Category: Basketball

The Brooklyn Nets broke one losing streak yesterday. They couldn’t break another at Madison Square Garden this evening, losing to the New York Knicks for a 15th straight time.

For whatever it’s worth, which can’t be much, the Nets did flirt with their first win over their crosstown rivals in nearly four years. In a way, they were close, as Brooklyn led late and never trailed by more than nine entering the fourth. But in another, they looked as far off as ever, completely unraveling and playing their worst basketball when it mattered most.

You don’t need me to tell you this, but the latter is what separates the winners from the losers in this league.

The Nets began tonight with the same five they fielded in their win last night against Indiana. And, Nolan Traoré picked up right where he left off, splashing a deep triple and assisting on a Day’Ron Sharpe jam during Brooklyn’s third and fourth possessions of the game to help Brooklyn establish and early lead. By the end of the game, he’d finish with 17 points and four assists while shooting 5-of-6 from deep. He turned it over twice, but also grabbed a steal and blocked a shot.

The defense, however, wasn’t so easily copy and pasted over from the prior game. Whether it was miscommunication on switches or doubling in the gap and living with the result, the Nets gave up several corner threes early in the contest. Shooting 6-of-14 from deep in the first, New York caught and overtook Brooklyn quickly, going up 27-21 after one.

“I think that when you buy into playing as hard as you can, there’s always breakdowns, and it’s about giving your second and third, especially your your third effort,” Fernández said. “It’s easy to give one or two, but we always say we want three or more.”

While Julius Randle received a warm welcome in the Garden tonight after being introduced with Brooklyn’s starting five, he looked rather uncomfortable on the floor early on, beginning the game 0-3 from the field with a turnover. He did, however, assist on a Mikel Brown Jr. ATO triple in the opening frame.

Oddly enough, it was the 20-year-old rookie in MSG for the first time, not the old fan favorite, who looked at ease early on, moving well around New York’s defensive pressure both on and off ball. After sitting out the last game for back injury management, Brown Jr. put up five first quarter points on 2-3 shooting. With five seconds left in the frame, he also dished an assist after blowing past Landry Shamet and Duece McBride to find Mo Wagner in front of the cylinder for an and-one.

“I think Mikel is a rock star,” Fernández said. “He’s gonna keep taking steps. And right now, we always want him to be aggressive, but he has the responsibility to run the team, and that’s a big deal.”

But with 150+ career games on that floor, you knew Julius Randle would find his footing already. And in the subsequent quarter’s first four minutes, he did, as Julius pitched in four points to help the Nets start the period with a 9-0 run.

Playing the Knicks as a Net for the first time, Randle downplayed the rivalry, saying that he didn’t feel any different now coming into it from Brooklyn’s side.

“No, not really,” he said. “Honestly, not really. I try to keep the game the same and stay levelheaded, so it’s fun, always fun competing, but not really.”

The Nets even retook the lead for a moment until a wayward Traoré pass found its way to Mikal Bridges, who took it all the way down the other way for an uncontested jam. For the fans still salty over his exit, it’s worth noting that Bridges did little else worth mentioning beyond that point tonight. He finished just 1-7 from the field and played only 16 minutes.

Still, the Knicks controlled things for much of the second. Despite beginning the quarter 1-of-8 from the field while the Nets opened 6-of-13, New York benefitted from five extra free throws to stay afloat, even as Traoré made up for that turnover with another fine period. Nolan hit another triple in the second to stay perfect, adding 11 points and two assists in the first half…

However, it wasn’t enough to overcome Brooklyn’s woeful perimeter defense and the free throw discrepancy. Michael Porter Jr. had little-to-no interest closing out hard as the Nets gave up another bushel of corner threes in the second. The Knicks, despite having just 13 made field goals at halftime, went 15-of-16 from the line, while the Nets were just 4-of-6.

While the fan in you might want to pound your fist and chalk that up to an unfair “champ-friendly” whistle, the Nets weren’t wise, even if innocent defenders, often fouling late in the shot clock and even the game clock, as Randle left his feet to give Brunson an extra pair right before the second quarter buzzer sounded. The Nets also fouled New York on three 3-point attempts.

So, Brooklyn trailed at the break by a 51-44 score. And early in the third quarter, they continued to lurk, as both teams traded buckets early on to keep the deficit intact.

The Knicks did piece together a 7-0 run at the heart of the frame, threatening to turn this into the blowout the 14.5 point spread advertised. That was, until Brown Jr. got back on the attack. He bolted through the New York defense for two quick finishes at the rim to ignite a 13-0 burst from Brooklyn, capped off by triples from Porter Jr. and Wagner, which gave them a small lead.

Brooklyn maintained that advantage, up 79-75 ahead the final frame. It was Brooklyn’s first lead against the Knicks going into the fourth quarter since January of 2024.

It then evaporated in a flash, and became difficult to believe it had ever been there at all even quicker.

The Knicks began the fourth with a 9-0 jolt after the Nets missed two long threes and Wagner smoked a layup, which allowed New York to rebound, run, and shoot with space. Then, after a string of Brooklyn turnovers, it boiled into an extend 16-2 run. Like they had last summer, the Knicks looked like they owned the fourth quarter. The Nets looked like they were just renting space.

“I feel like we just wasn’t connected as a group down the stretch,” Brown Jr. said. “National champs, they played together for a long time, so we knew at some point they were going to make a run. That’s just what great teams do. We didn’t do our part on sustaining the level of connectiveness and just playing together on both ends of the floor.”

Traoré hit his fourth triple to pump the brakes and make it a 91-84 game with 6:31 to go, but rather than swinging it, that shot got swallowed up by the New York momentum. The Nets kept missing shots around the rim and started losing all the 50/50 balls. With 3:50 to go, the Knicks had outscored Brooklyn in the period 23-5, and led on the scoreboard 98-84.

Shellshocked, the Nets could only let time trickle away by that point. Randle finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but went 1-3 from the field with four turnovers in the fourth. Porter Jr. finished with 18 points while shooting 4-11 from deep, but went 0-2 with zero points in nine fourth quarter minutes. Brown Jr. finished with 13 points, three assists, and two rebounds, but went 0-4 in the fourth with a turnovers. The team collectively shot 3-16 from the field in the final quarter.

While acknowledging the disappointment that comes with losing, Fernández opted to stay positive postgame.

“We played great for 39 minutes, and then the last nine were not good enough,” he said. “I’m asking these guys to play as hard as they can, and the last two games, they’ve done it. There’s a lot to learn from being organized and dealing with the lead, and obviously that’s my responsibility to help them to be better right there.

“There’s a lot of positive in this game to just throw everything out of the window think that we didn’t do good things. It hurts because you wanted to win the game, and we’re all competitive, but as we all know, if we keep playing as hard as we played in the last two games, there’s going to be a lot of good things, and a lot of growth, because remember that it’s not just a new group, but also a young group, and right now we want to see these steps. I think if you put too much negative energy into the group and into the young kids, then that that affects the growth. So, I’m proud of the group.”

Final: New York Knicks 103, Brooklyn Nets 90

Milestone Watch

• Julius Randle recorded his first double-double of the season tonight vs. NYK with 21 points and a season-high 10 rebounds. It is his first regular-season double-double in 23 outings, last recording one on 3/3/26 (MIN vs MEM).
• With his 17th point tonight vs. NYK, Michael Porter Jr. reached 7,000 points in his NBA career. He is one of six players since his debut in 2019-20 to total 7,000 PTS, 2,500 REB and 1,000 3PM, joining Luka Dončić, James Harden, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Lauri Markkanen.

Next Up

Brooklyn gets a day off before going back home to host the Charlotte Hornets yet again, tipping off on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. EST. After a brutal stretch to open the season, minus their first game, which of course came against Charlotte, this begins a winnable stretch of games for the Nets, with contests against Atlanta, Dallas, and New Orleans to follow.

• Boxscore: New York Knicks 103, Brooklyn Nets 90 – NBA.com
• Game Highlights: New York Knicks 103, Brooklyn Nets 90 (Video) – NBA.com
• Jordi Fernández Postgame Press Conference vs. New York Knicks (Video) – YES Network
• Mikel Brown Jr. scores 13 off the bench vs. NYK (Video) – YES Network
• Julius Randle scores team-high 21 points vs. Knicks (Video) – YES Network
• Knicks break away in fourth quarter and beat the Nets for the 15th straight time, 103-90 – Brian Mahoney – AP
• Mikel Brown Jr.’s shot eludes him late another rough Nets loss – Howie Kussoy – New York Post
• Nets push Knicks before fourth-quarter collapse in missed chance to earn respect – Howie Kussoy – New York Post
• Slow-starting Mikal Bridges benched during Knicks fourth-quarter comeback ($) – Stefan Bondy – New York Post
• Knicks turn it up in fourth for convincing win to continue domination of Nets ($) – Stefan Bondy – New York Post
• Another game, another big deficit to be erased – Steve Popper – Newsday
• Even after ending Knicks title drought, Jalen Brunson gets cut little slack ($) – Steve Popper – Newsday
• Josh Hart sparks Knicks as Nets unravel in fourth for 15th straight rivalry loss ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• For Nets’ Julius Randle, coming home goes beyond the Garden ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Knicks rout of Nets only masks larger issues ($) – Kristian Winfield – New York Daily News
• Nets player grades after 103-90 loss to Jalen Brunson, Knicks – Shareef Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

The Knicks beat the Nets at Madison Square Garden Monday night, 103-90, extending their winning streak over their crosstown rivals to 15.

Here are the takeaways...

-- While the Nets entered the game riding the high of their first win of the season, the Knicks were hoping to bounce back after their second loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The last time Brooklyn beat New York was Jan. 28, 2023, just over one week before superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were traded away.

-- The Nets jumped ahead early, finding their way to a 7-5 lead in the first three minutes of play. Despite working to overcome their turnover troubles early in the season, the Knicks committed their first of the game just 94 seconds in, which allowed for a three from Nets sophomore point guard Nolan Traore. OG Anunoby was the only Knick to score through the first three minutes until Mikal Bridges landed two free throws, tying the game at seven-all. 

After that, the Knicks tightened their defense and found their way to the basket, scoring 10 straight points punctuated by back-to-back Jalen Brunson threes. Brooklyn was quick to tie it back up, but two shots from beyond the arc by Deuce McBride and a trio of free throws from Landry Shamet sent New York into the break up 27-21.

-- The back-and-forth play continued through the second frame. While the Knicks struggled to find the basket for the first three-and-a-half minutes, the Nets climbed to a three-point edge. Four uninterrupted points from Bridges — two free throws and a dunk — put the Knicks back out in front, and they maintained the lead through the end of the quarter, but Brooklyn kept the deficit low until Shamet landed back-to-back threes. 

Brunson attempted to add three at the buzzer but was fouled by former Knick Julius Randle, earning two free throws. He missed the first, but his second shot gave the Knicks a 51-44 as the half came to a close.

-- Both teams found themselves in turnover trouble through the first 24 minutes of play, coughing it up a combined 15 times (Knicks had seven). Despite only shooting 36 percent — compared to Brooklyn's 40 — New York found game-changing success at the free throw line, going 15-for-16.

Karl-Anthony Towns, who recorded five double-doubles in the first six games of the season, headed to the locker room without a single point, though he recorded 10 rebounds and three assists in his 17 first-half minutes.

-- New York's energy quickly evaporated in the third. Towns finally got on the board, landing two driving layups and two of his three free throws through the first four minutes, but the Nets responded with a 13-0 run through the middle of the frame spearheaded by Randle, Day'Ron Sharpe, and Michael Porter Jr. Shamet finally broke the streak with a three, adding a second 90 seconds later to keep the Knicks in the game, but it wasn't enough. After outscoring New York 35-24 in the third, Brooklyn ended the quarter ahead by four, 79-75. 

Shamet's 20 points through the first three quarters led all players at that point.

-- Then, as they often do in the fourth, the Knicks reappeared. Josh Hart drove New York to a 10-point lead in the five-and-a-half minutes of the frame, scoring a 25-foot three-pointer, assisting two Anunoby threes and a layup from Tyler Kolek, and adding a running layup as the Knicks outscored Brooklyn 16-2 to start the frame. Traore kept cut into New York's 10-point lead with a 24-foot jumper, but Anunoby and Towns responded quickly with two free throws and a field goal, respectively, to open up a 9-0 run. 

As the Knicks continued to gain momentum, the Nets crumpled, turning the ball over six times through the first 8:30 and scoring just five points in the same span before Randle got the Nets moving again on two free throws with 2:23 left to play. Another foul shot from Randle and a three from Traore cut the Knicks' lead to 13, but the deficit proved too much to overcome, and the Knicks walked away with the 103-90 victory.

-- Overall, the Knicks shot 41 percent from the field, 39 percent from three, and 83 percent from the free throw line, compared to Brooklyn's 38 percent, 34 percent, and 70 percent, respectively.

-- Despite the rocky start, Towns finished with yet another double-double, scoring 11 points and adding 16 rebounds. He also had five assists and four turnovers.

-- In his first game against his former team since joining Brooklyn's squad in July,Randle recorded his first double-double as a Net, notching 21 points and 11 rebounds. He was the only player on Brooklyn's roster to break 20 points against the Knicks.

Game MVP: Landry Shamet

Shamet, who played for Brooklyn during the 2020-21 season, posted a game-leading 22 points, tacking on one rebound and one assist in 29 minutes of play. He also went 6-for-8 from the field, 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, and 6-for-6 from the free throw line.  

Highlights

The offensive rebound leads to the Brunson triple 👌 https://t.co/haV2KO97BS

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2026

Traore to Sharpe for the slam! https://t.co/6yMMl33XBt

— SNY Nets (@SNYNets) November 3, 2026

The offensive rebound leads to the Brunson triple 👌 https://t.co/haV2KO97BS

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2026

Mikel finds Moe for the and-one https://t.co/Jz2oSygsSD

— SNY Nets (@SNYNets) November 3, 2026

OG 👌 https://t.co/fdYwUyEucW

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2026

Nolan Traore blocks Jalen Brunson https://t.co/3IGL0xvWXI

— SNY Nets (@SNYNets) November 3, 2026

Mikel Brown Jr. smooth with it https://t.co/GIxUQRrwzb

— SNY Nets (@SNYNets) November 3, 2026

CLARKSON 👌 https://t.co/8MUkptuaex

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2026

What's next

The Knicks are set to host the Chicago Bulls Wednesday. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Across the river at the Barclays Center, the Nets will take on the Charlotte Hornets that same night, when they'll look to avenge their 110-103 season-opening loss. 

And there’s a blowout, for those that were still asking for one.

The Sixers picked up their fourth win in a row, handling the Chicago Bulls 126-107 Monday night to improve to 7-1 on the season.

VJ Edgecombe was everywhere from the start of this one, shooting 9-of-12 from the field for a season-high 21 points along with five assists and three rebounds.

Tyrese Maxey had his best night as a passer, putting up 11 assists while still leading the Sixers with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting. LeBron James had another splendid all-around night, going for 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists shooting 6-of-13 from the floor.

Jaylen Brown quietly shot the ball well on the night to put up 25 points and 11 rebounds on 9-of-15 shooting. Joel Embiid meandered his way to 15 points and eight boards while Caleb Wilson led the Bulls with 24.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• A pedestrian start for both teams, but one the Sixers used to get out and run early. After Edgecombe threw a hit-ahead pass, he ran up the floor a couple of times for two transition buckets of his own to prompt an early Bulls timeout.
• The Bulls, or rather center Jalen Smith to be more specific, took advantage of a laid back Sixers defense coming out of the timeout, picking up two cutting baskets and drawing a foul on the second. A Brown three was a nice response, but their defense kept biting on Josh Giddey’s drives, opening Smith up for another layup at the basket.
• The pick-and-roll between Embiid and Lebron has yielded good looks so far, which is exciting because you can see them refining it as they get more minutes together. James hit Embiid with a very late drop pass, setting the big fella up for a layup he was also able to draw a foul on. As Edgecombe continued to run out after misses for transition baskets the Sixers pushed their lead back up to a comfortable margin.

• The Sixers did put Isaac Okoro at the line and let up an open three coming out of a timeout of their own, but Maxey got right to the basket to prevent any sort of run. On the next possession Maxey found Brown wide open in the paint for his fifth assist of the quarter. The Sixers assisted on 12 of their 13 made field goals and led by seven after the first.

Second Quarter

• Anfernee Simons came around a screen and buried a three for his first points of the game. Brown hit a three from the coach’s stripe a couple possessions later, but the Bulls started walking into some open baskets that kept them hanging around. They gave up a pair of threes being slow to close out and gave up two more baskets on open cutters which kept Chicago within a possession or two.
• This was far from Adem Bona’s worst shift of the season but there were some struggles. It took two possessions for him to complete a rolling dunk off a pocket pass. On top of letting up an offensive rebound by being out of position, the Bulls scored five of their first seven field goals of the quarter at the rim. Embiid and LeBron checked back into a two-point lead that was overtaken by a Buddy Hield three.
• Embiid getting stripped on one end led to a Zach Collins layup that capped off a 14-3 run for Chicago. After going without one his last three games, Dean Wade hit a corner three off a LeBron kickout to stop the bleeding.
• Of all the Sixers not phoning this one in, Edgecombe was at the top of the list. His insistence on running down the floor continued to create easy baskets. After he got another much needed transition dunk, he found a cutting Wade with a beautiful bounce pass. The Sixers forced a travel on the ensuing possession, prompting a Bulls timeout.

• For the first time all night, the Sixers came out energized out of a timeout. Edgecombe used the screens to get open at the basket on the ATO. LeBron threw another nice kickout to Wade for a corner three and bounce pass to Maxey for a dunk before Chicago’s defense got back. As they had all night, the Bulls had a response. The rookie Wilson got open on a cut before drilling a three at the buzzer to keep Chicago within five at the break.

Third Quarter

• No one should complain about soft coverage on Giddey on the perimeter, but he walked into a three to cut it to a one-possession game to make the arena uneasy. The Sixers responded well with Brown and James both getting right to the basket. Brown threw a nice lob to James that got smoked, but Maxey getting to the basket for an and-1 layup was a much needed basket to calm things down. The Sixers ran out on a blocked shot to set up a fast break layup for James to force a Bulls timeout.
• The effort in doing the little things has been what Edgecombe has excelled at this year, so it was nice to see him fill up the box score for a night. Coming out of the timeout he helped Embiid get out of a post-up with another cut for a basket at the hoop. The Sixers locked in a bit defensively after this, getting stops on five of their next six possessions including a turnover.
• After making most of his impact as a passer, LeBron started to impose his will as a scorer with a couple more drives to the basket. His increase of energy may be due to the sip of a fan’s drink he took after chasing a loose ball into the stands. Thanks to the reporting of ESPN’s Khris Rhrim, we know the drink he took a sip of was indeed wine.

• Edgecombe had a brilliant sequence that summed out how great he was in this one, getting all the way back to block a transition layup by Wilson, then getting back down the floor to get the ball in the paint and find Brown to get two more points the other way. Edgecombe tried to put Noa Essengue on a poster a few minutes later but had to settle for a trip to the free throw line. The one thing he wasn’t able to do was hit the grenade swung to him as the quarter ended, so the Sixers had to settle for an 11-point lead after the third.

Fourth Quarter

• Maxey didn’t really have to shoot a ton, so it was cool that the baskets he did make were impressively silly. He started the quarter by hitting his second highlight floater of the game. Brown followed that up with a midrange jumper and a trip to the line as he slowly put up a solid scoring night.
• The Sixers struggled to come up with the killing blow, which was a little frustrating because when they did things well, it looked really good. Brown had a drive that the Bulls stopped by stepping up in the lane, but he spun and hit Maxey for an open stepback three. A minute later James drew a foul on a jumper that spun all the way around the rim before falling in and danced in celebration, but they weren’t able to put themselves ahead by more than 15.

• It seemed like the Sixers wanted to play Embiid as little as possible, which was fitting given their opponent and Embiid coming into this game questionable with a foot issue. Bona continued to make that difficult, picking up his fifth foul with over five minutes to go. Nick Nurse subbed in Wade at the five which was fine, but it did beg the question as to why Jabari Walker didn’t see the floor at all.
• The killing blow the Sixers were looking for came in the form of Brown’s shotmaking. He came off a screen to hit corner three that forced another Bulls timeout, then hit another on the Sixers next possession that prompted a second timeout from Chicago within 30 seconds. The Sixers finally pushed their lead to 20 which led them to coast to victory.

On a night when both teams were missing key rotational pieces, it was the Oklahoma City Thunder who found a way to win, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-112. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 40 points and hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 32 seconds to go to clinch the game. Donovan Mitchell and Maleek Thomas, who was starting for Peyton Watson, led the Cavs with 17 points apiece.

Cleveland was without Watson (hamstring) and Jaylon Tyson (ankle), depleting an already thin wing room. Oklahoma City was without stars Jalen Williams (ankle) and Chet Holmgren (knee).

The Cavs had an exceptionally well-rounded effort with seven players in double-figures, but the Thunder had the better star down the stretch. All of Cleveland’s starters had at least 14 points, and Mario Hezonja and Tyrese Proctor had 12 and 10 points off the bench respectively. But while the box score looks good, the Cavs’ inability to finish defensive possessions ended up dooming them. In a tightly-contested game, the little things reared their ugly heads.

As has been the case to start the season, the Cavs’ inability to close out games in high-pressure situations continues to be a glaring issue. Cleveland briefly held the lead, but then gave up key buckets to Ajay Mitchell — who himself was thrust into a bigger role — and Gilgeous-Alexander. After Sam Merrill’s three-pointer tied things up with 91 seconds to go, the Cavs never scored again.

The Cavs trailed the Thunder by 11 at the break, but fought back hard in the third quarter and made it a game. But the difference ended up being determined by the the Thunder’s star point guard. James Harden’s last bucket came with 8:51 left in the third quarter, and his last points scored period were on free throws with eight minutes left in the game. The rookie Thomas attempted six more shots than Harden on a night the Cavs could have used boost.

Players like Gilgeous-Alexander are going to get their buckets, that’s why he is an MVP candidate and one of the best in the league. But the Cleveland fought back hard, had a solid team effort, and came up short at home because its stars were not able to get them over the hump in crunch time.

Sound familiar?

The Golden State Warriors seem to have found something special with Yaxel Lendeborg.

The rookie has been extremely impressive in his brief Warriors tenure, averaging 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, and produced a career-high 37 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

Lendeborg also appears to have found something special with his girlfriend, Tacarra.

These two met in the summer of 2025 and are still going strong. She has been a mainstay at Warriors games this season, and the two look to be collaborating with Dub5 apparel together, as they are constantly being posted together by the company.

The apparel brand posted another Instagram video of Yaxel and Tacarra over the weekend that showed they aren’t afraid to show public displays of affection.

The video showed Lendeborg holding his girlfriend beneath her thighs as she wrapped her legs around him and they look into each other’s eyes.

Then the couple leans in for a kiss moments later.

View this post on Instagram

The caption (which doesn’t really fit the moment) is captioned, “bro came into the league and made it fun to watch ”.

Lendeborg has a quick turnaround from his career-best performance, as the Warriors face the Phoenix Suns at home on Monday.

Mitchell Robinson exited in the first half of the Celtics game against the Houston Rockets with a left thumb sprain, but returned late in the second quarter after a stint in the locker room.

Robinson, who missed Sunday’s game to rest on the front end of a back-to-back, returned to the game off the bench for the first time this season. The team said he was probable to return shortly before he checked back in.

But Robinson scored on an alley-oop immediately after re-entering the game, off a feed from Jayson Tatum.

So far this season, Robinson is averaging 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. He started the first 5 games of the season, and the Celtics went 4-1 in those games.

Aside from Robinson’s seemingly minor injury, the Celtics have had a healthy start to the season; Devin Carter missed the first 6 games due to illness, but no one else has missed time for anything other than rest. Robinson missed Sunday’s game, while Paul George sat on Monday on the second night of the back-to-back.

This story will be updated as more information is available.

LeBron James is having fun in Philly and one fan's wine can prove it originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

LeBron James is one of kind in so many ways. What he did Monday night might be the cherry on top.

In the third quarter of the Sixers’ 126-107 victory over the Bulls, James decided he’d take fan interaction to a whole new level.

He helped himself to a fan’s red wine.

James looked for a transition pass from Tyrese Maxey, who snagged a rebound. James was behind the pass and his momentum took him into the stands, where he disappeared for a few moments.

It wasn’t until another angle was shown on replay that we could see what actually went down in the darkness of the seats. James didn’t hold back giving reporters a play-by-play.

“I spilled some of his wine,” he said postgame. “I crashed into him, spilled some of his wine. So I wanted to see if it was worth it on my arm and how good it was. It was alright.”

Troy Clemons – the Sixers fan whose drink spilled – explained his perspective on the interaction with James to Kris Rhim of ESPN.

“[I was] walking to my seat … LeBron crashed into me, he grabbed me, he said ‘My bad,’ my drink spilled everywhere. He took my drink from me and he basically just took a sip of it, gave it back and ran back on the [court].”

Did he keep the cup?

“At the end of the day he’s another man like me,” Clemons said. “I mean he’s LeBron, but at the end of the day, I threw that cup in the trash. And it’s nothing up with him, I just got a fresh drink though.”

It should be noted that players are not supposed to drink from fans’ cups, but it’s rare for the NBA to fine someone for a spontaneous interaction such as this. In 2019, a similar thing happened when Mike Scott tumbled into the Bucks’ court-side seats. The Sixers star jokingly took a sip of a fan’s beverage and the NBA opted not to fine him. Time will tell if James has the same fate.

If nothing else, an interaction like this just shows how much fun James seems to be having.

The 24-year veteran noted the importance of finding joy in the game as he grinds through the season.

“It’s a long marathon. And if you don’t find ways to have fun throughout it, even though you’re working and even though you’re locked in, then it could wear on you. So for me, especially at this point in my career, being able to just appreciate the moments, the small moments, these fans are great to us. We try to be great to them as well. By playing the game the right way, playing the game hard and then also just being showmen as well, it was a great game for us.”

Head coach Nick Nurse also weighed in on the 41-year-old’s mindset coming into the season.

“This summer I think he probably stated publicly that he wanted to go some place and have some fun playing. He loves the game, [it’s his] 24th year. It’s a group of guys, like I keep saying, that have been super focused in the intent of playing the right way. I think he’s a big part of that.”

The vibes are high. It’s difficult for them not to be.

With Monday’s win against the Bulls, the Sixers are 7-1 and lead the Eastern Conference. They’ve won four in a row and the only team they’ve lost to is the Pistons. The Sixers will face them on Wednesday to start a three-game road trip.

For the second time in this young season, the Suns will face the Golden State Warriors.

See you in the comment section!

The last time the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors met, the Suns got the Warriors’ backups. Steve Kerr rested Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford and Brandin Podziemski on the second night of a back-to-back, and Devin Booker went berserk. He dropped 43 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a 131-122 Phoenix win that dropped Golden State to 0-3, its worst start in almost two decades. He set a Suns record for points in a home opener, a historic performance against a limping Warriors squad.

Let’s see what he does tonight. But for those who haven’t been following Suns basketball, here’s a quick refresher for you this season.

Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors
When: November 2nd, 2026 | 7:00 PM PT
Where: Chase Center
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: 95.7 The Game

• Opening night was a disaster. Portland jumped out to a 21-0 lead and won 124-83, with Phoenix trailing by as many as 52. Damian Lillard scored 25 in his Blazers return. That’s the seventh-largest margin in opening-night history,.
• Then came the big game against GSW. After scoring 43, Booker said the bench had more chemistry than his own starting group.
• Since then, two more losses. Phoenix lost 125-114 in Oklahoma City and 127-120 at home to Denver. Through four games, the Suns rank dead last in defensive rating at 126.3 points allowed per 100 possessions. Their offense sits right in the middle at 15th. SI’s Suns site summed up the start in one word: consistency.
• How they play. Phoenix runs at the fourth-slowest pace in the league and ranks near the top in pull-up points. Translation: lots of Booker and Green creating their own shots late in the clock. When those shots fall, the Suns can beat anyone. When they don’t, you get Portland. That’s a tough formula against Golden State, which leads the league in threes made and passes per game. The Warriors will move the ball until Phoenix’s league-worst defense breaks somewhere, while Booker has to manufacture tough looks possession after possession.
• Who’s missing. Mark Williams is out after surgery on a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Oso Ighodaro, who missed the first meeting, is available this time.

On the other side, the Warriors (4-3) haven’t lost since Phoenix. Curry and Green sat Sunday’s 124-112 win over the Clippers and are expected back tonight. Curry scored 99 points over the three wins before that, and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg dropped 37 on the Clippers. Golden State is still without Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody, Kristaps Porziņģis and Gui Santos, but this group has proven it can win while shorthanded.

The Suns have real talent and a star who can win a game by himself. But let’s see if he can put the team on his back again against a Warriors lineup that will be more fortified than in these two teams’ last battle. Phoenix got its only win of the season against a Warriors team without Steph and Draymond. Tonight it has to earn one against both of them, plus a rookie who’s been playing like a headliner since the last time these teams met.

The Golden State Warriors are back in action tonight, as they host the Phoenix Suns. The Suns got the better of the matchup a week ago, but the Dubs were resting nearly all of their key players. That’s not the case in this game, though the Warriors are still missing some key players. Here’s the full injury report for both teams.

Warriors

Out — Brandon Williams (left quadriceps contusion)

A day after arguably his best game in a Warriors jersey, Williams will have to sit. The spark plug was electric in Sunday’s win over the LA Clippers, dropping in 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, with three assists. But it came at a cost. Hopefully the back-to-back off days after this contest will allow Williams to be back on the court on Thursday.

Out — Gui Santos (left knee tendinitis)

Santos has been on the injury report for a few games now, and it seems like the Warriors are having him take a step back and focus on getting healthy. He was a game-time decision on Sunday, and played, but was compromised and didn’t finish the game. We’ll see if he’s available on Thursday, or if he needs a longer stint to fully get back to health.

Out — Al Horford (bilateral low back injury management)

Nothing surprising here. Horford doesn’t play in back-to-backs to preserve his health, and was on the court Sunday. So we knew he’d be out tonight.

Out — Jimmy Butler III (right ACL repair surgery)
Out — Moses Moody (left patellar tendon repair surgery)
Out — Kristaps Porziņģis(not with team)

No new news to report with any of these three.

Suns

Out — Mark Williams (left shoulder surgery)

Williams was awesome in his first season with the Suns a year ago, but he had shoulder surgery in September and is a long ways away from returning. Phoenix is missing interior scoring and rebounding without Williams in the fold.

Enjoy the game, Dub Nation! It tips off at 7:00 p.m. PT from the Chase Center, and you can watch it on NBC Sports Bay Area.

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much.

It was just five days ago that the Spurs met up with the Jazz, defeating them 117-111 with a 36 point outburst from Victor Wembanyama and a good supporting effort from Devin Vassell and all of the guards. The short handed Jazz depended heavily on their youthful players with Keyonte George torching the Silver and Black defense for 31 points and Darryn Peterson and Ace Bailey doing their parts. Multi-team retreads Mo Bamba and Jaxson Hayes actually looked like legit bigs in that game, and the Spurs had their hands full pulling out a win on the road in Salt Lake City.

Lauri Markkannen should be back in the lineup tonight, which should improve their big man rotation a lot, and this could be a tough game than it looks for San Antonio against the 1-6 Jazz. The Spurs offense looked much better at times against the Timberwolves on Saturday than it did against the Jazz, but also had some extended lapses where they took several minutes of game time off from scoring. Victor Wembanyama’s masterclass performance with 43 points and 6 blocks took over the game, but it would nice to have a game where the Silver and Black don’t need that kind of performance to win, and maybe let some of the younger players like Reed get in some work and game experience. Tonight could be the night if the Spurs can play with consistent effort and put the Jazz away early.

Let’s GOO Spurs!! Victor must dominate Lauri. If you’re eligible to vote in the US elections and you haven’t voted yet, get out and vote tomorrow.

Game Prediction:

Responding to the criticism of the three guard lineup, Mitch Johnson puts in a triple tower lineup of Wemby, Reed, and Kornet to start the game. They hold the Jazz to 6 points in the first quarter, but only score 16, all of them by Victor.

San Antonio Spurs vs Utah Jazz
November 2, 2026 | 7:30 PM CT
Streaming: DAZN, League Pass
TV: DAZN
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

After initially being listed as questionable for the Sixers tilt with Chicago Monday, the Sixers have upgraded Joel Embiid to available with plantar fasciitis management.

Philadelphia will have just about everyone available against the lowly Bulls. Dominick Barlow (back) and, of course, Ariel Hukporti are the only Sixers to appear on the injury report. Those aforementioned Bulls come into the night 29th in point differential.

They’re 24th in points scored per 100 possessions and 29th in points allowed per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass. They also remain without their starting center Nic Claxton, yet to make his Bulls debut after suffering a hamstring injury in training camp. Claxton was initially listed as doubtful, making it possible, but he was eventually ruled out. The 6-1 Sixers should be able to easily dispatch of this team.

It’s not a good thing that Embiid is dealing with plantar fasciitis, but it’s a good thing that “management” is still in the designation.

“Well, plantars is a little bit of a come-and-go-type of thing,” Nick Nurse said pregame. “So they’re just trying to manage it. It’s very painful if you’ve ever had it. And it can kind of come and go out of nowhere. So we’re just trying to manage the pain with that and be as smart as you can.”

Nurse also provided a brief update on Barlow, who’s been getting in some individual work on the court.

“He’s seeing a specialist tomorrow,” Nurse said. “He’s been on court a little bit, not a ton yet, not a ton of moving around. I think they want to get to tomorrow’s appointment. Hopefully, it’ll be positive where he can get into his workouts a little bit.”

There’s a lot for Nets fans to take in at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, whether they’re making the trip across the river or watching from home.

Brooklyn finally snapped its five-game losing streak to start the season, earning its first win Sunday evening. But there’s another unfriendly reminder waiting at the Garden: the Knicks’ 2025-26 championship banners hanging in the rafters. Adding insult to injury, the Nets haven’t beaten their crosstown rivals since January 2023, a streak that has now reached 14 games.

Julius Randle’s return adds another layer. The former Knick played a significant role in helping turn the franchise around, and he deserves credit for that. How the Garden crowd receives him, though, is another story. Particularly in the crosstown rivals colors.

The Knicks are off to a bit of a strange start that looks awfully familiar for hungover championship teams. Some of the little things go out the window when you’re the last team standing. Lost amid the triumph are tired legs. Still, Jalen Brunson is a bonafide superstar and the Nets will endure something they haven’t ever had to before: face the defending champion New York Knicks.

On their home floor.

Game Info & How to Watch

• Who: Brooklyn Nets (1-5) at New York Knicks (2-4)
• When: 7:30 PM ET
• Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• TV/Streaming: YES Network, MSG Network, DAZN
• Radio: ESPN Radio, WFAN

Nets vs. Knicks: Who’s Out?

Brooklyn Nets

• Egor Dëmin: OUT — Right leg bone bruise
• Joshua Jefferson: OUT – G League Assignment
• Ben Saraf: OUT – G League Assignment
• Tyler Bilodeau: OUT – G League (Two-Way)
• Grant Nelson: OUT – G League (Two-Way)

New York Knicks

• Jose Alvarado: QUESTIONABLE — (left ankle sprain)

To be updated.

💬 Discussion

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Houston Rockets vs. Boston Celtics

November 2, 2026

Location: Toyota Center —Houston, Texas

Time: 7:30 PM CST

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790 / KLTN 102.9 (en español)

Probable starting lineups

Rockets: Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun

Celtics: Derrick White, Payton Prichard, Jayson Tatum, Jordan Walsh, Mitchell Robinson

Can the Rockets start a new streak? Tune in tonight and come chat with us at TDS on on the SB Nation App!

It’s a cross-borough contest tonight at Madison Square Garden when the Knicks (2-4) host the Nets (1-5) tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are stinging from another close loss, their second to the Sixers. Meanwhile, the Nets are celebrating their first W of the season, having beaten the Pacers yesterday. Tonight will be our first up close look at Julius Randle in a Brooklyn uni, and he’s expected to be motivated to score a 30-10 double-double. No stars appear on the injury report. Jose Alvarado is questionable for the Knicks with an ankle sprain. The Nets will be without Egor Demin (leg) and Mikel Brown Jr. (rest).

According to my sources, the Nets have not beaten the Knicks since January 2023. Tip-off is 7:30 pm EST on MSG and YES. This is your game thread. This is Nets Daily. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Practice good humanity. And go Knicks!