Category: Basketball

The San Antonio Spurs were shooting just 31.2% from the three-point line before their game against the Sacramento Kings. That percentage will increase after the Spurs shot 17-for-37 from three in a dominant 130-103 win over the Kings.

The Spurs were led by their sharpshooting wing, Julian Champagnie, who had 26 points, hitting 8 of his 13 threes.

Champagnie hit all eight of his threes in the first half. The Kings continued to leave him wide open even after he hit a few easy shots. This play happened because the Kings’ zone defense broke down after Stephon Castle was able to occupy the middle of the court. Champagnie was wide open for a weak-side three-pointer.

Once Champagnie got going, he started to hit some high-difficulty shots. This one was particularly impressive, as he faded into the corner and hit the shot over Domantas Sabonis.

Champagnie’s shooting has been prolific with the Spurs. He tied his own franchise record for most three-pointers made in a half.

The Spurs also got quite a few good looks at the rim. Victor Wembanyama had 29 points on 14-of-21 shooting from the field. Most of those makes were dunks, and a lot of those slams came off lobs. The Spurs went to Wembanyama in the pick-and-roll early and often to get him easy dunks.

It was fairly obvious from the start of the game that the Kings were not defensively up to the task. They just lose the 7-foot-5 guy here as two defenders chase Castle on the drive, leading to an easy dunk for Wembanyama.

Wembanyama didn’t just do it on lobs. He had several drives to the rim that led to dunks, like this pump fake and Statue of Liberty slam in the first quarter.

Wembanyama was active on the glass, grabbing ten rebounds, three of them offensive. This buzzer-beating tip-in gave the Spurs 80 first-half points.

Devin Vassell got in on the scoring fun, too. He had 14 points and hit four of his seven three-pointers. His shots came within the flow of the offense, like this kick-ahead three-pointer in transition.

The Kings were constantly sending two defenders at the ball, leaving players wide-open all over the floor. It’s probably why the Spurs were able to shoot 54% from the field in the win.

Perhaps the most impressive highlight of the night came from the “unc” himself, Harrison Barnes, who put Alex Karaban on a poster.

The Spurs will have another chance to scorch the nets and send home vicious dunks on Wednesday against the Utah Jazz.

The Milwaukee Bucks will look to put together their first win streak of the year as they host the Houston Rockets tonight. The Bucks notched their first win of the Taylor Jenkins era on Monday against bitter rivals, the Indiana Pacers, 110-102, and beyond that win, the Bucks continued to show promising signs of growth. Tyler Herro continues to look comfortable as the lead guard, while Kel’el Ware has settled more into his role. The Bucks will aim to keep growing and finding ways to compete as the red-hot Houston Rockets come to town.

The Task Ahead

The Houston Rockets haven’t lost yet this season; they are 4-0 and playing like they took all the off-season criticism personally after getting blown out in the playoffs. Kevin Durant leads the team in scoring at 23.5 PPG on 47% shooting from deep, while Alperen Sengun leads the team in rebounds (8.9) and assists (6.2), though the Rockets are expected to rest Sengun with back soreness. With Steven Adams also still sidelined, the Rockets will likely start Clint Capela at the five.

The Rockets will lean on their defence to make up for Sengun’s absence, turning primarily to Amen Thompson, who averages 1.5 steals per contest. Despite being a top-10 team in points allowed per 100 possessions so far (108.8, 9th on Cleaning the Glass), the Rockets are an okay team at best when defending at the rim, in the mid-range, and most 3s taken (except in the corner, where they defend fairly well). Therefore, the Bucks will need to push the pace and beat the Rockets at their own game: getting rebounds and scoring second-chance points. If the Bucks can impose their will in the paint without Sengun or Adams, they have a chance to stay in the game and steal it at the end.

Injury Report

Bucks:

• Clean injury report.

Rockets:

• Alperen Sengun: out (back)
• Steven Adams: out (calf)
• Marcus Smart: questionable (forearm)

Player to Watch

After extending with the Rockets over the summer, Tari Eason has gotten off to a fast start this season. Eason is currently at over 60% in true shooting, and while the sample size is small, it suggests he’s getting in the right spots and taking high-quality shots. The five-year pro has also been one of Houston’s best paint defenders this season, so expect him to get serious minutes trying to contain the Bucks’ front court (especially with Sengun and Adams sidelined). This will be a good test for Kel’el Ware, in particular, to see if he can continue building on the positive progress of the last two games.

Projected Starters

Game Details

Who: Milwaukee Bucks (1-3) vs. Houston (4-0).

When: 7:00 p.m. CDT.

Where: Fiserv Forum—Milwaukee, WI.

Watch: MY24.

Listen: Check local listings.

Prescient Prediction

Nate Ament has been ramping up, showing real tenacity against the Pacers. Look for Ament to post his first double-digit scoring line of the season, with 12 points off the bench.

One Possession: Jayson Tatum is giving the game what it needs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Most will focus on the game-winning mid-range jumper that Jayson Tatum delivered at the final buzzer of Boston’s gritty-but-not-always-pretty 125-124 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night at TD Garden.

But we think it was what he did over the previous 42 minutes, 19 seconds of floor time that might have been even more noteworthy.

With the Celtics operating on the second night of a back-to-back for the first time this season, it was fair to wonder just how much Tatum, still working his way back to full health after the Achilles surgery 18 months ago, might play. But instead of treading cautiously, Tatum logged six more minutes than any other Boston player (and that was 36-year-old Paul George racking up an impressive 36 minutes of his own).

Tatum piled up a team-high 88 touches and delivered 56 total passes but didn’t commit a single turnover in his floor time for a Boston team that has struggled with ball security through the early portion of the season. Tatum handed out eight assists leading to a game-high 17 assist points, meaning his fingerprints were on 45.6 percent of Boston’s 125-point output.

And, if we’re being honest, the dime he threw Derrick White for an and-1 dunk in the final moments of the fourth quarter *probably* should have been enough to salt away the win. The Celtics did everything they could to allow the Nets to generate overtime and nearly steal the victory, but Tatum’s late-game heroics ensured Boston emerged with the win.

Through four games, Tatum is tied for fifth in the NBA in assist points created (83). Only Trae Young (101), Tyrese Haliburton (90), Jalen Johnson (88), and Luka Doncic (85) have created more scoring for teammates.

What’s more, Tatum ranks ninth in potential assists (56) and is tied for fifth in total assists with Cade Cunningham (32 apiece).

Typically, all the attention Tatum draws leads to multiple 3-point makes from wide open teammates on the perimeter. On Tuesday night, seven of Tatum’s eight assists led to 2-point baskets and showcased his vision.

Yes, Nets rookie Mikel Brown lost White on the key sequence late in the fourth quarter, but Tatum delivered the ball through traffic to a spot leading White to the rim, which was key in allowing him to finish before Noah Clowney fouled White on the play.

Tatum is simply giving the game what it needs. After limited free throw attempts through Boston’s first three games, Tatum generated an NBA-best 22 free-throw attempts on Tuesday night (connecting on 18 of them).

But the attention that opponents commit to him is going to repeatedly create opportunities for teammates. It’s on Boston players to knock down shots when Tatum generates those open shots for them.

And that big fist pump that Tatum delivered after assisting on White’s fourth-quarter layup shows his own appreciation for making the right play. The Celtics need Tatum to continue to give the game what it needs.

The Hawks are 2-2. It’s a slightly disappointing turn of events after dismantling the Charlotte Hornets to a franchise-best game margin two games in.

The hope is that the Houston Rockets turn out to be a great team this season to make the recent sweep at their hands look less dispiriting in time.

But there are still 78 games left to go even if not. It’s way too early to press the alarm button.

It’s also difficult draw any real conclusions for this Hawks team, but I’ll try anyway from a statistical point of view. Let’s touch on a few points of emphasis I noticed four games in.

Pace and three-point rate check-in

What kind of team are the Atlanta Hawks, really?

Well, some things are hard to tease out with such a small sample size of the season. However, pace and three-point rate are two things that stabilize quite early on from year-to-year.

The Hawks pace over the past two seasons has been juiced by their high turnover rates on defense, giving them plenty opportunities to score in transition. As of the end of play Tuesday, their defensive turnover rate (TOV%) is 17.9, good for second in the association. Or in other words, out of every 100 defensive possessions, they are forcing around 18 turnovers.

This has led them to being a top 10 team in pace (102.5 possessions per 48 minutes) so far this season — wholly unsurprising considering their quick-paced teams of late.

A lot of this is driven by the Great Barrier Thief, Dyson Daniels, who has 14 steals (!) in four games which leads the NBA. He’s also leading the NBA in total deflections (26) and deflections per game (6.5). Those opportunities quite often lead to Alexander-Walker flaring to the wing for open threes or Jalen Johnson run out dunks.

As for the three-point rate, the Hawks are putting up 44.6% of their field goal attempts from behind the arc, slightly up from last season’s 42.9% rate. Both marks had them 11th in the NBA respectively.

The offense is built to move the ball and seek high value shots like catch-and-shoot threes — but oddly those attempts aren’t coming from the corner to this point. The Hawks have the 27th corner three-point rate with 18.3% of threes from that location — the most efficient three-point area due to its slightly shorter distance.

That might help explain their poor shooting so far this season, hitting just 33.1% long range of total attempts, down from their top five finish in 2025-26 (37.1%).

But in reality, this is likely noise and a touch of bad luck. Three-point shooting is one of the last major metrics to statistically stabilize, so there’s no reason to worry yet (including with respect to the center pairing discussed below).

Dyson Daniels, still indispensable — on both ends of the floor

We know Quin Snyder likes to spread the ball handling duties on offense in the post-Trae Young pivot they made over roughly the past calendar year.

A big key to this is getting the other guards to screen and cut off the ball. It helps to have good perimeter size and physicality at all the backcourt spots when possible, and one guy above all accentuates this aim.

Dyson Daniels is an all-world defender, and his tape over the past four games looks just as good as it did during his runner-up finish in the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year campaign.

But let’s talk about the other side of the floor for a bit.

Daniels is often a lightning rod for discussion, largely over his inability to stretch the floor despite (ostensibly) being a guard. But he’s among the best guards in the entire NBA at screening and cutting, often getting the ball around the free throw line giving him the option to shoot his patented floater or kick to corner shooters.

I call him a false center on offense because his role resembles that of your standard pick-and-roll big man, just in a 6’7” package. The threat of a pass out of the short roll is usually all he needs to get his flip floater shot over defenders.

Also, he’s dished out 14 assists this season against just three turnovers — efficient but notably playing less on the ball with Aaron Wiggins and Kingston Flemings joining the fold.

In this manner, he’s incredibly valuable to threatening the rim and giving a bit more space to shooters like a traditional above-the-rim center would be. Just like last season, the offense is better with him on the floor than off (albeit a drop from around seven to two points per 100 possessions from last season to this one).

So while it sure would be nice for him to hit more than one three in four games, the offense is far from reliant on it.

The shooting centers need to keep shooting

Related to Dyson Daniels’ shooting woes, with the Hawks running the inverted offense where Daniels is screening and cutting, it’s important to get floor spacing from the other positions.

The two centers (Onyeka Okongwu and Jock Landale) spacing the floor is rather key to allow these actions to flourish.

However, through four games, Okongwu and Landale are a combined 4-for-28 (14%) from three — including a 1-for-15 (8%) mark across the two-game Rockets sweep.

I don’t have a lot to add for this one other than the shooters need to keep shooting. It’s as simple as that. Turning down open threes will just junk of the Hawks offense even more.

Okongwu and Landale are fairly limited in other areas, including defensive rebounding (see below), so their value as a stretch center is paramount to let Daniels play his funky offensive game.

Shots will fall. Okongwu shot 38% from three last year, including hitting the most threes by a Hawks center in franchise history. Landale shot 38% from there last season as well.

There’s no reason to change boats midstream.

The Hawks might have a defensive rebounding problem

There was a possession in the Saturday home game against the Rockets when the Hawks had three chances to secure a defensive rebound. They failed all three times, giving Houston points on their fourth shot of the possession.

I mean, they let 6’2” Reed Sheppard outwork them. Not a good scene.

Through four games, the Hawks are securing 68.3% of available defensive rebounds — a mark good for just 27th in the NBA.

Some of it was going against an elite rebounding team twice in the Rockets. But they’ve also had to downsize a bit in the wake of the Mouhamed Gueye injury. 6’4” Luguentz Dort has been a primary backup at power forward when Jalen Johnson sits.

Dort is a very solid rebounder for his size, but that’s a huge caveat. Okongwu gets heat for his size as well as a starting center, but again he’s a solid rebounder regardless of size — although not elite.

Okongwu had a healthy 20.3% defensive rebound rate last season (8.7 defensive rebounds per 100 possessions). The team has been slightly better at pulling down defensive rebounds when Okongwu was on the floor the last two seasons. In that aspect, he pairs well with elite defensive rebounder Jalen Johnson.

This is something of a worrying trend for the early reversal of fortunes this season, unlike poor three-point shooting that will certainly come around in time.

The team needs a bit of time to incorporate Dort and reincorporate Landale into their collective glass crashing pursuit. The effort can be a bit better after some film review. But it’s possible that there’s a personnel issue at play.

If this continues, there may be a growing fan push for a center upgrade towards the trade deadline.

CLEVELAND — It takes a certain level of confidence to proudly proclaim to a room full of Cleveland media members that you’ll unashamedly be rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. Then again, nothing about what Meleek Thomas does on and off the court lacks confidence.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a frustrating start to their season. They’ve simultaneously shown how dangerous they can be by building large leads against the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets, but have also demonstrated they’re far from a finished product by losing one of those games and nearly blowing the other.

The Cavs found themselves on the back foot on Monday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves — arguably the hottest team in basketball. The Timberwolves were the aggressors in the first few minutes, and the Cavs couldn’t make enough shots to stem the tide.

Instead of turning to a more veteran presence in Craig Porter Jr., head coach Kenny Atkinson went with Thomas midway through the opening frame for his first NBA minutes. The Pittsburgh native didn’t know that he was getting into the rotation beforehand, but he was prepared for the moment. And it was exactly what the Cavs needed.

“We didn’t have energy, we’re flat, we’re playing the wrong way, we weren’t doing the right things. For him to be the spark in his first game of the year is not normal,” Donovan Mitchell said. “That speaks to his confidence, his concentration, attention to detail.”

Thomas looked like an established veteran in his career debut. He didn’t hesitate when the ball swung to him on the perimeter. If there was an opening, he was going to take it without hesitation. He was decisive in his cuts to the basket both on and off the ball. This allowed him to put up 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, which included knocking down two big threes in the third quarter to help the Cavs retake the lead.

“He was a big part of why we ended up getting this win,” Mitchell said.

Both Thomas and Atkinson have talked about him needing to focus on the defensive end in the lead-up to the season. Whether or not he would get rotation minutes relied on that.

This has caused Thomas to focus his energy on and off the court on getting better defensively any way that he can — even if that means reaching out to an established veteran like Mitchell.

“He texts me all the time saying, ‘All right, what about this clip?’” Mitchell said. “He says, ‘Why’d you rotate here? Why did I do this? Should I do this?’ This morning, he was working on shows. Like, what rookies are working on shows?”

This desire to improve has led to Mitchell taking Thomas under his wing.

“I think Donovan has taken a special liking to Meleek,” Atkinson said before the season. “He almost feels like, ‘I have to build that relationship, build that trust,’ and then coach them up.

“Player development coaches get way too much credit. It’s having really good, smart vets that elevate guys. We do our little part, and I think we try to put them in the right places. It’s really the coaching from your best players that elevates younger players.”

There are some parallels between Mitchell and Thomas’s games — particularly early in Mitchell’s career. Both are score-first two guards, who weren’t expected to make a huge impact on their teams as rookies. Mitchell wasn’t a fixture in the starting lineup at the start of his career with the Utah Jazz, but proved early on that he was destined to be a star.

We don’t know what the future holds for Thomas. What we can say now is that Mitchell seems invested in Thomas’s growth. And that means something to the rookie.

“For them to take me under their wing and give me all of the game and just constantly help me, constantly stay in my ear, it just goes to show that they see the potential that I see in myself,” Thomas said. “It means the world to me.”

From the outside, a rookie second-round pick coming in and making an immediate impact in their career debut would’ve been surprising. Yet, no one on the Cavs was, especially not Thomas. He carries himself like someone who’s been there before and expects to be a mainstay on this stage.

“Confidence really don’t come from nobody else,” Thomas said. “It’s either you got it, or you don’t. You got heart, you got dog in you, or you don’t. And I got everything that I need. It’s just a matter of time before it’s shown.”

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Celtics were 38-15 under head coach Joe Mazzulla. And thanks to Jayson Tatum’s game winner in overtime to beat the Nets 125-124, that’s now 39 wins. Mazzulla would later say after the game that when the team hits the film room tomorrow, they’ll treat it as a loss after another turnover-plagued game with multiple mental mistakes. But hey, you can’t win-lose them all.

Why the Celtics won

Not unlike Monday night’s Bulls, the 0-3 Nets are also a rebuilding team trying to define themselves. After selecting four first round draft picks in 2025 and another this summer, nearly half of their roster are rookies and sophomores.

Brooklyn does however have two capable scorers in Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. Before the game, Joe Mazzulla spoke with NBC Sports Boston’s Drew Carter about Brooklyn’s vets. “Their off-ball movement is huge,” Mazzulla said. “Porter is one of the best reading body position, whether it’s back cuts, whether it’s creating separation coming off screens and dribble handoffs. We’ve had our difficulties guarding him over the last couple of years. Obviously, Randle’s ability to get to the free throw line.”

Mazzulla’s scouting report couldn’t have been more prophetic, particularly concerning MPJ. The former champion was 4-for-7 from behind the arc, curling off down screens and coming off of dribble hand offs. It didn’t matter who was guarding him. He finished with a team-high 27 points hitting half of his dozen triples.

Fortunately for the Celtics, they got hot from three, too. After making just 2-of-16 and falling behind by five points in the first half, they caught fire in the third quarter. Five consecutive makes from Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, and Tatum gave Boston the lead heading into the final frame.

In the end, they shot well under their league-leading efficiency from 3 (42.4%) by making just eleven of their 41 attempts, but when they needed it most, they dialed up their calling card to put them over the top.

Numbers game: 22

That’s how many free throw attempts Jayson Tatum had in the overtime win. That’s the highest total of trips (22) and makes (18) of his career.

Love them or hate them, FTs are the mark of the NBA elite because on a night where he was mortal from the field (10-of-20 and 2-of-7 from 3), those points from the charity stripe padded a 40-ball. He also had eight assists and zero turnovers with maybe his biggest dime below.

Must C’s

In a win like last night’s, let’s allow for two plays of the game courtesy of Jayson Tatum.

In what should have ultimately been the game winner, Tatum hit Derrick White on a back cut for an and-1 dunk.

That should have sealed the game in regulation, but some missed free throws — including one from Tatum and two from Mitchell Robinson — pushed the game to OT.

That just set the stage for this:

Tatum to White. White to Tatum.

After playing 42 minutes — the most he’s played in the regular season since returning from his Achilles tear — Tatum put the cherry on top of another near triple-double. If his PR team is trying to make an MVP case, this was Exhibit 1.

Who said what

“Throughout the game, I thought he was playing the right way. I thought he trusted both ends of the floor. He was patient. He was getting downhill. Some of the shots he missed, I thought they were great shots. Defensively, he was active getting rebounds.

I thought he gave the game exactly what it needed and stayed present in the moment and you got to see his greatness.” — Joe Mazzulla on Jayson Tatum

After raising their record to 3-1, the Celtics are now in a four-way tie atop the Eastern Conference with the Pistons, Hornets, and 76ers. They’ll next host the Bulls again on Friday in the first contest of the NBA Cup before heading out on the road for another back-to-back in Orlando and Houston starting on Sunday.

After Houston’s win over the Atlanta Hawks, we finally got a long-awaited update on Steven Adams’s availability. In the post-game press conference, Ime Udoka said: “Marcus is day-to-day, game-to-game. We’re hoping to have him back, possibly next game. Steven will be out for at least a week or two.“

This means that Adams would return sometime between the Celtics game on November 2 and the Nuggets game on November 9.

This raises an interesting question: Can the Rockets trust Steven Adams to be a reliable piece of the rotation? This is the third season he’s missed time with injury, but for more, check out James’s piece here.

If you want my opinion on the matter, I feel that it is complicated. Houston should not be relying so heavily on a 33-year-old Steven Adams in the first place, and it was Rafael Stone’s job to acquire another backup center during last year’s trade deadline or offseason if he can’t trust Clint Capela to play a similar role. But then again, the NBA is not NBA 2 K; you can’t just throw a trade together, snap your fingers, and have it work. There are logistics to the matter that are unfathomable to the average fan from a contract perspective.

Additonally, I love Steven Adams and have enjoyed having him on the team, but my desires don’t exactly matter when the purpose of the NBA is to win a title, which is likely a good thing because a team of “guys Holly likes” would likely consist of players such as Adams, Gerald Green, and Victor Oladipo.

To try and conclude my jumble of emotions and thoughts, my opinion on the Adams injury is that it is unfortunate for both the team and for Adams himself, as being injured SUCKS!

Houston will be back in action next versus the Milwaukee Bucks, but in the meantime, let me know what you think about the Adams injury, and as always, be sure to check back at The Dream Shake for all things Rockets news.

On Monday night, the Dallas Mavericks played the Miami Heat, and recorded a 113-109 victory over the winless Heat.

Cooper Flagg showed signs of growth in this game. He racked up a tremendous stat line, with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks.

For a guy who is now reportedly 6-10 1/2, Flagg, who is still 19, moves with incredible guard-like skills. He’s disruptive defensively, and he can dominate on that end, as he showed against Miami.

He’s also able to dominate on the offensive end, and for a guy who’s pushing 6-11, his agility is pretty amazing. In some ways, he reminds us of Toni Kukoc, who rose to greatness with the Jordan-era Bulls, but he’s got a meaner streak than Kukoc had.

Anyway, check out these highlights from Monday night’s game, and remember where he was at Duke. He was a real force with the Blue Devils, but Flagg has gone way beyond what he was then.

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Warriors reportedly willing to be patient with Kristaps Porziņģis trade market originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors are open for business, but they won’t rush into trading Kristaps Porziņģis.

While the veteran center remains away from the team indefinitely with an illness, ESPN reported last week that Golden State has started exploring trade routes for the 7-foot-2 big man.

And while the Warriors likely are open to most moves that allow them to shed Porziņģis’ $20 million salary for the 2026-27 NBA season, they are willing to remain patient and let the market materialize, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported in a story published Wednesday, citing league sources.

“Right now, the Warriors are showing a willingness to remain patient with the Porziņģis contract and let the market materialize, league sources said. If Porziņģis proves willing to give back a large chunk of money in a buyout, his expiring $20 million deal could become even more financially appealing for an eventual trade partner attempting to gain some financial benefit.”

Porziņģis, if healthy, would have been the Warriors’ starting center this season. Without him, Golden State has relied heavily on Draymond Green, Al Horford, Graham Ike and Charles Bassey at the 5.

The former No. 4 overall pick also has averaged 19.5 points per game over his 10-year NBA career, and would have been a large piece of Golden State’s offense alongside superstar Steph Curry.

Now it appears the Warriors are hoping to flip Porziņģis in a deal that could land them a player that can help fill the void at the position.

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There are games where Steph Curry drops 50 and the building shakes, and then there are games like Monday night in Denver, where he barely shot in the first half and still walked out of Ball Arena with the cleanest stat line of his career.

Curry made all eight of his field-goal attempts, went a perfect 3-of-3 from deep, and knocked down all five of his free throws. That’s 24 points with zero misses and zero hope for the Nuggets. And the 134-114 win in Denver was Golden State’s first of the season, which means the first W of 2026-27 came with a bow on it. Did you know that the Warriors are officially undefeated in franchise history when Steph doesn’t miss a shot from the field?

If you tuned in early and saw Curry’s box score at the break, you’d have assumed something was wrong with his back. He took exactly one shot in 14 first-half minutes. The man has lapped the entire history of the sport in three-pointers and he spent the first two quarters with his shooting hand holstered.

He wasn’t hiding, though. He was setting the table, throwing a long outlet to Podziemski for an easy bucket after Podz beat everybody down the floor, and letting Denver get comfortable guarding everyone else. With Steph taking just one shot, the Warriors still went into halftime up 60-56.

Then the third quarter happened, and Curry went Unanimous MVP mode.

Curry scored 17 of his 24 in the third period, and most of that came in a burst over just 7:30 of game clock, the kind of stretch where you stop watching the ball and start watching the Denver bench just to see who’s going to be the first guy to put a towel over his head. And he did all of this in 26 minutes and change, which is the part that should make every Western Conference coach a little nervous heading into his 18th season.

For a guy who’s made more insane shots than basically anyone who’s ever picked up a basketball, perfect nights have been almost nonexistent. This game was only his second time accomplishing the feat. The first came back in 2011, when sophomore Steph went 5-of-5 (3-of-3 from three) for 14 points in a 102-89 win over the New Orleans Hornets. So Monday’s 24 is the most he’s ever scored without missing, which is a very different thing from his career high, and also a very funny thing to be able to say about the greatest shooter alive.

The New Orleans Hornets?! That’s how long ago it was, folks. Monta Ellis was still the guy in the backcourt and Steph was still the skinny kid people wondered about with the ankles. We’re talking witnessing two perfect shooting games in fifteen years that have led to two Warriors wins.

How long can that last? Through the season’s first three games, Curry is averaging 23.7 points on 52.6 percent from the field, and Monday was the loudest possible proof that the gas tank isn’t anywhere near empty.

But the thing worth remembering about this night in Denver is what happened before the perfect part kicked in. Steph Curry went 8-for-8, and somehow he still wasn’t the only reason the Warriors won. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg poured in a career-high 31 points with 12 rebounds, while Podziemski added 18, Gui Santos chipped in 13 and Al Horford had 11.

If Golden State can keep giving him that kind of help, maaaaybe the 38-year-old won’t have to be perfect every night.

Yaxelmania is beginning Dub Nation. The rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is fresh off of winning a national championship at Michigan, taking Summer League MVP in Vegas, and stealing the show in Denver on a night he shared the court with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Stephen Curry.

His 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists helped the Golden State Warriors get their first win of the season after dropping their first three games. It also got him a primetime audience with legends turned commentators Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, and Vince Carter in the postgame TV show. What struck me the most about his interview was the way he openly beamed with gratitude on the chance to speak with those greats, asking for advice live on national television.

That’s what balling will do: get you noticed by Hall-of-Famers. The superlatives are rolling in: he’s got a nice jump shot, the physicality to get to where he wants to go, a smooth handle with passing feel, and an indomitable will. Just ask Luka Doncic. Speaking of Hall-of-Famers, Yax has been receiving great praise from his legendary teammates, starting with Stephen Curry:

“His composure. I mean, he just came off of an NCAA championship run,” Curry noted. “He’s just got composure, feel. His size on the court; he’s a matchup problem. He’s never really in a hurry and he’s starting to see the pictures really well. Distributing, being aggressive, getting to the free-throw line, offensive rebounding. Kind of the full package. So, we want him to continue to play aggressive.” 

His Coach Steve Kerr pontificated on Big Yax’s play as well:

“He’s strong as an ox and skilled,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “The way the game’s played, he’s going to be able to get to the line a ton. You saw it tonight. Basically in all the critical moments of the game, we just put the ball in his hands. And for a rookie to be that advanced already, it’s extremely rare.”

Then you open the stat sheet, and Yaxelmania starts evolving from a fan base on a desperate sugar high into legitimate data. Through four games, Yax is averaging 21.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists, and according to Real App he’s the first player since 1960 to post those numbers through his first four career games. He’s doing it on 45/35/77 shooting, and he’s leading all rookies in scoring in a draft class that was supposed to belong to Boozer, Dybantsa and Peterson.

The company he’s keeping is getting ridiculous. Per OptaSTATS, his 87 points and 37 rebounds make him one of four players since 1985-86 with at least 85 points and 35 rebounds through his first four games. The other three are Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and Shaquille O’Neal, so a No. 11 pick who came up through junior college is now sharing a list with three Hall of Fame centers and Shaq’s size-22 sneakers. In franchise history, the only Warriors rookie who scored more in his first four games was Wilt Chamberlain in 1959. If your only competition is a guy who averaged 37.6 as a rookie, you can sleep just fine.

Denver is where the history books really started paying attention. Per Stathead, his 31, 12 and 6 in about 31 minutes made him only the second rookie ever to post 30, 12 and 6 in 31 minutes or less, and the other one is Victor Wembanyama. He’s the first Warriors rookie since Rick Barry in 1966 with 30 points and 12 rebounds in a game, and the first since Steph Curry in February 2010 with 30, 10 and 5 in a road win. Take the rookie label off and it’s still rare air. According to AP’s Josh Dubow, Yax is only the fifth Warriors player in the last 50 seasons with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in a game, joining Kevin Durant, Jason Richardson, Ralph Sampson and Joe Barry Carroll.

And let’s not forget the action at the free throw line. Rookies usually have to wait a couple of years before the refs give them that whistle, but Yax has already taken 31 free throws through four games, seventh-most in the league, and he went 12-of-13 in Denver. “Strong as an ox” is a cute quote until you’re the guy trying to keep him out of the paint in the fourth quarter.

Four games is a sample you could fit on an index card so trust me, I know it doesn’t mean he’s the next LeBron James. But every list he’s landing on is full of names that ended up in Springfield, and the Warriors only have so many Steph years left to find out whether he’s headed there too. Also Bill Simmons said he was looking like the next LeBron James against Denver.

NO, seriously!

Yaxel Power is on the rise.

LOS ANGELES — The highs of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 3-0 start — Luka Dončić‘s high-scoring nights, Walker Kessler’s historic statistics, Austin Reaves’ incredible selflessness — mostly delayed what became their inevitable undoing in Tuesday’s 136-129 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Defense.

The Blazers have personnel that can match Los Angeles’ scoring output on any night. The first time an opponent required the Lakers’ defense to win them a game, trouble arose.

The Lakers kept pace with the Blazers through the first three quarters, until a 3-point barrage, spearheaded by Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija in the final quarter, lifted Portland overtop. Avdija and Ja Morant finished with 23 points apiece, Jrue Holiday added 22 off the bench and Lillard ended the night with 21.

“We just got broken down a lot,” head coach JJ Redick said postgame. “I thought the game plan discipline, [Know Your Personnel], personnel discipline, wasn’t where it needs to be. Sometimes, early in the season, these are good learning lessons that we can all apply, both as coaches and as players.”

The four Portland ball handlers scored in varying ways all night: Avdija at all three levels, Morant slicing through the defense and finishing in the paint, Holiday as the off-ball savant he is and Lillard in high pick-and-roll actions either burying a moving three or drawing a foul on the shot.

Adding to the Lakers’ woes,guys like Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan shot 6-for-7 combined from beyond the arc.

“It was also an incredible shot-making game,” Redick added. “You have to also factor that in. … We have to be able to rely on our defense every night. And if we score 129 points at home, we should be able to get enough stops to win.”

Kessler, the Lakers’ defensive anchor, was not able to affect the game as he had in the previous three, mostly because much of Portland’s actions came at the perimeter. Even then, he admitted that he still needs to be held accountable as the “linebacker” of the Lakers’ defense.

“Personally, I’ve got to do a better job at pursuing the ball,” he said. “Being more aggressive to attack the ball. We kind of got it back a little bit in the second half … I’ve got to start that way, being more aggressive. But we’ll figure it out.”

This team’s detractors knew a night like this would come. They talked about it all offseason. The Lakers would have to outscore their opponents every night. For a few moments through the first three games, Los Angeles was able to put up at least a quarter of competent, momentum-shifting defense.

But on a night where the opposing team was able to keep pace with Dončić’s 41 points and nine assists, Reaves’ uber-efficient 26 points and Sandro Mamukelashvili’s 16 off the bench, the defense just wasn’t there.

Early in the season, it’s still seen as a problem that can be solved. But the Lakers saw firsthand what will happen in the most important games if a solution isn’t found.

You can follow Connor on Twitter at @cmorenoNBA.

And just like that, the Lakers’ attempt to go 82-0 flies out the window.

It was always going to be tough for LA to go undefeated this season, particularly with a defense as porous as the one they showed on Tuesday. In a game where they shot 56.3% from the field and 39.5% from three, the Lakers allowed Portland to hit 59% of its shots and half of their 36 threes.

Not ideal!

But, at the same time, not a surprise. Jokes aside, a loss was going to come and likely soon. The Lakers can learn from this. It’s still just the fourth game for a mostly new roster. They still have plenty to figure out.

So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

Matisse Thybulle

21 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 fouls, 3 turnovers, 2-5 FG, 1-4 3PT, -12

A pretty ho-hum game from Thybulle. For those wanting to argue taking him out of the starting lineup, a performance like that helps their case.

A common theme in these is to not overreact to one game. But Thybulle has to bounce back.

Grade: D

Ziaire Williams

28 minutes, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 fouls, 1 turnover, 4-5 FG, 2-3 3PT, 1-2 FT, -3

On the flip side, this was a really good Williams game. He was active on both ends and had a couple of nifty moves on fastbreaks to set up teammates for easier finishes.

Grade: B+

Walker Kessler

32 minutes, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 4 fouls, 4 turnovers, 6-9 FG, 1-4 FT, +3

It was a pretty underwhelming first half followed by a decent second half. There’s going to be a greater emphasis placed on his production with Kevon Looney struggling so much, which isn’t entirely fair to him.

But he also just has to be better.

Grade: C-

Austin Reaves

39 minutes, 26 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 fouls, 8-13 FG, 4-8 3PT, 6-7 FT, +0

Another consistent, strong game from Reaves, who has made a habit of that so far. It goes a bit under the radar because of Luka’s recent explosions, but Austin is now averaging 26.5 points per game on 63.3% shooting.

The defense wasn’t great, though, which will knock him a bit.

Grade: A-

Luka Dončić

36 minutes, 41 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 block, 3 fouls, 2 turnovers, 12-22 FG, 6-15 3PT, 11-13 FT, +7

Another fantastic Luka game that wasn’t enough. His shotmaking remains unmatched in the league. The Blazers resorted to faceguarding him down the stretch the moment he crossed half court and it still didn’t matter.

Grade: A+

Quentin Grimes

18 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 fouls, 1 turnover, 1-4 FG, 0-3 3PT, -10

If there was a night for him to have a strong game, this would have been the one. With Thybulle struggling, a big Grimes showing would have increased the noise for him to start.

Instead, he struggled and was turning down open shots at the end of the game. Finding the best role for him off the bench will be one of the challenges in the coming weeks.

Grade: D

Sandro Mamukelashvili

24 minutes, 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 6-9 FG, 3-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, +6

This was easily the best Mamu game of the season. He hit a pair of big threes at the end of the second and then was at the center of a big run in the second half. He justly closed the game in this one.

Grade: A-

Jake LaRavia

19 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 steals, 4 fouls, 2-2 FG, 1-1 3PT, -10

As good as his season started, this was an outlier. Truly, this was a woeful game.

His four fouls were all of the frustrating variety. One was on a Deni Avdija drive to give him two free throws, one was 94 feet from the basket with the player falling out of bounds and with the Blazers in the bonus and the last two were on 3-pointers.

Ten free throws on four fouls. Efficiency, but in the worst possible way.

Grade: F

Collin Sexton

13 minutes, 9 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 2 fouls, 3 turnovers, 4-11 FG, 0-5 3PT, 1-2 FT, -8

A weird stat line that doesn’t really tell the whole story. A pair of backdoor cuts where Luka found him for layups saved his stat line from looking much worse.

I’m not going to be too harsh on Sexton yet because he didn’t have a preseason that everyone else had.

Grade: C

Kevon Looney

Unplayable. Next.

JJ Redick

I originally wanted to give him credit for going to Mamu to close the game, but as I wrote out these grades, I realized everyone else on the bench had pretty rough nights.

He at least won his first challenge in this one, even if it was very obvious. But there wasn’t much else to break down. He only played Looney five minutes, but maybe it’s time to at least try something else.

Grade: B

Tuesday’s DNPs: Jaden Hardy, Bronny James, Arthur Kaluma, Jarred Vanderbilt

Tuesday’s inactives: Cameron Carr, Adou Thiero, AK Okereke, Chris Mañon

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

After taking their lumps early, the San Antonio Spurs have responded with two blowout victories over sub-.500 teams. San Antonio will look to make it three in a row as the Spurs travel to Salt Lake City to face the struggling Utah Jazz in the second game of a back-to-back.

San Antonio has seemingly gotten its groove back, especially on defense, where they’ve increased their ball pressure and forced more turnovers. That’s allowed them to get out in transition and score easy fast-break buckets. They’ll face a Jazz team that has turned the ball over nearly 17 times per game in their first four contests.

The Jazz will be without key players like Jaren Jackson Jr., who was recently diagnosed with an MCL tear and is expected to miss several months. Utah’s front court is thinning fast, as Lauri Markkanen and Jaxson Hayes are questionable. The Spurs could be facing a Kyle Filipowski and Mo Bamba front line on Wednesday night. Utah will make up for that with some stellar guard play from Keyonte George and Darryn Peterson.

A win over the Jazz would put San Antonio above .500 for the first time this season. Another dominant victory, on the road, would be a signal that the Spurs have shaken off some early-season rust.

San Antonio Spurs (2-2) vs. Utah Jazz(1-3)

October 28th, 2026 | 8 PM CT

Watch: DAZN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: Reported by 1 p.m. CT

Jazz Injuries: Trey Alexander – Out (G League), Kobe Bufkin – Out (G League), Jaxson Hayes – Questionable (shoulder), Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), Jaren Jackson Jr. – Out (knee), Lauri Markkanen – Questionable (wrist), Jusuf Nurkic – Out (foot)

What to watch for:

Wembanyama to the rim

Victor Wembanyama had 29 points on 14-for-21 shooting in San Antonio’s 130-103 win over the Sacramento Kings. He did most of his damage as a roll man or by driving to the basket. Wembanyama is shooting just 25% from three this season. He’s been at his best when he gets to the rim and finishes over defenders. The Spurs have been doing a better job of finding him in the pick-and-roll, or getting him the ball on pick-and-pops inside the arc for easy mid-range looks. The Jazz are banged up on the interior, which means Wembanyama should thrive if he can continue to get to the rim.

Perimeter defense

One area where the Spurs have struggled at times is defending the perimeter. Teams have been able to get easy looks around the rim, particularly when Wembanyama isn’t in the game. They’ve also been prone to giving up open looks from deep. The perimeter defense is at its best when it is applying pressure at the point of attack. De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper have done well creating turnovers and scoring on runouts. If San Antonio can apply that pressure consistently, they’ll be able to slow down Utah’s guards.

Pace of play

The Spurs offense has been at its best when it’s playing fast. Whether it be running off a turnover or a missed shot, the offense has worked more efficiently when they can get the ball up quickly. Utah has been one of the slower teams in the NBA to start the season (19th in pace). San Antonio must control the pace and speed up the Jazz to win on the road.