SAN ANTONIO, TX - OCTOBER 31: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 31, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The San Antonio Spurs have not outgrown Halloween. Before the holiday, members of the Spurs of the team discussed the player most likely to go all out.
The team did not diasppoint.
Victor Wembanyama walked in as Geralt from The Witcher.
Historically, Wemby has embraced the holiday and stepped into the arena in costume.
Carter Bryant came in as Ace, Wood Harris’ character from Paid In Full.
Spurs draftee Tarris Reed, Jr. showed a more comedic side stepping in as the three-hole punch Jim dressed as from Season 5’s Halloween episode of The Office.
And of course De’Aaron Fox got the whole family involved in an homage to Toy Story. They were voted the best dressed on a poll that play-by-play announcer and color analyst Sean Elliott hosted during the DAZN airing.
To infinity, and beyond! Happy Halloween from Woody, Jessie, Buzz and Bo Peep🎃 pic.twitter.com/NVmwvOsnO0
In addition, Julian Champagnie dressed as Shrek and visited patients at Methodist Children’s Hospital on Friday. This NEWS4 article shares multiple photos from the visit:
During Saturday night’s Spurs Live pregame show, Julian Champagnie sat with Dan Weiss and discussed the visit. Knowing there were children that were missing Halloween due to health concerns, he took time to visit and offered a trick-or-treat experience in the hospital. He never ceases to amaze. His dedication to the community and his passion for children is evident throughout the season as he attends and hosts multiple events.
Of course, the most famous Spurs Halloween story has got to be 2009, when Manu Ginobili single-handedly took out a bat.
Spurs are back in action for a Dia De Los Muertos matchup against the Utah Jazz on Monday.
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BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 30: Paul George #13 of the Boston Celtics celebrates during the game against the Chicago Bulls during the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup on October 30, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
I’ve been a Celtics fan most of my life. For the first time, I had to be something a bit more than that.
On Friday, October 30th, I had the incredible honor of making my debut as a credentialed media member for CelticsBlog when the Celtics faced the Bulls in the NBA Cup.
Growing up in Massachusetts, I’ve been all about Boston sports since I was a kid.
Me at 13 for my first Celtics Game
My love for basketball and the Celtics intensified as I got older, and I’ve spent the last 10 years studying the game hard, finding a relationship between improving my own skills on the court and understanding the intricacies of NBA hoops.
At some point along the way I had more opinions, and needed room to share them without bugging everyone in my life. I took to Twitter, finding community among like-minded fans who loved the game and a good argument. Over time, that sharpened my ability to understand what I was seeing and articulate it to others.
Flash forward to now, this voice I’ve found — boosted by several seasons writing for CelticsBlog — has allowed me to fulfill a dream, and it was honestly surreal.
From receiving the notice that my credential request was accepted on Tuesday, to driving into Boston on Friday, I felt a sense of jitters that have only really been exceeded by my wedding day.
It wasn’t nerves based around fears, rather it was about passion and the fulfillment of something that I care deeply about. I wanted to do a good job, and make the most of this opportunity.
From the moment I walked up to the arena, I had to embrace the uncertainty. I immediately asked for guidance from a parking attendant on where I could find the media entrance.
Once I made my way inside, I asked for more directions and was pointed toward the desk to pick up my credentials. I clumsily walked through the metal detector with my backpack on, laughing at myself for the mistake — one I had just read that my colleague Grant Burfiend made as well.
With Grant’s other cautionary tale in mind, I made sure to ask for the appropriate floor in the elevator. Once I reached my destination, I tentatively followed the labyrinth of hallways until I found the media dining room.
I plopped my bag down at a table, poured up a hot coffee and tried to take stock of where things were at, looking around occasionally to see if there were any familiar faces. I downed the coffee and decided it was probably time to find the press conference room for the pregame availability.
I’d like to preface this by saying that I generally think my navigation skills are pretty solid, but I needed the assistance of about three people to get me through the maze of hallways and toward the conference room.
My welcome to the NBA moment came during this time when a large voice offered a polite “Excuse me”. I moved to the side, now a little less confident about where I was going, and watched as the colossal Mitchell Robinson strolled past me.
Eventually, I ended up in what clearly looked to be the press conference room. Though as I took my seat and waited for several minutes as the only person seated in there, I questioned if I was in the right place. Fortunately my initial instincts were correct, and people started filing in over the next 10 minutes or so.
Where is everyone
There were a ton of people I recognized, but didn’t quite have the right level of ease to start introducing myself before the availability kicked off. I listened as Tony Dobbins filled in for Joe Mazzulla, answering questions about their big man group, and Mitchell Robinson’s performance so far.
Once the questions concluded, I followed the herd out of the room and found a moment to introduce myself to Noa Dalzell and Jack Simone. They both offered a bit of insight, and led the way to the room for the visiting team’s availability.
While waiting for Tiago Splitter to enter, I said hello to the wonderful Sam LaFrance. Sam gave me some more valuable info, including the important fact that dinner would be $10, cash only. With no cash in my wallet, he graciously offered to cover it for me and would not accept my Venmo offer later on. That was a great gesture, and one I hope to pay back at a game in the future.
Meeting those three helped me feel more relaxed, and I shared my dinner with another introduction to the great First to the Floor trio of Ben Vallis, Jake Issenberg, and Wayne Spooney. I spoke with them for a while, along with CelticsBlog’s Gio Rivera, who I relied on for more guidance on getting from the dining room to the court for warmups.
I spent time taking it in court side and chatting more with the First to the Floor lads. As we watched different players get warmed up, a chaperone with the Boston Children’s Hospital spotted our press passes and commented that being this close must feel regular for us.
Not quite. With it being my first game with a pass and the freedom to roam the perimeter of the court, I mentioned that it felt just as exciting for me.
With about 40 minutes before tip, we made our way up to the press seats, again navigating through curtained entrances and unclear corridors. Once in my assigned seat, I took another moment to appreciate the gravity of the evening. This was something I’ve thought about for a long time, and my goal was to just be present and enjoy.
My view from press row before tip-off against the Bulls.
As the game got underway I locked into analysis mode. The press seats are in the highest perch of the arena, but several of us agreed that the vantage point is actually great for seeing everything unfold during a possession.
In press row, my lens had to change. There’s no cheering, just observation and objectivity. I found accepting that really helped me focus on the finer points of the game, and analyze the trends worth writing a game piece about.
Occasionally I could feel my inner fan rising. It’s hard to watch Payton Pritchard drain a three after making Norman Powell stumble without having some type of reaction.
I spotted a lot of aggressive defensive coverages that resulted in deflections and turnovers — a trend that I’ve been tracking since preseason. As the game carried on I settled on that being the direction I wanted to take, with the hope that I could get a question or two answered in post-game availability.
After the final buzzer, the group in the balcony trekked down the stairs after the freight elevator refused to arrive. We made it down three floors, and walked into the great migration of fans leaving through the main stairwell. We accompanied that group for a few flights before exiting into the loge level. From there we walked down through the court and into the tunnel.
We made it back to the press conference room and took our seats to wait for Mazzulla.
I spun my question around in my head for a while, trying to land on the right words that could garner some level of interest from Mazzulla. Before I found the right combination, all questions had been asked, and the coach was on his way out the door. I missed the window, but fortunately there were responses that hit the right notes for me to work with.
After a few minutes Pritchard stepped into the room. He was introspective about meeting the standards Mazzulla holds him to, highlighting his defense as a point of emphasis against the Bulls.
Payton Pritchard’s postgame availability
I was still getting a feel for the etiquette of question asking. From my perspective, it was a discreet and well practiced dance of eye contact, head nods and half-raised hands to make it known that you’d like the microphone. I hadn’t found the rhythm of that yet and went 0/4 on the night for chances to ask a question.
While slightly disappointing, it’s hard to feel that bad about it. I was basically an undrafted rookie in a room of established vets. The answers given were enough, and I was able to complete my piece on their defensive impact in good time.
I walked 12 minutes to the parking garage, reflecting on the evening as I passed endless streams of costumed Bostonians celebrating Halloweekend.
I felt grateful to CelticsBlog for helping to facilitate this, and a reassuring sense of confidence that with a lot of the unknowns now understood, I could come back in the future focusing on the most important parts of the job.
It was great to meet and watch many of the journalists I respect, and to get to know them a bit. It’s given me a greater appreciation for the machine that is game day coverage.
Hopefully with enough reps I’ll manage to learn the secrets of securing a microphone and can break my current streak of unasked questions. For now, I’m glad to have stumbled my way through an unforgettable evening with occasional spurts of grace.
Two weeks into the 2026-27 NBA season, Acuff leads all rookies, averaging 26.3 points per game. The Chicago Bulls’ No. 4 overall pick, Caleb Wilson, is second at 21.2.
But while Acuff looks like a budding superstar, the Kings are 0-6 after a 136-105 drubbing at the hands of the 6-0 Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at FedExForum.
Kings coach Doug Christie didn’t waste any time after Saturday’s loss identifying what needs to change.
“Man, we have to help him,” Christie told reporters in Memphis. “It’s an absolute must. The kid is special. He’s highly competitive. He wants to win. I truly enjoyed coaching him and watching his growth already in just these games. I think the opponent, a lot of times, tells you what they think about your players and last time we faced these guys, I think they put seven people on him.
“So in his third game, that’s telling you who they think he is and that’s what we already know, management, obviously, and myself, is, he’s special, continues to develop, continues to compete. We put him in position to win ball games and he’s going to win a lot of them.”
Acuff scored a career-high 38 points in Saturday’s loss, two days after scoring a then-career-high 34 points in the Kings’ 12-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. He has scored at least 33 points in three of his six NBA games.
Against the Grizzlies, only three other Kings players scored in double figures: De’Andre Hunter had 19 points, while veterans Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis finished with 11 apiece.
Sacramento’s bench, led by veteran guard Malik Monk, scored 20 total points in Memphis and is averaging an NBA-worst 19.5 points per game.
On defense, the Kings are giving up 128.3 points per game, second-worst in the NBA behind the Bulls, who are allowing 129.3 points per game.
But Sacramento is scoring just 109.3 points per game, leading to an NBA-worst 19.0-point differential.
“Yeah, it’s good to have a flow going but we got to hang our hat on the defensive end, just try to come up with more stops, we’ve got to keep communicating and just try to stay together,” Acuff told reporters when asked about his performances so far as a rookie.
Pushed to talk about making an NBA-rookie record-tying nine 3-pointers against the Grizzlies, Acuff still wasn’t in the mood to talk about himself.
“It’s good, personal-wise, but it don’t matter because we’re losing, so them two don’t go well together. So it doesn’t really matter,” Acuff said.
Christie and Acuff know the rest of the Kings’ roster needs to step up. Maybe injured players like Maxime Raynaud, Keegan Murray and Dylan Cardwell will help when they return.
But until they do, Sacramento needs more from LaVine, Sabonis, Hunter and Monk.
Otherwise, Acuff might be on an island for a while.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -OCTOBER 31: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs drives for two against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half at Frost Bank Center on October 31: 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Antonio Spurs delivered the tricks and took home the treat on Halloween, earning a 121–111 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Frost Bank Center on Saturday night, sending the fans home with smiles on their faces and candy in their bellies.
The victory is the fourth straight for San Antonio, who started the season 0-2 after losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.
Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson informed reporters before the game that guard Stephon Castle was suffering from a migraine and was a game-time decision. He would eventually be in the starting lineup and play 22 minutes.
San Antonio opened the game with one of their strongest defensive efforts of the season, holding the Timberwolves to 37 percent shooting in the first quarter. At one point in the period, the Spurs led 11-2, but the Timberwolves went on an 11-0 run to briefly take a one-point lead. De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama combined for 19 of the Spurs’ 34 points.
“We want to just try to make sure we can get the best shot in every possession, and that’s never going to happen,” Coach Johnson said after the game. “But I think if you just constantly keep that at the front of your brain and at the at the forefront of the conversation, and if everybody, for the most part, over time is putting their energy into that, you’ll land in a pretty good spot.”
Wembanayama knew he needed to be more aggressive and he acted like it. From the opening tip, he was calling for Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle to lob him the ball. He scored 24 points in the first half (43 points for the game), including throwing the ball to himself off the glass for a dunk that got the crowd on its feet and had Minnesota head coach Chris Finch asking for a timeout.
“He’s just so dominant,” Harper said of Wembanyama. “I feel like he goes out there and when he puts his imprint on the game, he’s unstoppable, and he did that tonight from the jump to end of the game. So I mean, hey, I was okay with him taking those shots. Those are all good looks, and my biggest thing with him is just if you’re gonna take the shot, take it, be confident.”
San Antonio went up double digits, but turnovers allowed the Timberwolves to get back into the game, turning the deficit for Minnesota into a one-point lead at halftime. The Spurs committed four their 15 turnovers in the second quarter.
With Minnesota missing stars Anthony Edwards, Rudy Golbert, and Donte DiVincenzo, Finch relied on newly acquired guard LaMelo Ball. The new Minnesota guard saw himself in foul trouble, racking up four personal fouls in the first half. He would eventually foul out of the game, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds.
The final quarter saw the Spurs turn it on, leaving no doubt on which team would go home with the treat of a win on Halloween. San Antonio outscored Minnesota 28-23 in the period, led by Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, and De’Aaron Fox. The sophomore guard finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists as he got aggressive with Wemby on the bench to begin the period.
“I love games like this,” Harper said after the game. “I love games where the other team starts talking first because when you respond, it’s not your fault when you talk.. the competitive nature that the Timberwolves brought kind of brings the best out of us. And obviously, when a team’s that competitive, it brings the best out of me.”
De’Aaron Fox had a solid outing, including hitting key shots when Minnesota threatened to come back. He finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists; crediting Wembanyama for making everyone better.
“His gravity is like Steph (Curry),” Fox said. “If he rolls to the basket, he’s going to have two or three defenders. To use that gravity, makes it easier for the rest of us.”
Game Notes
Luke Kornet had a strong outing after a string of poor games. He finished with 2 points and 8 rebounds, including four offensive boards.
Carter Bryant came off the bench and hit two threes. He played with confidence and that’s a welcome sign.
San Antonio will need to cut back on the turnovers, but they made up for it with solid defense in the final two quarters.
Julian Champaignie had 12 points off the bench, going 3-f0r-7 from beyond the arc.
Coach Johnson said pregame that the team will not rush Tobias Harris back to the court amid all the gruesome injury news around the league over the past week. I’d expect it to be a few weeks until he makes his debut.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 30: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after the Lakers made a basket against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 30, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Austin Reaves is never one to duck the blame or shift the focus to something else. When he’s bad, he’ll admit he’s bad. And on Friday, he was bad.
Reaves turned the ball over eight times, shot 9-19 from the field and had a plus-minus of -13, worst among the starters. He was not the sole reason the team blew a 25-point first half lead to the Warriors and lost by double digits, but when you get the superstar contract, you also get the superstar treatment in losses.
Debating just how much blame he deserved is irrelevant as Reaves was as brutally honest about his game as anyone else would have been.
“I was terrible again. That’s it.”
Harsh, but fair.
When Luka Dončić was on the floor, the Lakers were great, though mostly because of him. When he sat, the Lakers were bad, with Reaves at the center of it.
If you were looking for an excuse, the fact that those non-Luka groups consist of many players who joined the team this offseason is a fair one. Those units are looking for chemistry, but when asked if that’s legitimate rationale for their struggles, Austin wasn’t interested in any excuses.
“It’s real, but that doesn’t give that second unit an excuse to be pretty terrible,” he said. “And that starts with me. I’ll watch the film and try to be better. But you have to learn on the fly and pick up things quickly. As I said, I have to be better to start that.”
Austin has modeled his career around constant improvement, so there’s little doubt this is just another hurdle he’ll have to climb. Even if he’s run second units without Luka before, they’ve often come flanked by LeBron James. This is a new challenge and teams have him one rung higher on the scouting report now.
The word is out that the way to disrupt Austin is to throw doubles at him on ball screens and try to overwhelm him physically into a turnover. That’s the punch defenses are throwing and now it’s time for Austin to throw a counterpunch.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket against Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena on January 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors 110-93. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Lakers (4-2) have another back-to-back with the Toronto Raptors (3-2) on Sunday. The purple and gold will be at home for these next two games.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Toronto Raptors
When: 6 p.m. PT, Nov. 1
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet
The Lakers’ loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday will certainly be in the running for one of their worst defeats this season. When it comes to games like this, the best thing to do is take note of what went wrong and delete the tape, especially after that first quarter.
Three things went wrong for the purple and gold in that game. For starters, they struggled mightily whenever Luka Dončić was on the bench. Second, they committed a season-high 20 turnovers, with Austin Reaves accounting for eight. Lastly, the Warriors simply played harder and smarter than the Lakers.
So now, how does Los Angeles respond to their worst loss of the young season thus far? We’ll know when they take on a very good Raptors team on Sunday.
The Raptors enter this game having the third-best defense in the league. They won’t have Kawhi Leonard, but they have capable scorers like Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. They may look like the same Raptors team the Lakers have faced over the years, but make no mistake, this group has developed and is better than ever.
As a defensive-first team, these Raptors ranked second in steals and are an above-average transition team, so the Lakers really have to take care of the ball in this one. Toronto will also attempt to expose the Lakers’ weakness in rebounding, knowing they now rank dead last in the league in rebounds per game. The Lakers can’t be outworked once again if they want to win this game.
LA has to force the Raptors to execute in the half court, where their offense is less reliable. It would be nice to see a better performance from Reaves and Walker Kessler who has been quite mediocre for his standards over the last couple of games. Reaves and Dončić will face a lot of ball pressure and physicality, so they’ll have to counter with their ability to manipulate the defense and control the game’s pace.
After suffering their first loss of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Lakers wasted no time responding, coming out firing and cruising past the L.A. Clippers the following day. Now, the Lakers have another opportunity to bounce back from their worst loss of the young season. It’ll be interesting to see how they respond and what adjustments they make moving forward.
Let’s see if they can execute better and more importantly, get back on the winning column against the Raptors on Sunday.
Notes and Updates
For the Lakers’ injury report, Cameron Carr (right oblique strain) is no longer listed
However, Adou Thiero (left knee injury management) remains out and Ziaire Williams (left foot injury management) is questionable.
As for the Raptors, Leonard (left knee injury management) won’t be ready to go while Nate Bittle (right avulsion fracture) is out.
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 12: Franz Wagner #22 of the Orlando Magic dribbles the ball during the game against the Boston Celtics on April 12, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Boston Celtics (4-1) at Orlando Magic (2-3) Sunday, November 1, 2026 3:30 PM ET Regular Season Game #6 Road Game #2 TV: NBCSB, DAZN, NBA-LP Radio: Sirius XM, 98.5 Sports Hub, 96.9 The Game Kia Center
The Celtics look for their 5th straight win as they take on the Magic in Orlando. This is the first of 2 back to back road games. The Celtics will play at Houston on Monday. This is their 2nd back to back set this season and their first on the road. They won both legs of their first back to back. This is also the first of back to back games for the Magic who will host Washington on Monday.
The Celtics were 3-1 last year against the Magic. They lost one game in Orlando and won one in Orlando and two in Boston. This is the first of 4 games between these two teams this season. They will play in Boston on November 16 and March 18. They will play again in Orlando on April 7. The Celtics are 79-58 overall all time against the Magic and they are 27-40 in games played in Orlando.
The Magic have made a few changes since last season. Their biggest move was to fire coach Jamahl Mosley and hire former Spurs assistant, Sean Sweeney, as head coach. They also added former Celtic Nikola Vucevic to a 1 year minimum contract. They drafted Izaiyah Nelson with the 51st pick in the draft and signed him to a 2-Way contract. They lost Moritz Wagner and Jett Howard.
After this game, the Celtics will play at Houston in back to back games. They will then play at home against Milwaukee before a road trip that will take them through Charlotte, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Toronto. They play Dallas and Orlando at home before a West coast trip that takes them through Denver, Sacramento, Golden State, and Washington. They then play one game at home against Atlanta before playing at San Antonio and Dallas.
The Magic will also play back to back as they host Washington. They then play at Phoenix, Golden State, Sacramento and Utah. They then have one game at home against Milwaukee before playing at Boston. Then they host Philadelphia before they play at Brooklyn, and Washington. Then it’s one game at home against Detroit before a road trip through Washington, Detroit, and Dallas takes them to the NBA Cup tournament.
The Celtics have started Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Jayson Tatum and Mitchell Robinson in every game so far and I have once again listed the same starters for this game. Mitchell Robinson is listed as out for rest so the starting center will likely be Neemias Queta, but I wouldn’t rule out Garza or even Cenac starting either. I’ve listed the Magic starters from their last game, which are Jase Richardson, Desmond Bane, Anthony Black, Franz Wagner, and Wendall Carter, Jr.
For the Celtics, Devin Carter remains on the injury report due to illness. After missing the final 3 games of the preseason, Carter was diagnosed with mononucleosis and is without a timetable for a return. Mitchell Robinson has been added as out due to rest in the first of back to back games. For the Magic, Paolo Banchero (ankle), Jonathan Isaac (knee), Izaiyah Nelson (ankle), Noah Penda (hamstring) and Jalen Suggs (knee) are all out.
Probable Starting Matchups PG: Derrick White vs Jase Richardson
Derrick White | NBAE via Getty ImagesJase Richardson | Getty Images
SG: Jordan Walsh vs Desmond Bane
Jordan Walsh | NBAE via Getty ImagesDesmond Bane | Getty Images
SF: Paul George vs Anthony Black
Paul George | NBAE via Getty ImagesAnthony Black | NBAE via Getty Images
PF: Jayson Tatum vs Franz Wagner
Jayson Tatum | Boston Globe via Getty ImagesFranz Wagner | NBAE via Getty Images
C: Neemias Queta vs Wendell Carter, Jr
Neemias Queta | Getty ImagesWendell Carter, Jr | NBAE via Getty Images
Celtics Reserves Chris Cenac, Jr Mike Conley, Jr Luka Garza Hugo Gonzalez Ron Harper, Jr Sam Hauser Payton Pritchard Baylor Scheierman Two Way Players Devin Carter Dillon Mitchell Amari Williams Injuries/Out Devin Carter (illness) out Mitchell Robinson (rest) out
Head Coach Joe Mazzulla
Magic Reserves Goga Bitadze Jamal Cain Jevon Carter Tristan da Silva Nikola Vucevic
Two-Way Players Colin Castleton Alex Morales Izaiyah Nelson
Injuries/Out Paolo Banchero (ankle) out Jonathan Isaac (knee) out Izaiyah Nelson (ankle) out Noah Penda (hamstring) out Jalen Suggs (knee) out Head Coach Sean Sweeney
Key Matchups Jayson Tatum vs Franz Wagner Wagner is leading the Magic with 20.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He is shooting 43.0% from the field and 18.5% from beyond the arc. He has been struggling from the perimeter but the Celtics shouldn’t understimate him and leave him open since he shot 34.5% from three last season. The Celtics need to defend him for both the shot and the pass.
Jordan Walsh vs Desmond Bane Bane is averaging 17.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. He is shooting 33.8% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. He is capable of putting up big numbers if not defended well. In a game against the Celtics last season, he finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks while shooting 53.3% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. As with Wagner, the Celtics need to defend him well.
Honorable Mention Neemias Queta vs Wendell Carter, Jr. Carter is averaging 14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He is shooting 65.0% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him both in the paint and on the perimeter as he is shooting well from both. Since Robinson is out for rest, we may see Queta or Garza, or even Cenac getting the start. I’m guessing Queta.
Keys to the Game Defense – As always, defense is the key to winning this, and every, game. In the preseason, the Celtics were tops in the league with a defensive rating of 98.6. The Celtics are 10th in the league with a 108.1 defensive rating. The Magic are 25th with a defensive rating of 117.0. The Celtics need to continue to play tough defense and make that their identity and priority.
Rebound – As with defense, rebounding will always be a key to winning. The Celtics have to crash the boards as a team and go after every rebound. In the preseason, the Celtics were 1st with 55 rebounds per game and 3rd with 16.8 offensive rebounds per game. So far in the regular season, they are 19th in rebounding with 43.6 rebounds per game and 13th with 12.2 offensive rebounds per game. The Magic are 29th with 39.4 rebounds per game. The Celtics are 23rd in the league with 13.8 second chance points per game. The Celtics need to be aggressive on the boards and win the rebounding battle.
Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes– The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. In the first half against the Bulls, the Celtics played hard and stayed focused, taking care of the ball and taking and making good shots. In the second half, the Bulls were the team that played harder and the Celtics lost focus on both ends of the court, allowing the Bulls to cut a 29 point lead to 14. The Celtics have to play hard and stay focused for all 48 minutes.
Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics need to move the ball to get the best shots. The Celtics are much better when they move the ball and don’t lapse into iso ball. But, they have to be careful with the ball and avoid turnovers. The Celtics are 14th with 15.8 turnovers per game. That is too many. The Magic are averaging 15.6 points off turnovers per game. The Celtics need to make the extra pass to find the best shot but they also need to stay focused and make careful passes.
X-Factors Road Game – The Celtics are playing on the road. They are facing distractions of travel and playing in an unfamiliar arena in front of hostile fans. Although, there is often a large contingent of Celtics fans in the arena. They need to shake off those distractions and keep their focus on playing the game. Young players often struggle more on the road and so the young Celtics have to stay focused and try to ignore the distractions.
Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game. The Celtics also have to be aware of the new points of emphasis for this season and try to avoid off‑arm push‑offs, reckless closeouts, delays before free throws illegal screens and especially flopping. Paul George was already fined for a flop in the first game and there have been several other flopping calls as well.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 30: LaMelo Ball #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates his three-point basket against the Los Angeles Clippers in the fourth quarter of the NBA Cup game at Target Center on October 30, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the 127-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On the eighth anniversary of Derrick Rose’s 50 point game, your Minnesota Timberwolves fell victim to a Halloween monster performance by alien Victor Wembanyama, losing to the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 121-111.
With this being a second night of a set of back-to-back games and playing without Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert (back spasms), many fans may have expected tonight’s result.
What they may not have expected, however, was the amount of fight the Wolves had in them even if it was not enough for the victory.
Encouraging Signs from Joan Beringer
A performance I really want to highlight was that of Joan Beringer. Starting tonight in place of Rudy Gobert, Joan poured in 12 points, grabbed six rebounds, and committed five fouls in 34 minutes of play.
On paper, his French counterpart completely eviscerated him, with Wemby scoring an otherworldly 43 points on 17-34 shooting.
Looks like Wemby dominated him, right? It did feel like that at times, because Victor is such a freak. Every time Wemby came at Joan with something ridiculous, Joan just kept battling.
It was amazing growth to see, because at age 34 Rudy Gobert is going to miss games. Joan Beringer needs to be effective in those games, and although the stats didn’t show it tonight, he was able to hold his own.
Ayo Continues His Steady Play
Ayo Dosunmu continues to fill in admirably in the absence of Anthony Edwards, scoring 27 points on 11-15 shooting, splashing two threes, and even grabbing nine boards.
These types of performances are exactly why he was paid all that money to come back.
His speed in the open floor is outrageous, his willingness to defend, and his overall tenacity is exactly what this team will need come playoff time, but they need it even more now that Ant remains sidelined.
Tough Night for ‘Melo
Unfortunately, LaMelo Ball had a rough night. He had just 10 points, 2/10 shooting overall, and didn’t make a three. He spent much of the game on the bench due to foul trouble, and even fouled out at the end of the game when the Wolves were attempting to make a final push at victory.
It’s becoming a pattern now where LaMelo puts himself in these disadvantageous situations and it’s not something the Wolves can afford, especially on a back-to-back in San Antonio. He looks sped up, can’t find any rhythm with his shot, and is playing with his hands too much on the defensive end.
You maybe can get away with a performance like this against the NBA’s cellar dwellers, but not against the reigning Western Conference champions.
Moving forward, I would like to see LaMelo get himself going by attacking the paint and maybe getting to the free throw line or making easy dump offs for his teammates. Finding a rhythm isn’t just about making shots, it’s about finding your place in an offense on game in,, game out basis. The shots will start falling, just not if you force the issue too much.
Jonathan Kuminga Making Plays
Among the positives, Jonathan Kuminga I thought had a really nice game. He logged 40 minutes, which was good to see after only 22 last night, scoring 19 points, hitting two threes, and really helping defend the powerhouse San Antonio guards on the perimeter. Performances like these are why people keep falling in love with this man’s game. It wasn’t totally flashy, either, save for this dunk on Victor Wembanyama.
For some reason, I feel like we’re on borrowed time with Kuminga. It’s his reputation, based on his last two stops. Chris Finch is really good at defining roles for his players, and if this is the Jonathan Kuminga we’re going to see more often than not then I’m all for it.
Lackluster Bench Night
Bench wise, there wasn’t really a ton of note that happened tonight. The presumed sixth and seventh men were starting tonight, so Finch only went nine deep.
Outside of some Jaylen Clark made threes, there wasn’t a ton of production. TJ Shannon had a game he’d like to forget, making only one field goal and failing to draw iron on a couple threes. Trey Lyles made some nice plays, but also looked lost at times.
I was a little shocked that we didn’t see Cody Williams tonight. Without a true center coming off the bench, he’s someone with some size that I thought he could go throw his body around and battle among the tree that is Wemby.
Another head scratcher was the lack of Bones Hyland out there. With LaMelo down in foul trouble early, he came into the game and got six pretty quick points, but wasn’t really effective in his second stint and we didn’t really see him again. That could be a product of Ayo having a nice night, but it seemed as if he could’ve helped settle the offense down and there were times tonight where that was sorely needed.
Uneven Officiating
One last quick thing before we flush this one and move on to the next game: The way this team gets officiated is mind-boggling at times. I’m not saying that the majority of the fouls that were called on Minnesota tonight were bad calls, but a lot of the touchy calls that they get called on them don’t seem to go the other way when they happen to the Timberwolves.
Case in point, there was a sequence when Joan Beringer made an effort play on Victor Wembanyama to get a putback and keep the game tight and got a foul for going over the back of Wembanyama.
It’s totally fine if that’s the level of contact the officials want to whistle for. The ensuing possession down the floor, Wemby gets quite physical with Beringer in order to make himself available down low (a level of physicality you wouldn’t know Wemby had if you watched him drive to the hoop, just saying) and there was nothing called as Wemby almost put Joan in the rim. Add that on to the lack of calls Anthony Edwards gets going to the hole, and it creates a discrepancy that the Wolves should take issue with.
Final Thoughts
All in all, there were plenty of positives to take away from tonight’s game in San Antonio. The Timberwolves fought valiantly to keep themselves in the game, but just couldn’t quite get over the hump.
Game Highlights
Up Next
Your Minnesota Timberwolves are back in action on Monday, November 2nd, when they play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:00pm CT. That game will be streaming on DAZN-MIN for in-market fans, and on NBA League Pass for out-of-market fans.
HONOLULU, HI - OCTOBER 4: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket during the game against the LA Clippers during the 2026 NBA Preseason game on October 4, 2026 at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Jay Metzger/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Friday night the Warriors dressed up as a lottery team for exactly one quarter, then took the costume off and beat the Lakers by 17. They were down 38-15 after twelve minutes, watched the deficit swell to 25, tied it at 53 by halftime, and outscored LA 59-42 the rest of the way. According to the league, no team in the shot-clock era had ever trailed by 23-plus after one and tied it by the break. So the Halloween party at Chase started a day early.
Now the Clippers come to town at 1-4, losers of four straight, fresh off a 127-101 beating in Minnesota where the Wolves closed on a 23-2 run, without Anthony Edwards. This is a different Clippers team than the one you’ve been booing for a decade. Kawhi is gone, and the keys now belong to Darius Garland, Brandon Ingram and No. 5 pick Keaton Wagler.
Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors When: November 1st, 2026 | 5:30 PM PT Where: Chase Center TV: NBC Sports Bay Area Radio: 95.7 The Game
Steph Curry and Draymond Green will both rest tomorrow night on the front side of a back-to-back against the Clippers. Injury management. That should clear them to face the Suns on Monday night.
Al Horford will play vs Clippers, meaning he would rest vs Suns.
There’s also some history here that Clipper fans would rather not discuss. Last April, Steph came back from a knee issue and dragged the Warriors past the Clippers 126-121 in the play-in. That loss ended the season and, as it turned out, the whole Kawhi era. So technically the Clippers’ rebuild was built in Golden State’s backyard. Sunday is Día de los Muertos, which feels right for a franchise that’s still figuring out what came back to life and what stayed buried.
Wagler is the guy to watch on their side. He’s scored in double figures every night, and he gets to the line like he has a coupon, going 7-for-8 in Minnesota even while shooting 2-for-11 from the field. Brook Lopez gave them 13 off the bench, and Rui Hachimura is back from a quad issue. They’re also missing big man Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who’s out after Lisfranc surgery. That leaves a frontcourt that Golden State’s small-ball lineups should be able to run off the floor if the effort is there.
On the Warriors’ side, everybody’s watching the rookie. Yaxel Lendeborg spent the week in the national headlines for calling Luka a whiner after opening night, then had the kind of rematch you only have in a nightmare: six points, six fouls, five turnovers.
The bench is the other storyline worth your attention. Golden State’s reserves went for 50 against the Lakers bench’s seven, with De’Anthony Melton scoring 16, Georges Niang finishing plus-21, and Will Richard going plus-20 mostly on defense and pure nuisance. If that second unit is real, this team has a ceiling nobody gave them credit for in October.
Unfortunately the Dubs will be without Draymond and Steph; Steph is balling out of control this season.
Steph Curry this season:
— 29.2 PPG — 1.4 SPG — 4.4 3PM — 48/44/100% — Leading NBA in points per minute
The Warriors started 0-3, and Dub Nation was already measuring the Steph era for a coffin. Three wins later they’re back at .500, and a rookie has given everybody something to argue about besides the end of the dynasty. The Clippers are coming to Chase looking for a fresh start, and Golden State has a chance to remind them who ended the last one.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 31: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first quarter at Fiserv Forum on October 31, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Allen was an absolute force to be reckoned with. He relentlessly attacked the basket by rolling hard to the rim and looking for any opening he could find to make himself available for a pass inside. Defensively, he controlled the paint and cleaned up the glass.
This was the ideal game from Allen.
Second star: Evan Mobley
27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Basically everything I said about Allen could also be said of Mobley. He was aggressive offensively, attacking inside. And when the defense sagged off, he took the outside shot, going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.
This game was the template from a process and results standpoint for Mobley.
Third star: James Harden
13 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds
Harden spread the ball around and looked to get the bigs involved. It was exactly what the Cavs needed from their starting point guard.
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Dud of the game
Bum: Tyler Herro
15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Milwaukee’s point-of-attack defense was a mess. Herro wasn’t the only reason to blame for that, but he was the most noteworthy example of someone who wasn’t upholding their end of the bargain. On top of that, Herro struggled to make anything happen as a scorer as he went just 5-for-18 from the field.
Cavaliers who deserve shoutouts
Donovan Mitchell
15 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, +31
Mitchell let the game come to him in a way that he doesn’t always do. He attacked when the moment called for it, and he deferred to his teammates when they had cleaner looks. This led to Mitchell controlling the game without controlling the ball, making room for the dominant performances from the bigs.
Mario Hezonja
8 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists
Hezonja thinks the game at a high level. He does a great job of reading how the opponent is playing, and then exploiting it to the best of his ability. In this game, that weakness was rebounding.
Milwaukee had to send extra bodies to contain Mobley and Allen on both ends. Hezonja ducked inside around the help to grab 11 rebounds, including four on the offensive end.
Play of the game
Well, that's a new wrinkle.
Mobley off down screen into Allen handoff to get him going downhill on the catch. pic.twitter.com/h7Qfr7zWv4
Plays like this show how dynamic the bigs can be when you give them an opportunity to do so. Forcing a forward to chase Mobley around a screen from a guard, then around a dribble-hand-off with Allen is incredibly difficult to do. I would love to see them incorporate more actions like this that force bigger defenders to guard in space and navigate screens like a guard.
Quote of the day
“It was part of our film session this morning, so it’s nice to see it transfer. Reward these guys, they’re both playing great. Sixteen shot attempts, we were very intentional about getting them the ball. Good job by our perimeters, finding those guys in the right spots.”
Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley led the team with 16 shot attempts each.
Allen and Mobley were aggressive in looking for opportunities to score, and their teammates were consistent in getting them the ball. That is a formula worth repeating.
This game will be remembered for how the Cavs got the bigs involved
Mobly and Allen were forces all night. Not just for a few minutes, not just for a quarter, but until the game was completely out of reach early in the fourth quarter. The bigs stayed aggressive inside, and their teammates kept feeding them the ball.
Getting the bigs involved to this degree can destroy a defense. It’s similar to establishing the run in football. Once you control the line of scrimmage, the pass game opens up because the defense has to sell out to overload the box.
Milwaukee’s defense tried to shrink the floor to stop Mobley and Allen. Defenders crashed down from the corners in an effort to cut off the initial drive, but this opened up the floor for everyone, including whatever big wasn’t the main focus of the defense. This allowed for some of the big-to-big passes and put-back offensive rebounds.
This offense is at its best when they’re forcing the ball to the bigs, and the bigs are rolling hard and aggressively looking for openings to attack inside. Despite that, both groups have struggled to establish the bigs as consistent scoring threats for a full 48 minutes.
Far too often, the Cavs abandon this formula when things get tough. Either the guards take it upon themselves to handle the majority of the scoring load or the bigs become passive and stop looking for opportunities inside — and usually it’s both.
It’s not always this easy to establish the bigs as scorers. Milwaukee’s defense is bad and easy to exploit, but this formula should be more repeatable than it’s proven to be. Maybe this game can set them on the right path.
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 31: Kyle Kuzma #18 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 31, 2026 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images). | NBAE via Getty Images
Well, the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 136-11 in their second straight blowout. With Tyler Herro having his first bad game of the year, the Bucks’ shining lights were rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament, who each notched a career-high 14 points on efficient shooting. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen led the way for Cleveland, combining for 52 points.
Let’s just say the first quarter wasn’t exactly pretty, with both teams shooting 20/49 from the field. Jaime Jaquez Jr. got the Bucks started with two of their first three field goals, but the Cavs’ big-man duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen punished Milwaukee inside to tie it at 10 after five minutes. Many bricks followed for both teams, but Kasparas Jakucionis came in and gave the home side some pace and pizzazz, nailing a driving layup and a three after his defender shot under the screen to give the Bucks a six-point edge. At that point, Kel’el Ware checked in, and the game shifted, with Ware struggling mightily to deal with the tall trees down low on both ends, missing two point-blank shots and getting put in the mixer on the block. Luckily, the Cavs gave the Bucks an easy target when they subbed in rookie Maleek Thomas; Tyler Herro scored six quick points on him, including a three at the buzzer to put the Bucks up 25-24 after one.
Although Milwaukee had some encouraging moments to start the second—including a great hustle play from Nate Ament to recover the long rebound and find Brayden Burries for three—the Cavs began to flex their muscle. Thomas may have defensive issues, but the kid can score, and he proved it with two quick threes in the opening few minutes. Donovan Mitchell also got going, dropping a transition bomb to force the Bucks to call a timeout, down 39-31 three minutes in. Milwaukee responded out of the timeout with buckets from Turner and Ament but couldn’t find a way to stop Cleveland as Mobley asserted his dominance with 10 straight points to extend the lead. Ware broke the seal from three after going 0/7 in the last two games, but other than that, the Bucks just could not get anything to go down (depsite generating decent looks), as the Cavs went on a 21-3 (!) blitz to close the quarter, leading 72-46 at the half.
Tyler Herro became the first Buck to reach double figures with a three of the chase action with Myles Turner, but the Cavs’ stout defence was yielding them easy shots on the other end as they took an 81-54 lead three minutes in. At least Kyle Kuzma gave the home fans something to cheer for, scoring a quick 10 points to keep pace with the rampaging Cavs, and a Myles Turner three to cap a 7-0 run forced the Cleveland timeout as their lead shrank to 21, 89-68. Unfortunately, two quick Cavs triples out of the timeout spoiled any momentum the Bucks had built as they reached a century with over two minutes to play. Cavs led 109-76 entering the final frame.
You wouldn’t have known the Bucks were down big from the way Jakucionis was flying around on defence; the second-year guard pursued loose balls and long rebounds with vigour, which helped Milwaukee open the fourth on a 9-3 run to force a Kenny Atkinson timeout. Another major positive was Nate Ament, who scored 11 points in the opening six minutes of the fourth, including a spine-tingling cram in transition that had Fiserv jumping. Of course, it wouldn’t be a blowout without the $64m man proving his worth, as Gary Trent Jr. nailed his second three of the year to cut the deficit to 24. Then came the highlight of the night: Brayden Burries caught it in transition with one man ahead and detonated all over Tristan Enaruna for the facial—a nice finish on an otherwise rough night for Milwaukee.
Stat That Stood Out
The Bucks actually played OK for three of the four quarters, but their second quarter—which they lost by a staggering 27 points (48-21)—was decisive.
Obscene Overreaction
Brayden Burries and Nate Ament should make the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team solely for those dunks!
SAN ANTONIO, TX - OCTOBER 31: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs dunks the ball during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 31, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Silver and Black had some impressive runs in tonight’s game, with Victor Wembanyama making some physics-defying moves that bent basketball reality into a shape that seemed impossible to comprehend. But the greatness was alternating with spells of uninspiring play and mental lapses, and the shorthanded Timberwolves kept themselves within spitting range for almost the whole game, even with Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, and with Lamelo Ball being limited due to foul trouble. Asayo Dosunmo and Jaden Daniels played very well for the visitors and a well-rested Ball made some key plays in the fourth quarter, until he fouled out late.
Victor Wembanyama had 43 points and was the engine of success for the Silver and Black, while De’Aaron Fox had one of his better games of the season with 22 points and 8 big rebounds, while keeping the team organized. Dylan Harper had a great night with 25 points, while Stephon Castle didn’t score a point while he struggled with a migraine, and probably should not have been out there.
The Longhorns game kicked off just before the Spurs game. I think the schedulers need to be more considerate of my watching habits.
Rudy Gobert was ruled out with a sore back, which ruined prediction in the game thread.
Victor show up at the game in a Witcher costume, which was really cool. He does remind me a bit of Geralt. He definitely has a dark side to him.
Lamelo Ball has happy feet but he seems to be able to cast a spell of the refs so that they can’t count his steps. Is he a warlock?
The Wolves didn’t honor the Twilight Zone near the hoop created by Victor’s length, Kuminga and Beringer had their shots erased by Wemby. The Spurs rushed out to an 11-1 lead, but decided to get fancy the the Wolves went on an 11-0 run to taker the lead halfway through the first.
Kornet had a putback jam in the first quarter, and got up higher than I’ve seen so far this season? Is his mini-slump over? The Spurs actually won the non-Wemby minutes, and got the lead back up to double digits, which is a good sign going forward.
Carter Bryant finally hit a couple of three-point shots, which is what he needs to do in order to gain floor time. If Mitch can trust him to hit open shots, he’s going to get minutes.
Finch is a master complainer, which I kind of hate, but maybe Mitch should watch him and see how he works the officials and take some hints from that.
The Spurs led 34-28 at the end of the first quarter.
Victor does things that don’t seem real sometimes. His pass to himself off the backboard for a slam just seemed impossible, but it really happened. His skill is so special. I don’t even regret the shady deal I made at the crossroads about the lottery a few years back. [This did not actually happen.]
KJ drew Ball’s fourth foul early in the second quarter, which led to Lamelo hocking a loogie onto the court in front the broadcaster’s table. Due to his warlock powers, the officials did not witness this unsanitary act, and he wasn’t even given a tech for it. It’s probably just a coincidence, but the Spurs offense completely shut down right after that, and they didn’t score any points for 5 minutes, as the Wolves retook the lead.
The Spurs went on one of their patented cold spells, and forgot how to score for most of the second quarter, and they visitors retook the lead with another extended run, 15-0 to take a 51-46 lead with Dosunmo doing a lot of the damage.
The Spurs made a bit of a comeback in the final two minutes of the first half, and trailed 60-61 going into the locker room.
The second half started with the Spurs taking the ball to the hoop, with the Wolves handing out shooting fouls like Halloween candy as the Silver and Black re-took the lead.
Bones Hyland is one of those players who isn’t that good but always looks like a superstar against the Spurs. Surprisingly, he didn’t do that much tonight, just scoring 6 points and not having much impact on the outcome.
Lyles and Hyland both committed traveling violations in the third quarter. Maybe they’re watching Ball too much in practice?
The Spurs didn’t play a perfect third quarter, with a few too many turnovers and defensive lapses, but they played well enough to lead 93-88 with one quarter to play, with Wembanyama leading the way with 36 points through the first three.
The TWolves somehow left Victor a free path to the hoop and he made them pay with a thunderous dunk, and before you knew it, the Spurs had a double digit lead. Guess what happened next? If you guessed that the Spurs lost focus and let the opponent get back into the game, you’d be right. … So predictable, I guess.
Lamelo Ball did his part to get the Wolves back into the game, but committed his sixth foul with 3:43 left, pretty much ending the Wolves shot at a comeback.
Tarris Reed watch: He did not play.
For the opponent’s perspective, visit Canis Hoopus, which has some scary good writers, and an interesting community vibe.
The Spurs play the Jazz again on Monday, this time in the Frost Bank Center. The Jazz should have Lauri Markkonnen back for that game, and that’s definitely not a game that the home team can take for granted since they required overtime to beat the Jazz in Utah on Wednesday, with the young players almost pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the early season.
Oct 31, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) dunks a basket in the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Cleveland Cavaliers rode a dominant 48-24 second quarter to a stress-free 136-111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Cleveland pushed their lead to 36 at the start of the fourth quarter before calling off the dogs.
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen led the way in this one-sided win. The Cavs made a concerted effort to continually get the bigs involved offensively, and both Mobley and Allen stayed aggressive in looking for ways to attack. This led to both finishing with a team-high 16 shot attempts.
Mobley provided 27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal while going 11-for-16 from the field, which included going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Allen put up 25 points on 12-of-16 shooting with 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal.
Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can buy the Jarrett Allen Fro shirt HERE. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE.
This dominant performance from the bigs allowed the Cavs to control the paint. They went 25-for-35 on shots in the restricted area and scored 60 points in the paint overall.
Four other Cavaliers besides Mobley and Allen finished with double-digit points. Donovan Mitchell put up 15 points while being a team best +31. James Harden and Meleek Thomas contributed 13 points. Thomas Bryant added in 11 points exclusively in the fourth quarter.
The Bucks were led by 19 points from Kel’el Ware on 6-of-16 shooting, along with 10 rebounds. Tyler Herro had 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting.
This was a dominant performance for the Cavs. Once they grabbed control of this game in the second quarter, they never looked back.
Cleveland will head home after this game. They host the injury-riddled Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday evening.
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 31: VJ Edgecombe #77 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers embrace during the fourth quarter of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on October 31, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Helen McGinnis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Bell Ringer Standings: Tyrese Maxey – 2.5 Joel Embiid – 1 LeBron James – 1 Anfernee Simons – 1 Jaylen Brown – 0.5
The Philadelphia 76ers looked sleepy, but they woke up just in time to come from behind and snag a 109-104 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday evening.
This was the second game of a back-to-back after the Sixers defeated the Knicks last night at home, so no Joel Embiid or LeBron James for this one for Philly. Jaylen Brown returned for this contest, but looked a little out of sorts at times. The Hornets were without Kon Knueppel, Coby White and Grant Williams
The Sixers (minus Tyrese Maxey) were shaky to start this one and looked a bit sluggish, allowing some hot shooting from Charlotte to take over. Philly tightened things up a bit in the second to retake the lead going into the break, but they really started to look like a tired team in the second half. The Sixers looked completely asleep in the third, couldn’t get a single thing going and lost their narrow lead. Fortunately, though, the Hornets were also a weary-looking team on the second leg of a back-to-back, so they couldn’t take full advantage. They led going into the fourth, but not by much.
It was never an insurmountable lead for Charlotte, but it was a resilient one. The sluggish Sixers couldn’t seem to come up with the necessary string of buckets or put up enough defensive stops to ever gain any ground on the Hornets… until the last two minutes. Suddenly, the Sixers ripped off a 15-3 run to end the game, finally taking the lead late and holding on for the dramatic victory — capped off by another clutch three-pointer from VJ Edgecombe. Who else?!
The Sixers continue their winning ways and move to 6-1 on the season. They’ll get Sunday off before hosting the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.
<p>(Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)</p><br> | NBAE via Getty Images
Tyrese Maxey started out this one by pretty much being able to do whatever he wanted on the offensive end, putting up nine points on 4-for-4 field goal shooting before the game was even four minutes in. He was in his bag to put on a three-level scoring clinic in the first half on Saturday night, nailing his soft finishes at the rim, the midrange jumpers and nailing a few from outside the arc. Maxey led the Sixers with 19 points on 8-for-13 field goal, 3-for-5 three-point shooting at the break.
After having a quiet third (along with the rest of his team, mostly), Maxey went back to work in the fourth. He scored 15 points on 4-for-6 field goal shooting in the final frame as the Sixers finally broke through to erase the Hornets’ narrow but resilient lead and take on the win for themselves.
Maxey finished this one with a commanding 38 points (13-for-23 field goal, 4-for-9 three-point shooting) with four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Tyrese Maxey is off to a superstar start to this season, and that continued Saturday night vs. CHA. Even a bit sleepy on the second leg of the back-to-back, he made it just look easy at times.
38 PTS (13-23 FG, 4-9 3PT), 4 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL Here's every one of those 13 FGs 👇 pic.twitter.com/F1Oc4Ar5Qw
<p>(Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)</p><br> | NBAE via Getty Images
On Saturday night, Anfernee Simons picked up where he left off the last two games: absolutely nailing some threes. Simons sank another three triples in the first half against the Hornets on Saturday night in addition to knocking down a few free throws for 11 first-half points, the only Sixer other than Maxey to make it to double-digit scoring by the break.
His biggest moment came late in the forth, with Simons hitting his fifth triple of the night, coming up with a steal on the Hornets’ next possession, then nailing an excellent finish at the rim in transition to pull the Sixers within a point of the Hornets with just a few minutes to play — all part of the run that would ultimately win the game for Philadelphia.
Simons ended up with 19 points including five three-pointers. He also had two assists and three steals.
Anfernee Simons with his FIFTH triple of the night!
And with that, Simons is the first 76ers player in franchise history to make at least five 3PT off the bench in three consecutive games (per @76ersPR_stats) pic.twitter.com/Cq85o1yiGF
<p>(Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)</p><br> | NBAE via Getty Images
Probably more of an honorable mention here, but Jabari Walker had a very solid night coming off the bench for Philadelphia. From hitting his layups, to getting involved on the offensive boards for put-backs, to pulling up confidently from long range when he had good opportunities, Walker was doing a little of everything against the Hornets. Especially important when the Sixers are without LeBron and Embiid, Walker took every opportunity to drive the baseline and/or muscle his way into the paint for a rebound or a bucket.
Walker finished the night with 12 points on 5-for-8 field goal shooting with six rebounds (two offensive).
On Friday night, Dean Wade might’ve put together one of the best games ever for a guy who didn’t take a single shot. On Saturday, he took a couple, but the story was his passing, defense and ability to find loose balls.
Most of Wade’s points are going to come from the three-point line this season, but funny enough, both his field goals in this one came at the rim — on two pretty moves. Wade played the ultimate connector on offense, setting good screens and finding open teammates all night long. Defensively, he continued to show the versatility that makes him so valuable.
It felt like every time the Sixers needed it, he found away to come away with the ball and steal an extra possession, including on this huge Simons’ three.
Anfernee Simons with his FIFTH triple of the night!
And with that, Simons is the first 76ers player in franchise history to make at least five 3PT off the bench in three consecutive games (per @76ersPR_stats) pic.twitter.com/Cq85o1yiGF
<p>(Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)</p><br> | NBAE via Getty Images
This actually wasn’t the best game from VJ Edgecombe. Quite the contrary, actually. He was decent on the boards and on defense, but it wasn’t an offensively productive game from Edgecombe. He didn’t shoot all that well, notching just 10 points on 4-for-13 field goal shooting.
But he was 2-for-4 from three, and one of those couldn’t have come at a more important moment.
Again. The kid is clutch. With the Sixers finally taking the lead out from under the Hornets very late in this one, Philly held just a narrow advantage as time was winding down… until VJ Edgecombe hit a nasty step-back and sank a monster three over the defense of Grayson Allen, extending the Sixers’ lead to four points and helping seal the victory for Philadelphia.
Clutch. And I personally think that alone earns you a Bell Ringer nomination.
It was one of the first issues that Mike Brown mentioned.
He had plenty to dissect after a 98-93 loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia, but the head coach was frustrated by the Knicks allowing 26 points in the paint during the first half of their loss — and brought it up, along with turnovers, to reporters following the game. The Knicks, by comparison, managed just 14. And while they responded in the second half and limited the 76ers to just 10 points in the paint across the final 24 minutes, their early lapses contributed to an early deficit that haunted them throughout their loss to open NBA Cup play.
“They were getting in our paint left and right, right and left, and it was really, really easy doing it,” Brown said. “… If it’s a post-up game or something like that, OK, maybe, I don’t know. But to continue to have that ball driven in the paint, especially in the first half when they shot 5 of 17 or whatever it is from the 3-point line, was not good.”
Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against the New York Knicks on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. NBAE via Getty Images
This was new for the Knicks. Even after Friday, they were still only allowing 39.3 points per game in the paint, which ranked second in the NBA and trailed just the Celtics (38.0) for the league’s best mark. But Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with eight points in the paint during the first half, while LeBron James and VJ Edgecombe both added six.
Less than two minutes into the game, James cut behind OG Anunoby, collected a pass from Joel Embiid and finished a layup. Early in the second quarter, when the Knicks had some reserves in, too, ball movement allowed Maxey to get the ball on the wing, and a pump fake allowed him to drive past Landry Shamet and finish a dunk.
“It’s not just one thing,” Brown said, when asked about pick-and-roll communication leading to paint defense issues. “It’s a little thing here, little thing there, little thing there, and that’s why it adds up. We’re competitive when we need to be, and that’s why all our games that we’re in, we have a chance down the stretch.
“But trying to make sure we continue to do the little things throughout the course of the game is gonna be huge for us because we’re not doing it right now.”
LeBron James of the Philadelphia 76ers goes up for a rebound against the New York Knicks during an NBA game in Philadelphia on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
Even without Mitchell Robinson, who signed with the Celtics in the offseason and is one of the league’s best offensive rebounders when healthy, the Knicks entered play Saturday ranked second in the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage at 36.3 — trailing just the Warriors’ 37.5. In Philadelphia on Friday, the Knicks gathered 14 offensive rebounds compared to the 76ers’ five, with Andre Drummond and Miles McBride leading them with three each.
Since the start of the 2024-25 season, the Knicks have only been limited to 93 points or fewer on three occasions during the regular season — and all of those occurred last season. They were also held to 93 and 91 points by the Celtics during the 2025 postseason. … Mikal Bridges, who finished third on the Knicks in scoring, tied his season high with 12 points, but he’s still just averaging 6.2 points per game to start the year.
