After averaging 24 points (84.6% shooting), 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 1.5 steals through the first two games of the season, Walker Kessler struggled mightily during the Los Angeles Lakers’ comeback win Sunday against the Utah Jazz. In 28 minutes, he had two points (1-of-2 shooting) and seven rebounds, and committed four fouls.

The matchup marked Kessler’s return to Utah, where he spent the first four years of his career before joining Los Angeles this summer. Afterward, Kessler admitted emotions may have played a role in his poor performance.

“Obviously Utah was the first four years of my career. It’s a special place for me. Kind of jump started my career,” Kessler told reporters. “A lot of good memories, but definitely just let my emotions get the best of me and kind of hype myself up more than I usually do and kind of got too amped and then just couldn’t find the ball. Couldn’t find the rhythm. Just kind of was off. A couple fouls that were tough. A couple of blocks I usually just [get to]. One of those nights, but, fortunately, basketball is not a one-man sport. I’ve got really good teammates and I’m very thankful.”

As Kessler labored through a lackluster outing, the Lakers’ star backcourt pairing led the charge. Luka Dončić dazzled with 52 points (17-of-30 shooting), 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals while Austin Reaves continued his strong start to the year, dropping 29 points (7-of-12 shooting), four assists, two blocks and one steal. Matisse Thybulle added 11 points (3-of-7 beyond the arc), three steals and one block.

“I think going to the game, I definitely let my emotions get the best of me. But you got to learn in those moments and move on,” Kessler told reporters. “But, yeah, I’m glad we got the win tonight. I’ve got a lot of thanks to give to my teammates. All of them. They all played their roles and did a great job even though it wasn’t my best night. So I really, really appreciated them.”

Kessler will have a chance to bounce back Tuesday night at 8 p.m. when Los Angeles hosts the Portland Trail Blazers in a clash between undefeated teams.

You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.

While every win hasn’t been pretty, the Lakers have racked them up to start this season. A blowout of the Warriors, a sloppy win against the Clippers and a comeback over the Jazz has them a perfect 3-0 to open the campaign.

It’s unlikely they’ll go 82-0, though you can’t rule it out yet. Even still, the undefeated start has still brought with it some questions. So, let’s hear yours after a wild first week of the season.

Whether it’s about the Lakers or the NBA in general, or even something else, fire away with any questions.

As always, keep things friendly along the way!

Luka Dončić has not needed to shake off any rust this season.

The superstar guard produced a staggering 52-point performance in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 132-123 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night. Dončić’s 34.3 points per game is second-highest in the league and a key reason why the Lakers are undefeated to this point in the season.

One of Dončić’s biggest critics over the years has been Kendrick Perkins.

The former NBA forward called Dončić out for having missed time during the playoffs with an injury last season and even defended the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to trade Luka in 2025 because he didn’t believe Dončić was prepared to lead a team to a NBA championship.

But even Perkins couldn’t deny Dončić’s dominance on Sunday, as he made an X post in the wake of Los Angeles’ win against Utah that read, “Luka with a cool 52 and 10 on the lord’s day.”.

Dončić responded to this, writing, “.”

Dončić’s response has over 600,000 views in about 13 hours. This savage response suggests Dončić has seen what Perkins has said in the past and was eager to show that he sees Perkins’ praise as well.

Even Perkins has to admit that Dončić appears to be in his prime right now.

The Lakers will look to remain undefeated on Tuesday against the Trailblazers in Los Angeles.

Former Warriors player rips GM Mike Dunleavy's ‘s–t job' building team's roster  originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 2026-27 NBA season is off to a rough start for the Warriors, and a former player is not holding back his thoughts.

Four-time All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, who played for the Warriors during the 2018-19 season, spoke on FanDuel’s “Run It Back” and gave his thoughts on the current state of the franchise, specifically calling out general manager Mike Dunleavy for how he has struggled to build a competitive roster around Steph Curry. Cousins’ comments come in the midst of the team’s 0-3 start to the season.

Boogie Cousins GOES OFF on the Golden State Warriors 🗣️

"Dunleavy has done a sh*t job putting a roster around Steph Curry."@MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @TeamLou23pic.twitter.com/BmpFTLMChm

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) October 26, 2026

“And it’s unfortunate, because I think Steph [Curry] has so much more greatness to give, even at this point in his career,” Cousins said. “I don’t feel like the front office is believing in Steph the way everybody in the world believes in Steph. And I think the evidence is pretty apparent.

“I’ll go on the record and say I think Dunleavy has done a s–t job as far as putting a roster around Steph Curry. Why this guy still has a job? I’ll never know. Obviously, I don’t have that privilege in life.”

Cousins also alluded to the system that the team runs, calling it “outdated” and saying how it does not work in today’s NBA. The biggest issue he pointed out was the team’s lack of a true dominant center, something Golden State has struggled to find in recent seasons.

“I think he’s done a horrible job as far as putting a good group around him,” Cousins continued. “They’re still running the same outdated system as far as going extremely small. I think the other night Steve Kerr put in a lineup, and the tallest guy on the floor was [6-foot-6]. It doesn’t work anymore. The system is outdated…So, it sucks to see Steph kind of go out on this limb. I feel like he has a lot more greatness to give.”

The Warriors made a few moves this offseason to bolster their size, such as drafting Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11 overall in this year’s draft, re-signing Draymond Green, Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis and signing free agent Georges Niang. But the team failed to bring in another true star and stayed relatively quiet overall, giving them limited options to help Curry.

Golden State still is hoping to surprise people this season and compete for a playoff spot after missing out on them entirely last year. Curry signed a massive two-year contract extension last month, keeping him the Bay Area through at least his 20th season and motivating the team even more to win their fifth title since 2015.

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A cliché is an overused expression or idea that has lost its originality and impact, while a truism is a statement that is so obviously and self-evidently true that it offers little to no new insight.

Both are pithy, ultimately pointless things to say that we say anyway because something has to be said. There’s a saying in sports: Availability is the best ability.

That’s more of a truism.

Which brings me to the Houston Rockets’ Steven Adams. As of this writing, the Rockets have a rematch with the Atlanta Hawks this evening. Adams is not expected to suit up, which brings him to one game played out of four this season so far.

That’s a problem.

Rockets can’t rely on Steven Adams

Yes, it’s likely that Ime Udoka is intentionally giving Adams some early-season rest. This may not be a massive problem. The team is (again, as of this writing) undefeated.

Only Adams managed just 32 games last year. He played 58 in his 2024-25 debut season with the Rockets, but the year before that he played 0, and 42 in 2022-23.

Durability has been an issue for Adams since that 2022 injury. It’s been four consecutive seasons now. It’s probably fair to drop the caveat:

Durability has been an issue for Adams.

This is a player who’s meant to be integral to the Rockets’ identity. Preserving his body for the playoffs is smart, but this is still an amber alert.

What do the Rockets do if Adams can’t get on the floor?

Rockets must explore long-term backup big man options

Here’s a simple, elegant solution:

Play Oscar Tshiebwe.

Last season, Adams had an 18.9% offensive rebounding percentage (via NBA.com, because there’s a discrepancy on Basketball Reference, and that bothers me). That was third in the NBA. Tshiebwe’s 15.1% mark ranked 8th. That’s a gap, but it’s not a gulf.

We shouldn’t reduce the entire secondary big man’s role to offensive rebounding. At the same time…it’s a pretty large percentage of the role for these Rockets. If we made a pie chart, it’d be one of those pie charts where over half is one color, and then the rest of the pie is divided between a bunch of other variables.

Adams isn’t an especially good defender. He’s a poor offensive player. Yet, he’s managed to be an incredibly impactful NBA player by being the best in the league at two things for a long time: Offensive rebounding and screening.

Tshiebwe can approximate Adams’ offensive rebounding. I’d be lying if I said I could recall an Oscar Tshiebwe screen off the top of my head, but he’s said to be good there too. He won’t be Adams – nobody will – but he’s probably as close as we’ll get.

This is not a big deal. So far, it’s been an odd start for the Rockets. The team is 3-0, and they aren’t leaning on the extra possession philosophy as they have in years past. The team’s 34.3% Offensive Rebounding percentage is just ninth in the league. The Rockets are winning basketball games by doing good basketball stuff.

So imagine how dominant they’d be if they were controlling the offensive glass again.

What’s being suggested here is that getting Tshiebwe on the floor is a way for the Rockets to preserve that identity for the next half-decade. He may not play well, but at least then the team would know.

Otherwise, relying on Capela for the rest of the year is…fine. He’s got a sterling 22.2% offensive rebounding percentage as well, but he’s only playing 9.4 minutes per game. Capela has become a subpar defender, which limits his value.

Maybe Udoka is done with the double-big lineups. That’s fine, but they still need a reliable backup big. If it isn’t Tshiebwe, that’s fine, but they need to have targets circled in the 2027 NBA Draft.

By now, it seems clear that it won’t be Steven Adams for much longer.

Remember when the Knicks won the NBA championship?

Yeah, that was more than four months ago, so maybe it’s about time someone starts getting back down to earth and hooping again.

Here’s the latest from the latest embarrassing loss in an early season full of them.

"The biggest thing is to coach them and tell them the truth… If we're trying, and trying the right way, sometimes you've got to fight through stuff like this to get yourself on track. Games like this will tell us like, our crap stinks. It does."

– Mike Brown pic.twitter.com/32sgBqXXqM

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 26, 2026

Mike Brown

On evaluating the season in five-game segments for his own sanity:

“We break the season into five-game segments. There are marks that we like to hit in those five games and it kind of gives us a good feel of where you were, in a fair amount of games, and to see if you can make progress in the next five.

“Obviously you want to go 5-0, you’ll take 4-1, and then maybe you have to take 3-2. But if you’re doing anything less than that, you know that nobody is reaching their potential.”

On coaching the Knicks through their 0-3 start and holding players accountable:

“The biggest thing is to coach them and to continue to tell them the truth. When I talked to them, I said, ‘Hey, we were great in transition in the second half.’ We were. But now, we have to continue to try and embrace the little things. We have to make sure we’re doing it in practice so that it carries over into the game. I’ll really jump their a– if I see the effort is not there. To me, that’s a whole different thing. If we’re trying, and trying the right way, sometimes you have to fight through stuff like this to get yourself on track.

“But games like this will tell us, and I’ve said it before, our crap stinks. It does. We’re the only ones who can do something about it.”

On the Knicks’ excrement:

“Games like this will tell us, our crap stinks. It does. And we’re the only ones who can do anything about it. There’s no light switch we can just turn on and go and win the ballgame. Nobody’s giving us anything, so we have to be better with the little things until we start shooting the ball.”

On the Knicks allowing a nonsensical fourth-quarter offensive explosion to Orlando:

“Giving up 40 points in the fourth quarter is way too much.”

On benching Andre Drummond for James Wiseman:

“I felt our transition defense wasn’t good during that time, not just because of [Drummond], but I wanted to go with a change. Wiseman’s been playing well in practice. I wanted to give him an opportunity and I thought he was pretty good in his first stint [in the first half]. And so I decided to go with him for a second stint. But Andre will go out there as a backup in the next game.”

On the open competition for minutes among the Knicks’ reserves:

“First thing I wanna make clear is we have our starting five. Other than that, anybody can play. When you’re a backup in this league, that doesn’t mean you’re always gonna be the seventh man or you’re always gonna be the eighth man.

“No, no, no, no, no, no. It’s competitive. And it’s less so with the starting group if your starting group is established, which ours is, but everybody else after that starting five, I can throw in front of the next guy in a heartbeat.”

On the Knicks not yet reaching their expected level of play in the early season:

“We’re not quite there yet.”

On Dalton Knecht’s two-way contract and plans to give him playing time in Westchester:

“Right now he obviously is a two-way [player], and we want him to play as much as he can, so he’s gonna play some games with Westchester. If we need him to play games with us, we’ll do that. I’d rather him play than be around us too much and sit.”

On helping Knecht learn the Knicks’ system and potentially giving him NBA minutes:

“So trying to get him caught up to speed sooner than later with what we like to do would be one of the reasons why we want him around. But with him, we’ll take it day-by-day to see how quickly he picks up on the offense and the defense, and then if there’s a need to throw him out there, I won’t hesitate to throw him out there.”

On waiving Kevin McCullar Jr. to sign Knecht:

“Kevin, first of all, he’s a fantastic young man, and we’re gonna miss him, obviously, but he’s been here two seasons as a two-way. Being able to try to get to know a guy like Dalton Knecht at this point of the year, it’s something that we need to take a look at.

“So it wasn’t anything that Kevin didn’t do. He was great, and he is an NBA player. And I think he’s gonna get a shot, someday and it could be with us, who knows down the road? I don’t know. But it was more so having the opportunity to bring a guy like Dalton on just to get to know him a little bit better is why we did it.”

"Poor decision making by me late in the game. Ball's not falling in for us, I think we've gotten some good looks throughout the game but the little things we can control that helps contribute to wins"

Jalen Brunson on the late-game turnovers the Knicks have experienced: pic.twitter.com/1QBya5tgDT

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 26, 2026

Jalen Brunson

On defending Miles McBride’s play against the Celtics:

“[McBride] played great. He’s one of the reasons we were still in the game. Without him doing what he was doing, it might’ve been a worse outcome. He came in ready to go and helped us.”

On the Knicks getting comfortable during strong stretches of play:

“Everyone can say it’s early in the season — we can use that as an excuse — but the one thing I see is that when we get on those runs and look like the team we were in the past, we get a little comfortable. We have to continue to put our foot on the gas and execute things like we did last year.

“We’re not going to be the same. We’re not going to play how we were playing last year; that’s just human nature. But we have to accept this part of the journey, find a way to get better, and hopefully after a couple of games, we can look back and say, ‘We grew from that.’”

On taking responsibility for the Knicks’ offensive struggles on Sunday:

“Organization on my part and making sure we’re in the right place to execute what we need to do. Everything falls on my shoulders. I just got to be a better leader in making sure our guys are ready to go and are in the right spots. There are a lot of little things but that’s the main thing. Organization on my part.”

On the message he delivered to teammates after the Knicks’ 0-3 start:

“Control what you can control; focus on the little details that may seem small but are going to impact winning. Most importantly, let’s do it together.”

On his frustration after the Knicks’ third consecutive loss:

“Not happy. Plain and simple.”

On early-season adversity revealing the Knicks’ character:

“One thing I’ve said during training camp and to this day is we’re going to see who we are within the first couple weeks of the season. And we’re seeing adversity. So how are we going to respond?”

On not wanting championship praise anymore:

“Everyone has been telling us what a great job we did, how fun it was, what we did for the city, the constant praise (for winning the title). So now we need the opposite.”

Andre Drummond was asked if he has any idea about his expected role with the team:

"Nope. I'm just here to work, when my number's called I'm prepared to play." pic.twitter.com/ARKIZRdVRy

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 26, 2026

Andre Drummond

On being benched against the Magic without receiving an explanation:

“Control what I can control. I can’t do s–t about not playing. All I can do is cheer my teammates on and hope for the best.”

On not knowing why Mike Brown removed him from the rotation:

“You can make the guess for me”

On whether or not Brown told him about his expected role with the Knicks:

“Nope. I’m just here to work, when my number’s called I’m prepared to play.”

Dalton Knecht thinks playing in Westchester "is going to be great":

"Learn a new system, learn a new scheme and stuff like that. Just be ready for the new opportunity, I'm excited to start learning from everybody" pic.twitter.com/bebulPJr19

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 25, 2026

Dalton Knecht

On leaving the Lakers and getting a fresh opportunity with the Knicks:

“I thought [Los Angeles] was a great opportunity. Next thing was coming. So it was kind of exciting [to] get a new opportunity, a new start somewhere. So I think this is gonna be great.”

On what changed between his rookie and sophomore seasons with the Lakers:

“I don’t think nothing changed, I think it’s just — the team got changed, and that was it. I don’t have no hard feelings, but on to better things.”

On learning the Knicks’ system and preparing for his new role:

“I think it’s gonna be great [in New York]. Learn the system, learn the new schemes and stuff like that. And you know, just be ready for the new opportunity. I’m excited to just start learning from everybody.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was completely shattered upon seeing Jalen Williams' injury.

It's like he went into tears

That's heartbreaking, man 🙁 https://t.co/KzKBNmJPrppic.twitter.com/O38QNWgsiP

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) October 26, 2026

There might not be a better Monday on the sports calendar than Oct. 26.

It's officially the 2026 sports equinox, a rare convergence when the calendars of the biggest leagues in North America overlap to create a sports fan's dream.

This year, the sports equinox features games in all five major professional leagues, plus championship action in two of them. That means the World Series, WNBA Finals, Monday Night Football and regular-season NBA and NHL games are all on the schedule.

Here's a look at everything happening during the 2026 sports equinox and how to watch.

NFL WEEK 7: 32 things we learned as trade deadline nears

Major League Baseball

• World Series Game 3: Milwaukee Brewers at Tampa Bay Rays, 8 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX One, Fubo)

WNBA

• WNBA Finals Game 5: Atlanta Dream at Golden State Valkyries, 8 p.m. ET (USA Network, CNBC, Peacock, Fubo)

NFL

• Monday Night Football: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN, ABC, ESPN Unlimited, Fubo)

NBA

• Washington Wizards at Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Minnesota Timberwolves at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Dallas Mavericks at Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks, 8 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder, 8 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Atlanta Hawks at Houston Rockets, 8:30 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Memphis Grizzlies at Utah Jazz, 9 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET (NBCSN, Peacock)

NHL

• Los Angeles Kings at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET (NHL Network)
• Toronto Maple Leafs at Calgary Flames, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• Detroit Red Wings at Edmonton Oilers, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 Sports Equinox: World Series, WNBA Finals, NFL, NBA, NHL on same day

The Sixers knew they’d have to be a better rebounding team than they have in recent seasons. After finishing in the bottom 10 for the past couple of seasons, it was something that Nick Nurse stressed quite a bit throughout training camp.

They had plenty of problems in their first loss of the season to the Detroit Pistons. Jaylen Brown shot 5-of-20 from the field and the team as a whole came out of the gate slow, very much looking like a group that was playing their third game in four days.

With Joel Embiid resting on the second half of a back-to-back, it showed how dire the situation on the glass can be when he is out of the lineup. Starting a 41-year old LeBron James at center, the Sixers were out rebounded 54-37 by a Pistons team without starting center Jalen Duren in the lineup. They surrendered 15 offensive rebounds which led to 24 second-chance points.

Of course Embiid wasn’t the only missing Sixer in the front court. Jabari Walker missed the game with knee soreness after tweaking it the night before and Dominick Barlow has yet to play this season with a lumbar spine injury. Even Tacko Fall, who was converted to a two-way contract at the end of the preseason, has yet to see any action as he’s dealing with a quad injury.

Tyrese Maxey made note after the game that those reinforcements coming back should help them a lot.

“Some of our tall guys can come back, that would be great,” he said.

LeBron James referenced one of his old teammates, Taurean Prince, trying to hammer home that sometimes it’s as simple as going up and getting it.

“The ball goes up in the air,” James said, “and you go grab it.”

Both Maxey and James know the Sixers need to do more than just that. So does Nick Nurse, who’s trying to find ways for this team to finish possessions with the guys he has available.

“All five guys got to rebound. I just look at the numbers there and the defensive rebounding, just across the board, no matter position, just aren’t good enough,” Nurse said after the game, “so, everybody’s got to chip in with a few more.”

Even when Walker and Barlow are back, the only true center on the roster on nights Embiid will miss is Adem Bona, a springy center who’s struggled as a rebounder. In his best performance of the season, Bona had 13 rebounds in 25 minutes of play, but still let some crucial boards slip through his fingers, including two on one possession that led to Daniss Jenkins hitting the dagger three that put the game away.

Both Bona and Maxey stressed that the Sixers need to do a better job of finding their man and boxing out, regardless of position.

“We just got to hit, box out, try to fight, you got to figure it out,” Maxey said. “The ball comes off the rim, you gotta do whatever you gotta do to get that rebound.”

On top of the attention to the matchups, Bona believes that more Sixers crashing the glass on the offensive end will help even things out.

“Offensively, we got to rebound as a team. Sometimes we just have one guy going or we have two,” Bona said. “Obviously, we have to worry about fast breaks, getting back, but at the same time we also got to focus a little more on offensive rebounding.”

It’s an area of the game the Sixers will have to put more attention to, but for the time being, they’re in a tough spot to grab boards, personnel wise. They’ve been relying on LeBron to fill in center minutes so far, but they know that’s not a long-term solution.

“I don’t see it being a sustainable role,” James said, “but it’s a role we know that we can tap into if we need it.”

The end of the bench has really been depleted by injuries a week into the season — there’s not much they can do about that.The only legitimate criticism of the roster construction at the moment is the aforementioned use of the two-way on Fall. As tall as he is at 7-foot-6, Fall proved to not be a rotation player in his first stint in the NBA. Relying on a guy who was never a rotation-caliber player, hasn’t played in the NBA in four years, and also missed all of training camp and preseason with an injury to provide the help the team needs feels …. ambitious, to say the least.

The Sixers obviously aren’t going to achieve the goals they desire without Embiid in the lineup when the games matter. They do have to figure out how they’re going to eat those innings in the time it takes getting there.

Thunder star Jalen Williams was taken off the floor on a stretcher Sunday night after apparently suffering a leg injury with under two minutes remaining in Oklahoma City’s 108-101 win over the Clippers.

The gruesome injury had Williams’s left foot bending unnaturally after he awkwardly landed on it while being fouled. Thunder medical personnel quickly covered Williams’s leg with a towel as he and other players on the court reacted in shock.

The injury had such an impact on star teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that he fought back tears in his postgame interview.

“I don’t even know,” Gilgeous-Alexander said when asked what was going through his mind after the game. “I just feel bad for him. Nothing more than that.”

Gilgeous-Alexander continued and said the team will keep fighting without Williams.

“It’s obviously going to be tough without a player like that,” he admitted. “But he’s not gone forever. He’ll be back better than ever, and we know it. We’ve just got to hold the fort down until he comes back.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fighting back tears in the post game interview after Jalen Williams' gruesome leg injury https://t.co/3pOYngIWScpic.twitter.com/zEI7byVsxq

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) October 26, 2026

Williams, 25, has already been named an All-Star and All-NBA player since being drafted 12th overall by the Thunder in 2022. He played a big role in the Thunder’s championship run in 2025, but missed 49 games last season due to multiple injuries, including a hamstring and recovery from right wrist surgery.

The Thunder did not immediately diagnose Williams’s injury, and head coach Mark Daigneault said postgame that the team will be updated on Monday morning.

“We’re not doing great,” Daigneault said.

The Thunder play the second half of a back-to-back on Monday night against the Suns at home.

SALT LAKE CITY — For Walker Kessler, his first game back at Delta Center was an emotional one.

And he admitted he let those same emotions get the best of him leading into the Lakers’ comeback victory over the Jazz on Sunday.

Kessler was coming off of looking like one of the best big men in the league after the first two games of the season, entering the matchup against the Jazz with averages of 24 points (84% shooting), 8.5 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

But the 7-foot-2 center had a dud in his first game against his former team, finishing with more fouls (four) than points (two) in 28 minutes. 

He grabbed seven rebounds, but shot just 1-of-2 from the field and didn’t provide his usual rim protection, finishing with just one blocked shot. 

“Definitely let my emotions get the best of me,” Kessler said. “But you gotta learn those moments and move on.” 

Luckily for the big man, his teammates picked up the slack, with Luka Doncic leading the Lakers with 52 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds en route to a victory. 

Austin Reaves chipped in an efficient 29 points on 7-of-12 shooting (11-of-13 on free throws), with the Lakers having five players score in double figures.

“I’m just glad we got the win,” Kessler said. “I mean, I’ve got a lot of thanks to give to my teammates, I mean, all of them. They all played their roles and did a great job, even though it wasn’t my best night. So I really, really appreciated them.”

The No. 22 pick in the 2022 NBA draft spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Jazz.

He was an integral part of the team’s rebuild after the franchise traded All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to the Cavaliers during the 2022 offseason before the Lakers acquired him via sign-and-trade from the Jazz in July.

The transaction included a four-year, $130 million contract for Kessler, with the Lakers sending the Jazz unprotected first-round draft picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030.

The former Auburn Tiger could feel the emotions take over as he was arriving to the arena he used to call home. 

“Obviously Utah was the first four years of my career,” Kessler said. “It’s a special place for me. Kind of jumpstarted my career, a lot of good memories. Just letting my emotions get the best of me and kind of hype myself up more than I usually do and kind of got too amped.

“And then just couldn’t find the ball, couldn’t find the rhythm, just kind of was off a couple fouls that were tough, a couple blocks I usually [make] – it’s one of those nights. But fortunately basketball is not a one-man sport. I’ve got really good teammates and I’m very thankful.”

Despite Kessler’s subpar performance, the Lakers moved to 3-0 on the season after coming back from down 18 points.

“He didn’t have the best game,” Reaves said. “But for him to not have a good game and us still get a win shows the versatility of our team.”

Kessler was glad to get his first game back in Utah out of the way this early in the season.

“I knew I’d have some emotions naturally just because it’s my first place I ever played,” he said. “But yeah, definitely good to get out of the way and be excited for next time we play them.”

The referendum on the Boston Celtics’ bold decision to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers this summer might last all season. Celtics win? Great trade! Celtics blow a 22-point lead while Jayson Tatum shoots 6-for-23 from the floor? Bad deal, “welcome to being the guy, JT.”

Ultimately, NBA fans won’t know who “won” the Brown trade for a few years when the draft picks involved in the deal convey, unless the Sixers or Celtics win a championship before that happens. What’s already clear is there are still some hurt feelings for the players involved, and it’s leading to one of the most embarrassing war of words possible to start the new season.

Tatum and Brown both commented on the beef that isn’t a beef on Saturday after an emoji on social media added more fuel to the fire. Here’s the timeline of events here:

1. Jaylen Brown commented with the “cap” emoji — indicating someone is lying — when Tatum said he was surprised by the trade like everyone else in an Instagram video.
2. Tatum gave a long response about Brown’s emoji after the Celtics beat the Knicks on Friday, saying there’s “no beef” between the two and said he’s disappointed it’s turned into a drama rather than appreciating what the two accomplished together.
3. Brown responded to Tatum’s comment after the Sixers beat the Bucks on Saturday, and gave a couple memorable quotes. Let’s get into those below.

Brown said he agreed with Tatum that there’s no beef. Then it got interesting.

“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 there might be a little lamb chops and gravy. He should stay ready at all times.”

Jaylen Brown on Jayson Tatum: “It’s no beef, but it might be little lamb chops and some gravy, you know what I mean?

“He should stay ready at all times.” pic.twitter.com/1jkBUKguWr

— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) October 25, 2026

Brown liked the “lamb chops and gravy” line so much he said it twice. He really thought that one was going to bang, but in the humble opinion of this nearly 40-year-old blogger, it reads as pretty cringeworthy. I wish someone would have followed up on the last line about Tatum needing to stay ready. What does that mean?! I actually really like that line from Brown, it’s so ridiculous and opaque that it hits that just right. That’s how you do it when you want to go viral.

Here’s Tatum’s long quote on Brown’s emoji. Tatum said he’s too old for the drama, and that he and Brown need better communication. Watch his full response:

.@RealBobManning asked Jayson Tatum about Jaylen Brown’s 🧢 comment, and he responded at length: pic.twitter.com/7vR7EbHi80

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) October 24, 2026

And here’s the screenshot of Brown’s cap emoji that started it all. Shout-out to Tatum for rocking the backwards red fitted cap in this video. I assume it’s a Cardinals hat for the St. Louis native, but that will always remind me of Fred Durst.

Jayson Tatum on the Jaylen Brown trade in a recent interview:

"I was just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world."

Jaylen Brown in the comments: 🧢 pic.twitter.com/dia6lscJ2E

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) October 23, 2026

Here are some quick takes on the state of the Tatum-Brown relationship right now:

• I could be wrong about this, but … the Celtics *probably* told Tatum they were going to trade Brown just to make sure he didn’t have a bad reaction to it. In that sense, Brown likely isn’t wrong for using the cap emoji in response to Tatum saying he was totally caught off guard.
• Tatum’s response is far more mature, and this situation is clearly eating away at him a little bit. I’m sure he enjoyed his years with Brown. They won so many games, and that 2024 championship banner will hang forever.
• Brown seems to be using that trade and Tatum’s comments as motivation, which basically every athlete does.

This should be a non-story, but that’s never going to happen because fans love drama. Brown is probably going to keep leaning in, and Tatum is probably going to continue to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. This is all very silly, but whatever. Get back to me in 2035 and we’ll see who really won the Jaylen Brown trade.

Monica McNutt is still “mystified” by her viral hot mic Taylor Swift moment and how that got put out into the world during Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

During a recent episode of “The Pivot” podcast hosted by former NFL stars Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor, the ESPN basketball analyst gave her take on the incident in which she was heard taking a shot at the mega popstar while on the Knicks radiocast.

“Epitome of a hot mic situation. We weren’t even up yet. I’m still mystified and would love someone to explain how that got to the masses. But, we’ll leave that there,” McNutt said.

Upon spying Swift in a courtside seat at Madison Square Garden, McNutt was caught saying, “She’s not a Knicks fan. Get out of here, girl.”

By the time Game 4 ended with the franchise-defining OG Anunoby tip-in, McNutt had no idea she had gone viral and was receiving a ton of heat from Swift fans on social media.

She explained a PR staffer said to her, “You know you’re doing viral?”

“Dude I don’t care, did you just see that?” she responded. “I don’t care.”

On the podcast, McNutt defended what she said about Swift and said it was a “throwaway comment.”

We all know why Taylor Swift shows up at NFL stadiums, but Monica McNutt had questions when she appeared at Madison Square Garden during the NBA playoffs.

In this business, they say, “The mic is always hot,” and that night, it certainly was! The Swifties went into full attack… pic.twitter.com/JI27MjOTUO

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) October 25, 2026

“You gotta be able to read a little colloquialism because ‘Girl get out of here’ isn’t literally ‘Get out of here,'” she said. “But I had just seen you at a Knicks game with your man in no Knicks gear, and all the celebrity Knicks fans I am familiar with, blue and orange down baby, it ain’t no question. So, literally it’s a throwaway comment RC, that like please, congratulations you have built an empire, you have an incredible fan base, like I do not care.”

“Again, people that have never had our jobs, you don’t know how a hot mic works, and if you don’t speak with any of the flavor that I speak with, you probably took that comment to heart and it wasn’t even that deep,” she added. “And that’s on you, not me.”

Swift’s Knicks fandom was put into question when she was spotted at Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers with then-fiancee Travis Kelce, a Cleveland native.

Swift then showed up to Game 4 of the NBA Finals with the Haim sisters while wearing custom blue and orange Knicks novelty shirts with the pop star’s reading “Stevie Knicks.”

No one approached McNutt about the comment in person other than a reporter from TMZ, who asked to talk to her about the situation. She later apologized to Swift in the street interview between Games 4 and 5.

“The internet is not real….Baby I can close my phone and go on about my business. I am living literally my best professional life right now. What are y’all talking about?” she said.

However, one person did come to McNutt’s defense during the Knicks championship celebrations after taking Game 5 in San Antonio.

Taking her MSG microphone, Jalen Brunson said, “I just want to say something to the Swifties: She’s a really good one, cut her some slack. It’s all good. I promise.”

McNutt explained she did not know the NBA Finals MVP was going to defend her.

“Jalen is just — he’s so thoughtful. He’s an incredible leader,” McNutt said. “I think his sense of what is happening around the people that — not that he is responsible for me but like — he is the king of New York and I’m in the New York orbit if you will. Tip of the cap to him for sure. I was not expecting that. It was really cool.”