championship just a few blocks away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “Obviously, an unfortunate play. Hopefully, Coop’s fine.”

Flagg continued to nurse his injured shoulder as he walked to the locker room area before the end of the first half and did not return.

May later said Flagg would be evaluated over the next couple of days.

“Cooper has left shoulder soreness, he’ll be evaluated in the next couple of days,” May said before addressing whether Flagg needed an MRI exam. “I really don’t know. I saw him in the locker room, he’s in good spirits. We’ll know in the next couple days what’s next.”

Flagg did not speak to reporters following the game.

With the win, the Mavericks improved to 1-1, dropping Indiana to the same record.

Flagg, who began the season with 32 points in 33 minutes in Houston, finished his two quarters in Indiana with 14 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals in just 17 minutes.

The Mavericks fly to Dallas and will play the second of a back-to-back on Saturday against the defending Western Conference champion Spurs.

The Pacers head to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on Sunday.

— with AP