Category: Basketball

CHICAGO — Mikal Bridges was benched for all but three minutes of the second half, as coach Mike Brown rode with streaking reserves Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson and Landry Shamet to beat the Bulls 133-127 on Wednesday.

Bridges, who has struggled mightily to start the season, finished with three points in 13 minutes.

It represented his shortest appearance as a Knick outside of the two times Bridges was subbed in briefly to maintain his consecutive games played streak.

Part of the reason, according to Brown, was the Kolek-Jalen Brunson backcourt combination was effective.

“We just found a combination we went with,” Brown said. “One of the things [assistant coach] Rick Brunson suggested was throwing Kolek in the game with Jalen. Just to give them a different look and get Jalen off the ball and put Tyler on the floor.

“Doing that, playing Jordan Clarkson extended minutes, Landry was playing well. Now there’s not much room. And the combination we had out there, we kept playing well. It was harder to go back to what we started with.”

Kolek, Clarkson and Shamet combined for 41 points and 15 assists.

There were a couple of injury scares in the first half Wednesday. False alarms.

Midway through the first quarter, Karl-Anthony Towns had the ball at the elbow and was knocked hard to the court by defender Noa Essengue.

Towns hurt his left hand during the spill and writhed in pain on the United Center hardwood. He went to the locker room but re-emerged quickly with tape on his hand and wrist. Towns finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.

“He was still shooting that thing from 30 feet,” Brown said. “So the wrist looked good to me.”

With 9:26 left in the second quarter, Shamet limped to the locker room after twisting his ankle. He completed a dunk, took a step and clipped his foot on a Bulls defender. Like Towns, Shamet returned quickly.

10,000-Foot Game Overview

With Anthony Edwards sidelined for an extended period of time, everyone was curious how the rest of the Wolves would respond. And well, it did not get off to the best start.

The hope was maybe that just a slow start as the team was adjusting to their new normal, but then Steph Curry Steph Curried. At one point, he scored 11 straight points in the second quarter and for the rest of the first half, you could hear a pin drop in Target Center as the Wolves went into the locker room down 64-48.

Thankfully, basketball games notoriously feature two halves which would give the Wolves starting group some time to find themselves after a halftime tongue lashing. Unfortunately, things somehow got worse. The Warriors ballooned the lead to 24 before the Wolves’ bench unit, featuring Joan Beringer, TJ Shannon, Jaylen Clark, Bones Hyland and Trey Lyles, brought some needed energy and scoring to help cut the lead down to 12 by the end of the third quarter.

The final quarter turned into a perfect encapsulation of the game: The Wolves missed open looks, got frustrated and fouled (the Warriors were in the bonus by the 8:45 mark). Despite this, the Wolves lingered around. After a furious comeback to get it within four points with 32 seconds remaining, Jaden McDaniels missed back-to-back wide open 3-point looks that proved to be the final dagger as Minnesota dropped to 3-2 on the season.

Two Stats That Defined the Game

1. 44 – Points scored by Steph Curry

The shortest summation of the game is this: The Warriors had their superstar and the Wolves didn’t. It was a throwback performance for Curry who was brilliant on the offensive end, pulling the Wolves defense off-balance like it was on a string. Going a perfect 16 for 16 from the line in a game that ended up in the clutch is why he’s one of the best to ever do it.

2. +11 – Warriors advantage at the free throw line

The Timberwolves committed 29 fouls which led to 37 free throw attempts for Golden State. The fouls were a hallmark of the sloppiness that plagued the game for our favorite team. The foul trouble was especially bad after Steph’s second quarter heater; the team felt especially frenetic trying to chase the future hall-of-famer around screens leading to all kinds of late defensive rotations that the Warriors were able to take advantage of.

Award Ceremony

Big Ticket Award: Joan Beringer and Jaylen Clark

The Big Ticket award goes to Minnesota’s MVP of the game, which meant tonight it had to go to someone in the group that pulled them out of blowout territory in the third quarter. Effort is a skill, and in a game where the Wolves lacked any kind of juice, Beringer and Clark’s shared minutes finally a heartbeat to an otherwise lifeless building.

Beringer outplays Rudy Gobert for the second straight game on his way to seven points on three for three shooting, along with nine boards. The rebounding is not only already an NBA-level skill, but a potential budding elite skill for the young Frenchman.

Jaylen Clark was let off the leash long enough to do Jaylen Clark things, finishing the game with a team high +8. Almost more importantly, he hit one of his two looks from deep. He was Minnesota’s best defender on Curry tonight in his very brief assignment, but he was the only other player (with Jonathan Kuminga) strong enough to slow rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. Would have loved to see Finch give him a longer leash as a reward for the game flipping during his minutes and influx of energy.

“Superstar Lacking” Award: LaMelo Ball

Woof.

Two bad games in a row for the Wolves prized off-season acquisition. From the get-go, Ball was pressing for his offense by hoisting three-pointers on his way to an zero for five start from perimeter. The overall plus/minus (-2) was salvaged a bit by the Wolves’ late run, but his final counting stats leave a lot to be desired. He finished with eight points, four rebounds, eight assists, and six turnovers on a putrid three for 11 shooting mark, including two of eight from deep. In the first game where the Wolves needed him to step up in Ant’s absence, he wasn’t just “not good enough,” he was bad.

Ball is the new head of an offense that just lost its center of gravity, so he deserves time to continue to grow accustomed to his new role and teammates. However, the Western Conference is not going to wait for him to get up to speed, and if he (and the Wolves) take too long, they may find themselves buried much further in the standings than they’d like.

“Kurt Rambis” Award: Chris Finch

This award (an honor bestowed upon less than stellar coaching) is always a hard one to give because a few facts need to precede it:

1. Chris Finch has forgotten more about basketball than I’ll ever know.
2. Was it just gameplan discipline for the players? There have been so many games where players have come out afterwards and said something equivalent to “We should have followed what the coaching staff was saying”.

That being said, the levers that Finch was pulling on rotations and matchups felt off all night. Jaden McDaniels had one of his worst defensive performances we might see all season, but part of that was because chasing a smaller and quicker player around screens all night has never been an elite skill for him. Curry used constant screens, tired McDaniels out, and then took advantage of mismatches all night.

A great counter to Curry going on a heater? Hunt him relentlessly on the defensive end. If that was part of the game plan, it was not emphasized.

The only other player that could generate offense for Golden State during the non-Curry minutes was Landeborg. For the majority of those minutes, the Wolves put Trey Lyles on him who was no match for the his strength and athleticism. Matching Kuminga to Landeborg’s minutes, or pulling the Jaylen Clark lever earlier, could have been a great way to force some tougher looks and take advantage of the non-Curry lineups.

Also, Draymond Green is done as a scorer in this league. Would have loved for the Wolves to bring earlier double-teams off him and force him to shoot all night. He botched easy layups all night.

We are only five games in so roles and rotations are all new (especially after losing your superstar), but the Wolves group on the floor felt out of sync all night as Finch scrambled for (mostly) unsuccessful answers.

Empty The Notebook

• Gobert didn’t hit a shot for the second straight game and Finchy even called an immediate timeout after Gobert failed to run back in transition to an open shooter. As the 20 minutes played indicates, he was bad tonight.
• TJ Shannon was our most reliable player at creating his own offense, but tonight it involved a lot of straight-line drives without much ball movement.
• Jonathan Kuminga played… pretty good? He hit three of six shots from beyond the arc on his way to leading the team with 20 points, but his game tonight lacked any huge impact moments that you would have hoped for in this matchup with his former team.
• Even after he beats your team, still got to respect the future HOFer

Game Highlights

Up Next

The moment we’ve all been waiting: The start of group play for the NBA Cup! On Friday, October 30th, the Minnesota Timberwolves will aspire to get a victory against the new-look Los Angeles Clippers in Minneapolis. The game tips off at 7:00 PM CT on DAZN-MIN and KARE 11.

Steph Curry continues to put himself in the greatness category.

During the Warriors’ 119-114 victory against the host Timberwolves on Wednesday night, Curry put himself into the same scoring category as LeBron James.

Curry tied James at 15 games for 40-point game performances past the age of 35 years old.

From the moment the game tipped off, Curry was on fire.

The 38-year-old had 23 points through the first half, and it continued into the second half, as Golden State had a 24-point lead, when he checked out at the 5:01 mark of the third quarter.

Curry also finished 16 of 16 at the free-throw line.

Besides scoring a lot, Curry also had eight rebounds and six assists.

Rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg had his highest-scoring performance, finishing with 26 points, sinking 2 of 5 3-pointers and shooting 55% from the field.

Golden State went up against a Timberwolves team that was without Anthony Edwards, who will miss at least the next two months due to arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Luca Evans of The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Steve Kerr said the Warriors “smelled blood in the water.”

After starting the season 0-3, Golden State is starting to find its rhythm and has won two in a row.

The Warriors will take the court again on Friday, when they host the Lakers.

The Dallas Mavericks (3-2) won their third game of the young season on Wednesday, in jaw-dropping fashion over the Oklahoma City Thunder (4-1), 120-96. Cooper Flagg led a balanced Dallas effort with 26 points and eight rebounds. Ajay Mitchell had a game-high 29 in defeat for the Thunder

The opening quarter was a back-and-forth affair between the teams, with neither getting a firm advantage. Flagg came out gunning, scoring 12 in the period, with Kyrie Irving chipping in a pair of 3-pointers. Dallas shot the ball well early, and it allowed the Mavericks to keep pace when the Thunder kept scoring from inside the arc. A late Flagg floater followed by another Irving three gave Dallas a 33-30 lead heading into the second quarter.

Hot shooting from Dallas continued, growing the lead to double digits just four minutes into the frame. The Thunder attempted multiple pushes to eat into the Dallas lead, only to be rebuffed by timely shot-making from Max Christie, Zaccharie Risacher and, yes, even Caleb Martin. A personal 5-0 run from Ajay Mitchell cut the Mavericks’ lead in half with just over three minutes remaining. Following a Dusty May timeout, the teams traded baskets for the rest of the half, and Dallas went into the half up 65-59.

Cold shooting welcomed fans after halftime, with neither time connecting on an actual field goal for the first several possessions of the half . Steadily, Dallas built up a 15-point lead by the 7:30 mark by out-working the Thunder on the offensive glass. Over the next 90 seconds, the Thunder responded with a 7-0 run powered by Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, forcing a Mavericks timeout. Dallas settled in, and Flagg helped the Mavs close out the quarter on a 16-10 run. Dallas took to the final frame, up 94-81.

With Flagg on the bench, Marcus Sasser and Risacher took it upon themselves to drive the Thunder into the ground. Martin’s second 3-ball of the game put Dallas up 17 points early in the fourth, forcing an Oklahoma City timeout. Dallas pushed the lead up 113-93 before the Thunder threw in the towel. The rest of the game was about making it out alive and uninjured.

Dallas wins 120-96.

They’re real, and they’re spectacular

Maybe this subheader will bite me in the ass later. Right now, I don’t care. The Dallas Mavericks are 3-2 and just beat the crap out of the 2025 NBA Champs and 2026 Western Conference finalists. Yeah, the Thunder are injured. So are the Mavericks.

This rocks and I don’t know how else to say it. There might be darker days ahead but the last time the Mavericks were ABOVE .5o0 was March 5th, 2024. That’s a long-ass time.

So right now your mission is simple: enjoy this win. Enjoy the moment. Revel in it with those you enjoy fandom with. Then tell your friends. People left the Mavericks church some time ago. They had good reason to. But joy should be shared and spread and sought. We have it. There will be more. Tell your friends. Let’s go Mavs.

It’s a team effort

Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving were good. A combined 41 points, seven rebounds, and 12 assists. Very good if you’re feeling generous. But were they great?

Not really. And that’s just win. Dallas won by 24 anyway.

Dallas shot under 50% and shot 36% from three. They didn’t win this game on outlier areas. They won because they pushed harder, defended better, and never stopped as a team. If you didn’t watch this game, you missed a play from every person on the roster who saw minutes that came from sheer grit. The every-game Risacher play that leaves me laughing (this time, a block of SGA in transition that was so rude, I loved it). The gaul of Walter Clayton Jr. to attack in transition. I could keep going.

These guys are feeling it right now.

Living in the hustle stats

Dallas nearly tied points in the paint, losing 44-42 after getting killed in the first half (26-14). They won fast-break points 17-0. The Mavericks won second-chance points 18-7.

That is how you win a big game on national television. They controlled and dominated the effort and came away with a big early-season win.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers coasted through the first half, fell down by double digits, and then turned it on down the stretch to grab their 17th straight win against the Washington Wizards with a final score of 121-111.

Three stars of the game

First star: Evan Mobley

24 points on 8-of-12 shooting, 12 rebounds, 2 assists

The Cavs ceiling changes if Mobley becomes a consistent and lethal three-point shooter. We saw that in Wednesday’s game as he went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc. This wasn’t just a one-off performance. Through four games, Mobley is 12-for-18 (66.7%) from three.

“There’s a shift in his demeanor,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “There’s a confidence to him now. … The jumper looks quicker to me. It’s not just that he’s making them. I think last year he kind of made threes [when he had] time and space. I feel like this year he’s getting it off quicker. He’s making them with harder contests.”

The Wizards had to change their defense to account for this. They didn’t give him the same time and space in the second half, which allowed the rest of the offense to flourish.

On top of that, Mobley, along with Jarrett Allen, made it difficult for the Wizards to finish inside in the second half. Washington attempted just 13 shots in the paint in the second half after taking 31 there in the first.

This was a solid and complete game from Mobley

Second star: Peyton Watson

22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 assists

This was the first time we got a real taste of how helpful Watson can be for Cleveland. He was impactful attacking off the dribble, and more importantly, in creating out of the short roll when running pick-and-rolls with the starting backcourt. That was incredibly useful considering how the Wizards — and most of the other teams before them — were trapping Cleveland’s guards on high pick-and-rolls.

“I loved the offensive part,” Atkinson said. “Getting in the pocket, making plays, driving [against] mismatches. He goes hard to the rim.

Watson also made a difference as an offensive rebounder by creating five extra chances. Three of those opportunities directly led to points. Atkinson has consistently talked about wanting his team to do a better job on the offensive glass. Watson may be the answer here with his height and athleticism.

Watson has a well-rounded and intriguing skill set that the Cavs are still figuring out how to best use. The early results are interesting. Watson provides a different dimension to how this team can play. It’ll be interesting to see how the Cavs fine-tune his role as the season progresses.

Third star: Alex Sarr

18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists, 1 block

Sarr was helpful for Washington on both ends. Offensively, he picked his spots well and finished looks that Trae Young and Kyshawn George created for him. Defensively, he had active hands in passing lanes and deterred shots at the rim. It was a solid game for a young player that is steadily coming into his own.

Dud of the game

James Harden

16 points on 5-of-18 shooting, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers

Harden had a tough time finding a scoring rhythm. He led the Cavs in shots (18) but completed just 27.8% of them. This included missing a couple of point-blank floaters he normally converts.

It’s unfair to blame Cleveland’s poor defensive start on one person, but Harden left a lot to be desired on that end in the first half. He lost his assignment repeatedly off-ball in the first half, which led to easy baskets.

To his credit, Harden was good down the stretch. He got the Cavs into their offense and protected the ball in the second half. It wasn’t an outright awful game — just one where he could’ve been better.

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Cavalier who deserves a shoutout

Meleek Thomas

10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Wednesday’s performance wasn’t as noteworthy as his debut earlier this week, but it was a strong showing nonetheless.

Thomas has found a nice balance on the defensive end. He’s not afraid to jump passing lanes and force the action, but this hasn’t come at the expense of losing his man or being out of position. It’s not uncommon for a rookie to be an active defender; it is uncommon for them to consistently be in the right place when they’re away from the play. So far, Thomas’s defensive positioning has been impressive.

Offensively, he did a good job of slotting into more of an off-ball role. He was helpful attacking in transition and provided some scoring punch in the half-court.

At this point, there isn’t a strong case for either Craig Porter Jr. or Tyrese Proctor getting minutes over Thomas. The rookie just adds too much as an offensive threat and active defender.

“We found a guy that can really help us,” Atkinson said.

Play of the game

The Cavs are at their best when they’re regularly turning defense into easy opportunities the other end. That was a hallmark of the 2024-25 regular-season team that turned in 64 wins.

We haven’t consistently seen that version of this team through four games, but little moments like this serve as a reminder that they may still get there.

Quote of the day

“The first few went in, so I just kept shooting them.”

– Evan Mobley on going 5-for-6 from three

Stat of the game

The Cavs won the offensive rebounding battle 15-5, which led to them outscoring Washington 19-8 in second-chance points.

The Cavs thoroughly controlled the glass and the overall possession battle. They outrebounded Washington 58-33. Cleveland won’t lose many games when they rebound like this.

What this game will be remembered for Mobley’s breakout three-point performance

A hot shooting week doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. The high variance of the shot can lead to drastic results in small sample sizes. This, however, tends to even out over time. From that perspective, Mobley hitting 11 of his last 14 threes might now mean much.

At the same time, everything about the Cavs changes if he can develop a more consistent outside shot. Only time will tell whether this start is real.

“We’re going to be really hard to stop,” Atkinson said when asked about how Mobley’s shooting can transform the offense. “If he can do that, hit threes and still be the great defender that he is and should be, then that could be our next jump.”

With several stars out with injuries, the talented young Jazzmen like Darryn Peterson and Keyonte George with 31 points had a chance to shine against a lethargic Spurs squad, and they took advantage of their bigger roles to make a outsized impact on the game. The Spurs acted entitled, and they were outworked in the first half as the Jazz took a double digit lead in the second quarter and led 55-51 at the half. The Spurs awoke from the slumber in the second half, but the Jazz young’uns were unlocked and they made the Silver and Black have to earn their way to a win. The Spurs couldn’t get any separation in the second half, but they had just enough to take the game into overtime, and a defensive surge in the last two minutes was just enough for the visitors to escape with a 117-11 win. Devin Vassell was a key performer as the Spurs came back in the fourth, while Victor Wembanyama led the team on both offense and defense as they pulled out a close overtime win.

Observations:

• This counts as the Spurs’ second road game of the season, and with three home games. But one of those ‘home’ games was in Austin, where the Rockets fans were almost as loud as the Spurs, and the Austin locals were too cool for school, as usual, with a lot of them rooting for former Longhorn Kevin Durant. Let’s call that a neutral site game because there was little to none home court advantage. Hopefully the Paris games will work out better for the San Antonio, who will really only have something like 36 true home games this season.
• This is my first final score article of the season, and hopefully, you’ll like it. I never know how these are going to turn out, but the fun of it is that I don’t have a lot of time to overthink it, I just write whatever comes into my head and press publish a few minutes after the final buzzer. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s just kind of okay. It’s always fun for me.
• Darryn Peterson got off to a hot start as the Jazz got off to an early 7 point lead, but he got hit on the face by a Wembanyama elbow on a dunk attempt and had to go to the locker room. It could have been called a foul, but it wasn’t called, perhaps because it looked like Peterson ran right into Victor’s outstretched arm.
• The Jazz played with a lot more intensity than the Silver and Black for the rest of the first quarter, and led 32-22 after their first 12 minutes, with poor shooting being a big problem for the visitors.
• The Spurs offense was sputtering, but they were able to draw fouls, and missed free throws were costly for the Silver and Black as the Jazz stretched the lead to double digits. Finally, Champagnie got into the game and made an impact as they cut the lead to 5 with a little over 4 minutes left in the first half.
• The hustle of the Jazz showed as they got to loose balls first and led 55-51 at the half, despite the Spurs getting a few clutch shots from Victor to keep it close. The Jazz weren’t the Kings, and the Spurs were not being given an easy win, they were going to have take it away from the scrappy home team.
• The Spurs opened the third on a 8-2 run and retook the lead in the first two minutes of the third quarter on a ferocious Wembanyama putback dunk. The Spurs kept up their intensity in the quarter, but the game Jazz also responded and maintained a lead for most of the quarter. The Spurs kept pulling even and even took a few small leads, the Jazz pulled away with a Mykhailiuk triple to take a late 7 point lead in the quarter. The Spurs ended the quarter on an 11-4 run to tie the score at 85 each with 12 minutes to play on a slick drive from Steph Castle.
• Mo Bamba has been in the league a long time, and I think he’s finally found a place where they appreciate him. He’s always had a ton of talent, and he’s finally putting it to good use.
• One thing about DAZN is that they don’t bleep the audio from the players. I definitely heard some bad words tonight.
• The Spurs woke up a bit in the fourth quarter and decided to take the ball to the hoop. Both teams were playing their best basketball, and the San Antonio had a tough contest on their hands.
• Mitch Johnson called a quick timeout team halfway through the fourth quarter after a 10-3 Jazz run, taking a 98-97 lead to yell at his team. The game remained tight as Mitch had to use another timeout just a few minutes later as the Spurs held onto a 101-100 lead with 3:27 left.
• Devin was clutch down the stretch for the Silver and Black, as he scored 8 in the fourth, but the Jazz tied up the game at 105 with 41 seconds left. Neither team could take advantage and regulation time ended with a 105-105 tie.
• The Spurs looked tired to start the overtime period and couldn’t hit anything. Sensabaugh hit a prayer triple and the Jazz led 108-105. The Spurs scored the next 10 to take a 115-108 lead with a minute left in OT. The Spurs held on for a 117-111 lead. The way they got there was a little ugly, but getting a win was beautiful.
• Tarris Reed never entered the game, since it was close throughout. I really hope he gets more time soon, as Luke Kornet hasn’t looked very good in limited minutes so far this season.

For the opponent’s perspective, visit SLCDunk, which is one of the more hilarious and thoughtful SBNation basketball sites.

The Spurs have a few days off before they face the Timberwolves at home on Halloween night. Anthony Edwards is out for a few months, but Minnesota is the best team that the Silver and Black have seen since the Rockets in the second game of the season. It should be a spooOoOky night for the Spurs, and a win would go a long way in bringing back their confidence in returning as a contender after last June’s Finals loss. It’s still early in the season, but winning is good medicine for both the fans and the players.

MINNEAPOLIS — With Anthony Edwards out, Steph Curry left no doubt about the best basketball player on the floor Wednesday night inside Target Center.

The Warriors needed every bit of Curry’s season-best 44 points to put away the Timberwolves.

Even with Minnesota’s biggest star headed for knee surgery and Curry’s nuclear night, the Warriors still nearly suffered their second epic fourth-quarter collapse in just five games this season. Golden State allowed a 24-point second-half lead to be whittled down to four before hanging on, 119-114.

It appeared that a game that began without Edwards could end with Curry sitting on the bench, comfortably resting after building a big lead. That’s not how it played out.

When Curry went to the bench late in the third quarter, the Timberwolves took advantage. 

The Warriors widened their lead as far as 78-54 midway through the third quarter. When Curry checked out at the 5:01 mark, Minnesota began to chip away. By the time the fourth quarter started, Golden State’s advantage had been cut to 12, 93-81.

Yaxel Lendeborg contributed 26 points but also committed seven of the Warriors’ 16 turnovers that allowed Minnesota to climb back into the game with Curry on the bench.

Lendeborg’s only trips to the foul line came in the final minutes as the Timberwolves fouled to get possession. Curry, on the other hand, got to the line 16 times, draining them all.

Brandon Williams was the only other Golden State player to reach double figures, with 11.

Jonathan Kuminga played a larger role than he did the last and only other time he squared off against the team that drafted him seventh overall in 2021 and traded him last February.

He finished with 20 as Minnesota struggled to find an identity playing its first game without Edwards. Four other Timberwolves finished in double figures, led by Jaden McDaniels and TJ Shannon with 19 apiece.

Kristaps Porzingis’ whereabouts have finally been revealed. And he’s doing it with a big smile on his face. With a doctor.

On Wednesday, top Colombian orthodontist Dr. Bruno Pereira posted a photo on his Instagram of him and Porzingis standing next to each other. The caption reads: “Always a pleasure to treat a champion Great having @kporzee in the chair – NBA champion, gentleman, and proof that big smiles come in big sizes.”

View this post on Instagram

Pereira’s post garnered 111 likes, 16 comments and 23 shares in the first six hours after it was made.

Pereira’s comments section was flooded with outraged Warriors fans reacting to seeing their star center working on acquiring a new set of teeth instead of working his way back to the basketball court.

“You had all offseason to do ts,” @liltommyttg_ wrote.

@Nichaols.d_61 wrote, “What?!? That’s why you aren’t playing?”

Porzingis was also facing pressure to play or call it quits, as @dieguito_xo wrote, “Hey buddy come back to work or just retire.”

While Porzingis has been busy working on his smile, it comes at the same time that he’s been ruled out indefinitely from the NBA season due to a mystery illness — which was announced days before the NBA season began.

On Oct. 19, coach Steve Kerr said he wasn’t planning on having Porzingis travel with the team due to his underlying health issues.

For most of his career, Porzingis has dealt with injuries, primarily on his knee, as he tore his ACL in 2018.

During the 2023-2024 season, he played a career-high 65 games for the Celtics and played a key part in helping the franchise win its 18th title in franchise history.

Porzingis was dealing with respiratory issues that season, and coach Joe Mazzulla revealed in May 2025 that he benched his star center during the 2024-2025 NBA playoffs because he was struggling to breathe.

Porzingis was traded by Boston to the Hawks during the 2025 offseason and was then traded again during the trade deadline last year to the Warriors.

Last season, he played in 15 games for Golden State, averaging 16.7 points, 1.2 blocks and 5.2 rebounds.

Over the offseason, the Warriors and Porzingis agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract extension.

For most of Wednesday night’s game in Minneapolis, the Golden State Warriors looked like the team that trounced the Denver Nuggets Monday. In the last four minutes, they looked like the team that choked away the second game of the season to the Memphis Grizzlies.

In the end, a series of turnovers, dropped passes, missed free throws, and inattentive three-point defense didn’t quite doom the Warriors, who held on for a 119-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves behind Steph Curry’s 44 points, He scored the last of these on a pair of meaningless free throws with 0.1 seconds on the clock, which closed out a perfect 16-for-6 night from the free throw line. He’s made all 39 of his freebies to start the season.

The Warriors led for the final 38 minutes of the game, maintaining a double-digit lead for mot of the second half and going up 11 points after a Curry picked off a LaMelo Ball pass and turned it into a Yaxel Lendeborg dunk with 2:16 to play.

Jonathan Kuminga made a three-point play, the Warriors missed some shots, then Ayo Dosunmu followed up a layup and a three-pointer by picking Curry’s pocket down four points. It took a heroic block by De’Anthony Melton on Dosunmu at the rim and two bricked threes from Jaden McDaniels before the Warriors could finally relax.

Lendeborg scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while former Warrior Kuminga led the Wolves with 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting, a 3-for-5 effort from deep, along with five assists and zero turnovers. McDaniels had 19 points and eight rebounds and Terrence Shannon, Jr. put up 19 off the bench, shooting 8-for-10 on free throws.

The Timberwolves were playing without Anthony Edwards, who had knee surgery that should keep him out until at least December. They struggled to find offense, particularly from Ball, who shot 3-for-11 and had almost as many turnovers (6) as points (8). Rudy Gobert was a total non-factor, perhaps because the Warriors devoted only 20 minutes to traditional centers. The Stifle Tower finished with a single point, four rebounds, and zero blocks and clearly did not appreciate having to defend against Curry.

The Warriors started to pull away in the second quarter after a signature Curry Flurry. From an 184-second stretch between 9:11 and 6:07 of the second quarter, Curry made five three-pointers, scored 17 points, and delivered an assist, a run that took Golden State from a one-point advantage to a 13-point lead. He also demonstrated a curling-style follow-through after the fourth triple, perhaps paying tribute to Canadian Curry fans while playing up north in Minneapolis.

Curry finished the first half with 23 points and Lendeborg had 14, already drawing double teams in his 5th NBA game. Draymond Green had five assists before the break, the Warriors outrebounded the Timberwolves by three, and Will Richard was the top reserve, playing 11 first-half minutes and logging a +13, grabbing two offensive rebounds on pure hustle. The Warriors took a 64-48 lead into the locker room.

This happened late in the third, but we would be remiss not to highlight Richard’s acrobatic layup here.

The strong second quarter, which the Warriors won, 34-25, came despite a lot of fouling from the road team. The Timberwolves got in the bonus with 7:21 left in the quarter but it didn’t hurt the Dubs that much. Minnesota went 4-for-6 from the foul line while in the bonus, with two trips to the line on shooting fouls. The Warriors reserves managed to extend the lead by a point while Curry rested for three minutes.

They kept up their furious pace to start the second half. Curry hit another three and got to the line for four free throws as the Warriors began a 9-2 run. He also slid out of bounds in a vain attempt to chase down a rebound, missing a highlight play by roughly 15% of an ass cheek.

Green blocked his arch-nemesis, Rudy Gobert, then took over mopping duties during a stoppage in play. Perhaps that was a response to the sloppy play on both sides, full of wild early shots and overly frenetic play, which induced Steve Kerr to call timeout simply because Golden State’s lead dropped to 21 points.

Things tightened up at the end of the third quarter as the Timberwolves got hot from three-point range. The Warriors got a bunch of layups thanks to slick passing from Brandin Podziemski, but the Wolves answered with threes, including some difficult running threes from Bones Hyland. The quarter ended 93-81, after Curry sank two more foul shots, racking up what felt like a stunning nine free throws in three quarters. Do the refs know who he is???

For the fourth quarter, the Warriors gassed up the Minivan. Georges Niang missed a layup, hustled 94 feet for a steal, saved the ball, and created an uncontested fast break for Curry, who unselfishly left it for an easy Gary Payton II jam.

Niang started in place of Gui Santos, who sat with a sore knee. The veteran had seven points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals, an absolutely adequate performance that left him +5 on the game.

What went badly? Lendeborg had seven turnovers. Green had eight rebounds and six assists, but made some bad fouls late and couldn’t handle a Curry dumpoff that would have been an easy game-icing layup in the final seconds. The team’s three-point shooting went missing in the second half, with Curry going 1-for-6 and the rest of the team going 0-for-4, while committing 11 of their 16 turnovers after halftime. Podz only took five shots.

Still, the Warriors won two games in a row, and two road games at that! The 18-year veteran and the rookie are both playing great, Melton and his bad thumbs are shooting well again, and this team just might have a decent bench after all.

And perhaps best off all with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves coming to down, the NBA has actually started calling fouls for flopping. No B.S. Association action! It’s fan-tastic!

Regular Season Bell Ringer Standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 2.5
Joel Embiid – 1
Jaylen Brown – 0.5

The Sixers made it interesting for awhile, but came back around to take down a shorthanded Indiana Pacers squad on Wednesday night.

The Pacers were banged up for this one, with multiple players sidelined including Tyrese Haliburton and starting center Ivica Zubac. The Sixers, on the other hand, had all five starters on the floor Wednesday.

The Sixers looked sloppy and shot poorly to start the night, allowing the Pacers to keep things tied after one. Fortunately the second quarter was a bit tighter from Philadelphia — far from perfect, but better — with the team shooting 56.0% from the floor in the frame to amass a 10-point lead at the break (special thanks to VJ Edgecombe for hitting a buzzer-beating 50-foot triple to end the half).

It was a lead they quickly squandered, allowing Indiana a quick 17-0 run to start the second half. It was as bad a third as you could get from Philadelphia, who entered the final frame down 10 points to the shorthanded Pacers. Fortunately, things finally started clicking for the Sixers, helped by the leadership of LeBron James and some hot shooting from Tyrese Maxey, with the visitors battling back within a few points and finally retaking a narrow lead toward the end of the game.

It was way harder than it should have been, but the Sixers held on. A win’s a win. The Sixers move to 4-1.

Let’s get to the Bell Ringer. With different players stepping up at different times throughout this one, we have quite a few options.

Joel Embiid: 21 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block

Joel Embiid looked sharp to start the evening, leading the Sixers after one with six points on 3-for-3 field goal shooting. With the Pacers down their starting center, it was the perfect excuse to get the ball to Embiid in the post, which the big fella was quick to take advantage of. Even if he was double-teamed, Embiid was able to simply spin away and create a ton of space for himself to pull right up or hit the fadeaway. And the best part: the shot was silky smooth and falling tonight. If anything, the Sixers weren’t going to him quite enough to start the night, but they started to rectify that in the second frame. By halftime, Embiid had 14 points on 6-for-10 field goal shooting, with five buckets coming off the midrange jumper.

The puzzling thing is that the Sixers seemed to stop running the offense through Embiid in the second half. I personally think it’s no coincidence that, once they stopped getting the ball to Embiid, the offense grinded to a halt. Was it the only reason? No, absolutely not. But it certainly didn’t help.

Nevertheless, Embiid got involved again late and hit a few big buckets toward the end of this one to help secure the Philadelphia win. He finished the game with 21 points on 9-for-17 field goal shooting with 11 rebounds, two assists and one block.

Anfernee Simons: 20 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Apparently all it took to get Anfernee Simons into a groove was a reverse jinx from yours truly. Not even kidding. After missing his first triple attempt of the night, I tweeted about Simons’ struggles thus far, and how he came into the night shooting just 23.8% from long range to start the season.

He immediately sank two back-to-back triples. Like clockwork. In the second frame, he tacked on two more quick threes off the bench. At that point, the team was 4-for-11 from three-point range for the night, with Simons responsible for all four successes — a huge boost for a Sixers team that was letting the Pacers hang right in there with them at that point in the game.

Simons ended up sinking 6-of-10 three-pointers on Wednesday night. Again, after coming into this game having shot just 23.8% from behind the arc to start the season, that’s one hell of warm-up. We’ll take it.

Simons finished with 20 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal off the bench.

LeBron James: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers

LeBron James had a far from perfect game. His shooting could have been better. He could have been a bit better rebounding at times. But he is able to turn it on when the team needs it. In the fourth, with the Sixers trailing after a miserable third, James locked in. First, two back-to-back assists to Anfernee Simons both resulting in triples. Then, he hits a triple of his own. Next, right back to facilitator, working the two-man game with Embiid that resulted in an and-1 for the big fella. Suddenly, the Sixers were back within two points. It feels strange to have to say “that’s why you want to have a player like LeBron James,” but, well… that’s why you want a player like LeBron James! He has all the capabilities to turn a game around through both his own scoring and especially his playmaking, and he was responsible for a huge momentum swing for the Sixers late in this one.

He finished the game with 13 points, five rebounds, 10 assists, one steal, two blocks and ZERO turnovers. But, again, with LeBron, even the stats don’t always fully reflect his impact.

Jaylen Brown: 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

It’s not always flashy. In fact, with Jaylen Brown, it seems to happen in ways you don’t even notice. It just slowly adds up. A few buckets here, some foul shots there… but Brown is constantly contributing offensively for the Sixers. There really wasn’t a specific big run from Brown in this one. There was nothing super flashy or anything that will pop up on a big highlight reel, but he was present throughout, chipping in points when the Sixers are hot and even when the rest of the team seems to be ice cold.

Even if you aren’t watching the games to see the impact he quietly makes on both ends of the floor, the stats speak for themselves: 20 points on 7-for-13 field goal shooting, 10 rebounds (4 offensive), two assists, one steal and one block. You take that every single day of the week.

Tyrese Maxey: 27 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal

This wasn’t Tyrese Maxey’s best game by any means… but man, did he turn it on when it really counted. It had been a bit of an up-and-down night, with some inconsistent shooting and some sloppy turnovers. Maxey also seemed to let his frustration on calls — or lack thereof — get the better of him.

But late in the fourth, he did what he does best. He turned on the jets to get out ahead for some transition buckets. He used his fancy footwork and impressive body control to stop on a dime and sink pull-up and step-back threes. He helped put the Sixers ahead when it matters the most: the end of the game. I actually didn’t have him as a Bell Ringer contender until late in this one, but you can’t deny the importance of having a reliable late-game scorer. It’s the difference between a close loss and a close win… and the difference this time was, in no small part, Tyrese Maxey.

Maxey finished the game with 27 points, five rebounds, four assists and one steal.

The Milwaukee Bucks tried to build on their win over Indiana, but the Houston Rockets proved too much, winning 132-100 in a blowout. Tyler Herro led the Bucks with 23 points in 27 minutes, while Fred VanVleet led a balanced Houston attack with 24 points.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

The Bucks started off looking solid, matching the Rockets shot for shot and keeping them from putting together a run; still, the game was choppy. Late in the first quarter, though, the Milwaukee finally found a rhythm, piecing together a neat little 7-0 run to take its first lead; Tyler Herro hit a finger roll lay-up and a sweet mid-range floater, then AJ Green nailed a three to give the home side a 19-16 edge. The play of the first quarter, though, belonged to Nate Ament, who rose and blocked Jabari Smith Jr. on a baseline jumper. This kind of defensive effort kept the Bucks in the game after they went cold to close out the quarter, finding themselves down 23-21 to end the first.

Unfortunately, that defense would fade a little as the second quarter began, as the Rockets opened on an 8-0 run, extending their lead to double digits. However, as Milwaukee’s starters cycled back in, the defense began to shore up… the only issue was that the offense did not! AJ Green hit a three around the 10-minute mark, and then the Bucks went four minutes without scoring, with Tyler Herro breaking the seal at the six-minute mark. Oof. With two minutes to go, the Bucks had shot just 4/21 in the quarter as the Rockets built a 22-point lead. Offensively, it was very unremarkable: the Bucks couldn’t get comfortable or find their stroke all quarter as the Rockets’ defence tightened. The lone silver lining was the strong team defence the Bucks played, which (somewhat) matched Houston’s pressure and energy.

The third quarter saw the Bucks get out to a faster start as they whittled away the deficit ever so slightly. Ryan Rollins logged four quick assists and a bucket as he pushed the pace and found the open man. Look, Milwaukee actually scored the ball decently in this perioid; the issue was they couldn’t get any stops, which allowed Houston to still win the quarter 38-34. In any event, the home side’s energy was paying off. Amen Thompson would end the quarter leading the Rockets in scoring with an impressive 23 points, showing off his versatility as scorer and looking much more comfortable with VanVleet back from injury. H-Town led bigly after three: 95-69.

Down 26, the Bucks would start the fourth with Brayden Burries, AJ Green, Ousmane Dieng, Nate Ament, and Jericho Sims. The Rockets, meanwhile, kept many of their starters in. For what it’s worth, Milwaukee actually held their own and out-shot Houston 15-10 in the first half of the final perioid. At the 6:55 mark, down 21, Gary Trent Jr. checked in for his first minutes of the season, and boy, was he spectacular, proceeding to score three points on 1/3 shooting. On a real dud of an offensive night, it felt like a fitting end to a clunker of a game.

Stat That Stood Out

18, 19: That is the current NBA season of Kevin Durant and Nate Ament’s age, respectively. KD was Ament’s assignment when he checked in, and it was a trip down Feel Old Lane, realising Ament was 10 months old when Durant made his debut in Seattle.

Obscene Overreaction

Jenkins has been quite effective at instilling culture. No, there are no moral victories, but even in an ugly loss, the Bucks kept their motor high all game and showed they believe in the process. Jenkins was also very encouraging even as players struggled, which will be necessary as the young Bucks continue to grow. They may be 1-4, but they also seem to be taking the right steps under Jenkins’ guidance.

The league has done the world champion Knicks (2-3) no favors to start the new campaign. Their first four games were matches against playoff teams, and when they finally faced an easier opponent, it was a road game on the second night of a back-to-back.

Tonight’s opponent, the Chicago Bulls (1-4), came into the game as the NBA’s worst perimeter shooting team, but you wouldn’t believe it as they hit 43% from deep and took the Knicks to the wire. If New York was fatigued after beating Detroit last night, they benefited from huge minutes by reserves Tyler Kolek (9 PTS, 9 AST, 0 TO, 18 MIN), Jordan Clarkson (18 PTS, +15, 17 MIN), and Landry Shamet (14 PTS, 5 AST, 32 MIN).

With the second unit cooking, and double-digit points from three starters—Jalen Brunson (38 PTS, 7 AST), Karl-Anthony Towns (19 PTS, 13 REB), and OG Anunoby (23 PTS, 6 REB)—the Knicks overcame a 19-point deficit in the third quarter to win in the fourth, 133-127.

This summer’s fourth draft pick, Caleb Wilson (20 PTS, 6 RBS, 2 STL, 1 BLK), is a fixture of the rebuilding Bulls. He showed his pop when dunking over OG Anunoby in the first quarter and thefting two steals. Should he add any muscle, the kid might live up to his confidence.

Last night, Mikal Bridges got back on track against Detroit. He continued it tonight with an early corner bomb, but got a quick hook and played just nine first-half minutes.

The eleventh pick two years ago, Matas Buzelis (17 PTS), mixed in a three-pointer and a couple of free throws. Chicago came into the night ranked 30th in the league for long-range shooting. Their play supported that rotten rating, as they converted just 2-of-10 from deep in the first 12 minutes, while the visitors shot 5-of-9 from the yard.

Midway through the period, Chicago’s Noa Essengue was knocked into Karl-Anthony Towns. KAT appeared to injure his wrist when he fell to the floor and went to the locker room for treatment. With two minutes remaining in the quarter, Towns returned with a taped left wrist and was accompanied by Anunoby, Bridges, and Tyler Kolek. The latter made his first trey of the season with a minute to go in the period. After six lead changes, New York sat on top at the break, 34-33.

The second quarter saw five more lead changes, as the teams took turns leaping ahead. Kolek continued to dish, hitting Anunoby for an alley-oop and a three. Chicago had an answer for every score, with New York playing less enthusiastic defense than they did 24 hours earlier against Detroit. Blame fatigue. Jordan Clarkson gave them six points in support, and the team was generating second looks (10 offensive rebounds in the half), but they failed to give themselves breathing room. Miles McBride went scoreless on six shots, and Bridges missed his only attempt of the quarter and committed a turnover before being yanked again.

Chicago closed the half on a 13–3 run, thanks to timely baskets from Buzelis and Normal Norman Powell (30 PTS, 10-15 FG), and Tre Jones’ last-second buzzer-beater gave the hosts a 62-56 lead, their largest of the night.

Through the half, the Knicks were outshot 45% to 37%, and their 10 turnovers gifted the Bulls 12 points. The home team had a 28-20 advantage in the paint, despite the guests winning the boards 31-26. New York had shot better from deep (33% to 26%), but the Chi-Guys were capitalizing on easier baskets. Brunson led all scorers with 16 points, while Buzelis had nine.

KAT scored five quick points and dished to Anunoby for a dunk, but then the big fella’s fourth foul banished him to the pine at 9:03. While he sat, Chicago hit the gas. Powell drove to the cup, while Josh Giddey (10 PTS, 11 RBS) doled out three dimes and added a jumper. In a blink, the halftime lead had jumped from six to 13. Our heroes continued to squander their chances: Bridges missed twice before Shamet replaced him, and Anunoby blanked on two threes and was blocked by Buzelis at the rim. The Bulls scored nine unanswered to push their lead to 19 halfway through the frame.

From there, Captain Brunson ignited a 22-7 run. Jalen scored six of those, Kolek added his second and third triples of the night, and Drummond had some nifty cleanups at the rim. In the final second, Anunoby fouled Powell, who made two freebies. Chicago’s once-formidable lead was just 96-90.

Onto the fourth we went. Towns and Clarkson hit threes, as did Isaac Okoro for the villains, and Kolek added a steal. The third-year man has had at least one steal in each game he’s played this season. With a sprained ankle keeping Jose Alvarado out, Kolek is certainly making the most of his minutes. He distributed five assists while Brunson rested, and New York’s 14-8 run tied the score at 104 with just over eight minutes left.

Clarkson gave New York its biggest lift off the bench, scoring 12 fourth-quarter points and stealing consecutive Chicago passes to set up a Shamet three and his own layup.

That steady vet Powell kept answering for Chicago, but the Knicks were getting contributions throughout the lineup. Brunson scored 13 points after checking in at 7:04, hitting three triples as New York’s lead reached 11. His last three, following Hart’s offensive rebound, made it 130–122 with 1:39 remaining.

Jalen Smith (17 PTS, 11 RBS, 5 AST) buried a corner three to pull Chicago within three with 46 seconds left. Powell missed a potential tying triple, leaving New York ahead 130–127 with nine seconds on the clock. Cap and OG made their free throws. Ballgame.

Up Next

My notes say that Mo has a recap coming your way. The Knicks host Philly at home on Friday for a Cup game. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

CHICAGO — Jalen Brunson had been struggling. His 3-ball was misfiring. His runners were short. In his own words, “I was putting a lot of unnecessary commentary in my head.” 

So Brunson responded like he always does — he landed in the next city, went to the gym, put up shots. As the Brunson slogan goes, “The Magic is in the Work.” 

Then he put it together Wednesday, dropped 38 points and buried the Bulls with fourth-quarter heroics for a 133-127 victory. 

“I was happy to be able to kind of finally get over that hump,” Brunson said. “I feel like I was putting a lot of unnecessary commentary in my head. But seeing the ball go in the way it did, it put me out of my mental state and put me in a good flow state.” 

In the four games before Wednesday, Brunson hit four 3-pointers on 20 attempts. On Wednesday, he hit six treys on 10 attempts. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter. He crossed over a Bulls defender, sent him flying out of the frame and buried a trey that had the crowd in awe. 

It was vintage Brunson, who always seems to play better in Chicago — the area he shined as a high school star over a decade ago. Coach Mike Brown wasn’t surprised. 

“I wasn’t worried about that,” Brown said. “He just seems like he always finds a way. And tonight we needed every single one of those. It definitely wasn’t a concern of mine.” 

Brunson needed help, too. 

With Mikal Bridges ineffective and benched, the rest of the guards took over. Brunson, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek combined for 52 points just in the second half. 

Clarkson, who collected a DNP on Tuesday against the Pistons, caught fire with 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter — shooting 7-for-11 overall. Shamet finished with 14 points and five assists in 32 minutes. Kolek had nine points and nine assists. The Knicks (2-3) overcame a 19-point third-quarter deficit to win their second in two nights. 

Still, they almost blew it. With 25 seconds left and a 3-point lead, Karl-Anthony Towns missed a layup under the hoop. He was fouled, but there was no whistle. Chicago’s Norman Powell then missed a potential tying trey, and Brunson closed the win by hitting one of his two free throws. 

The Knicks were operating on a back-to-back with an excuse to be tired. They had a late tipoff Tuesday in MSG, won a hard-fought game against the Pistons, then didn’t land in Chicago until about 2:30 a.m. — less than 17 hours before tipoff against the Bulls. 

“It was just a late game [Tuesday night],” Brown said. “I acknowledged that to our guys. It’s not an excuse. It’s the life of the NBA. So we have to find a way in situations like this, and our guys found a way. But you could tell we looked really, really sluggish.” 

Despite the late arrival, Brunson got to the gym early, hit big shots late, and the Knicks recovered. 

“His will is unbelievable. His determination, man, it’s second to none,” Brown said. “You look at this guy and he’s not 6-7, he’s not athletic, he’s not quick. I mean, you can go down the line in natural physical tools that a lot of guys have, but his determination, his spirit, his competitive spirit, his will, his toughness, especially his mental toughness, but his physical toughness, too, added with his skill set, it makes him an unbelievable basketball player. An MVP-caliber basketball player. I hope he gets recognition for that this year because his will is off the charts.”

Unfortunately for the Suns, the season has not panned out as much as anticipated. With a 1-2 start and their next game not until Friday, the team’s pulse has been off, and everyone has expressed frustration. Whether it’s the early injuries that have hurt the roster or the starting lineup not meshing well, the discussion surrounding the Suns hasn’t been positive in the first few games. Even with all that negativity, though, the Suns have shown some positives, including a major offseason re-signing.

This has been Jordan Goodwin, someone who blossomed on the team last year and is still finding ways to make an impact this year. In just these three games, he has made himself feel present with the squad and has made his presence felt in all three contests. His hustle and ambition to become a better player show in his relentlessness on the court.

Because of the injuries the Suns have already dealt with early on, Goodwin’s role has grown. With no Oso Ighodaro for the Suns, Khaman Maluach has started, but with Mark Williams also out, the center room is thin. The Suns have used two-way player Duop Reath for some of those minutes, but a lot of them have been put into small-ball lineups. This was one of the Suns’ strong suits last season, and again, it can be said to be led by the same player both years: Goodwin.

To start the season, the Suns have struggled in two main areas: rebounding and three-point shooting. For the Suns, though, Goodwin has at least shone by not letting them get completely obliterated in those categories any more than they already have. The 6’3” guard, even though he is undersized, proves that it is heart over height in any scenario, as he makes his impact known within the roster. He’s made that impact known, and the fans have noticed it, too.

That is why, to me, he’s truly been one of the bright spots on this Suns team and deserves recognition for his hard work, even if the results haven’t always been what everyone wants. That said, the Suns should look at what Goodwin has accomplished over the last few games and incorporate his skill set into the roster build. As we know, the starting lineup has not panned out at all. With Ighodaro out with an injury, we haven’t been able to switch him and Maluach, but even without that, others haven’t performed.

Jalen Green has been inconsistent; Devin Booker had one dominant performance but then went silent; Dillon Brooks just hasn’t looked like the same player, and Miles Bridges, well, what is there positive to say about him? Truly, the cohesion has been terrible, and the roster build, with no one to make those Goodwin-like plays, has set them back. Everyone is looking for their own bucket and a way to win for the team, rather than playing as a unit. That is why the bench looks so much better: everyone has their role, and they try to execute it.

Even early in the season, the starters’ lineup issues are glaring, and with the squad’s build, this could persist as the season goes on. With no clear playmaker, true rebounder, or even a solid three-point scorer, the solution seems to be working through this together for now, but if it sticks, bigger issues could arise near the trade deadline. This is where I think the Suns, in this scenario, would still need to reevaluate all avenues to build around their star.

Sadly, three points isn’t something anyone can support, but fans can still cling to the 43-point game from before. That is the Booker fans all know and grew up supporting, the one they saw on Saturday night, and even if it was against a depleted Warriors team, that star is still there. He needs the right pieces around him to get back to his true self, and that is where the front office needs to look. They need to find guys who can replicate what Goodwin brings to the starting lineup: connectivity. Someone willing to do the dirty work and be the glue guy for the starters. As many liked to taunt Royce O’Neale last year for being in the lineup, that is what his role was, and he did it perfectly.

Sometimes it is not about the biggest names on the roster; it is about how they work, and that is how last season’s Suns thrived. This year, the opposite is true, and the outcomes aren’t looking great. It’s still early in the season, and things can change once Ighodaro gets back or their team gels more, but if the issues persist, the only way out may be to sell some of these starters, especially ones looking for a long-term extension.

The Toronto Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic 129-99 on Wednesday.

With the victory, the team improved to 3-1 on the season and 1-1 in games without Kawhi Leonard.

Here are four takeaways and quotes after the win:

Where would the Raptors be without RJ?

“We can do an even better job of providing him those angles…but he’s very crafty and he plays in tight spaces…I thought he did a really good job tonight.” – Darko Rajakovic on RJ Barrett

There’s something about RJ Barrett’s game that can’t escape the relentless criticism from a specific portion of the Raptors fanbase. Even after hitting a Kawhi-like bounce that foreshadowed the return of his newest teammate, Barrett’s name is often included in hypothetical trades.

Contract and financials aside, no one on the team can replicate what Barrett does best: provide relentless pressure and pursuit that even Michael Myers would be jealous of.

When Toronto’s offence was stuck in molasses, it was Barrett who supercharged his play. After hitting a triple to cut the Magic lead to 19-13, he followed that up with an offensive putback on the next possession.

Barrett led all scorers with 21 points at halftime, matching his second-highest output through two quarters in his eight seasons in the league. Barrett’s career-high for points at the half remains at 30, which was recorded while playing for the New York Knicks on Feb. 25 in 2022.

Barrett proved himself as a playoff riser against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It makes sense that he elevates his game while Leonard is out of action. Barrett finished with 25 points on 50 per cent shooting.

No trick, all treat

“Today was the first day I was looking for my shot more…Offensively, I’m a liability when I don’t look for my shot.” – Jamal Shead on whether he needs to be more aggressive on offence

With the Raptors trailing 21-15 with just over four minutes left in the opening quarter, head coach Darko Rajakovic looked to his bench for answers, or at the very least, for a group capable of keeping them in the game until their offence recovered.

What emerged was the unique combination of Immanuel Quickley, Jamal Shead, Jamison Battle, Scottie Barnes and Trayce Jackson-Davis. The group was the jump scare Toronto needed to wake up from its slumber. An 11-2 run pushed the home team to a two-point lead and invigorated the Scotiabank Arena.

The most encouraging part was that production came from all five players and not just the known quantities. Jackson-Davis was an excellent screener and capitalized on his scoop shot after Shead dropped it off to him in the paint. The veteran was also a stabilizing force on the glass. Battle bounced back after his performance in Minnesota, finishing with seven points, while knocking down a left-corner three during this particular stretch. Defensively, Battle was playing with an infectious effort and hit the floor for loose balls. Shead had his best game of the young season and was a force on both ends. The backup point guard scored a season-high 13 points.

Orlando ultimately went 1-for-4 from the field and committed three turnovers before Rajakovic brought Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett back into the game.

Scottie returns to form

“I thought we just played our brand of basketball…we’re trying to play to our standards.” – Scottie Barnes on whether the team played a different way due to Leonard’s absence

After Barnes faced criticism for finishing with zero points for the second time in his career, there was understandably increased curiosity surrounding how the All-Star would approach this game, especially with Leonard out of action.

Whether it was by design or a product of what was available on the court, Barnes and the Raptors had an obsession with getting into the paint to begin the game. Barnes generated five consecutive paint touches, with one of them leading to a Quickley three-pointer. He didn’t take his first jump shot until the 7:23 mark. In total, the Raptors as a team attacked the paint on seven straight possessions.

Barnes was an absolute force once again, finishing with 28 points, six rebounds, four assists and five stocks (steals and blocks). For the Raptors to author a sequel to 2019, Barnes needs to be an automatic 20-point scorer while doing enough to cement his reputation as an All-Defensive mainstay.

Part of the sophomore experience

“For all of our guys, they come off the bench and are ready to go… they have something to prove and do well for the team, and they’re very much ready to do that.” – Rajakovic on the team’s depth

We’ve seen the Photoshop gems on X and the addictive edits on TikTok. Along with Leonard and Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles is often viewed as an integral part of the three-headed defensive monster. While it’s a compliment to be typecast as the “Dennis Rodman” of the group, Toronto can renovate its ceiling to impressive heights should Murray-Boyles grow as an offensive weapon.

Unfortunately, Murray-Boyles couldn’t get into a rhythm, particularly due to foul trouble. The defensive demon picked up two fouls in his first three minutes of action. He also committed three turnovers during this stretch. Early in the fourth quarter, Murray-Boyles picked up his fifth foul. At this point, he had seven points, two rebounds and three turnovers.

Thankfully, the Magic didn’t pose a permanent threat and Jackson-Davis was solid as a fill-in at the centre position.

Offensively, Murray-Boyles’ highlight of the night came in the form of a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Moments later, he attempted a second triple from nearly the same spot. The ball touched every part of the rim before bouncing out. During Raptors Media Day, Rajakovic expressed his preference for players to be more willing to take shots. Murray-Boyles finished 2-for-3 from the perimeter. It was the first time Murray-Boyles had attempted more than two three-pointers since Dec. 31 in 2025.