Category: Basketball

Well, that turned out to be much more interesting than anyone expected — especially entering the fourth.

For most of Saturday night’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Brooklyn Nets looked headed for an ugly blowout. But thanks to an explosive fourth-quarter comeback led by Egor Dëmin, Brooklyn nearly pulled off an improbable win before falling, 125-121.

Dëmin erupted for 15 points in the final frame, and the highlight of the night was between himself and Mikel Brown Jr. The two combined for five fourth-quarter threes and the Nets cut a 22-point deficit to just four with 26.4 seconds remaining.

It wasn’t enough to secure the win, but for a young team like the Nets, there was a lot to like about the fight they showed against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. It showcased the “Brooklyn Grit” that’s commonly talked about.

What changed?

“I think it was the shot quality. We went from taking 35 good shots in the first half to almost 50 in the second… when you take the high-quality shots is when, you know, they don’t all go in at the same time, but then if you keep shooting them, we had that stretch that they kept going in,” Jordi Fernandez said after the game.

And early on, there was plenty to like about the offense, too.

Julius Randle picked up right where he left off in his dominant Nets debut on Wednesday night, scoring six points on two-of-three shooting in his first five minutes. He continues to look like a valuable veteran for Brooklyn, not only for his scoring ability, but for his all-around contributions too.

Michael Porter Jr. also delivered another strong outing, but this time from start to finish. He struggled in the first half last game and upped the ante in the second frame, finishing with 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting.

The Nets trailed by five points, 35-30. But while Brooklyn was finding ways to generate offense, they shot just 10-of-27 from the field (37%) in the opening quarter, compared to Cleveland’s 11-of-21 (52.4%).

The good news? The Nets were doing a much better job on the glass than they did on Wednesday night, coming down with six offensive boards in the first quarter alone, compared to the Cavaliers’ three. Those extra looks didn’t turn into points early, which is tough for the Nets, especially against a more established Cleveland team. They needed every advantage they could get.

The Cavs got contributions from just about everywhere early on. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley led the way, each scoring eight points to give Cleveland the lead at the end of the first quarter.

Noah Clowney provided a little spark off the bench, knocking down a three on his first shot before coming up with an impressive block on Evan Mobley.

After trailing by five at the end of the first, Brooklyn was outscored 33-22 in the second quarter, heading into halftime down 68-52. And the shooting numbers told much of the story.

The Cavs shot a blistering 57.9% from three in the first half, making 11-for-19. The Nets, meanwhile, shot just 40% from the field and 36.4% from deep. The Nets also got extra opportunities. They had nine offensive rebounds compared to Cleveland’s five, but it wasn’t enough.

The Nets weren’t necessarily getting crushed on the glass, as I noted. In fact, they held a slight 24-23 rebounding advantage. But when you’re allowing opponents to shoot 54% from the field and nearly 58% from three, a slight rebounding advantage won’t do much.

Unfortunately for Brooklyn, the third quarter brought a similar energy. They struggled to find consistency offensively while the Cavs continued to dominate, with their lead growing to as many as 19 points and ultimately taking a 96-80 lead into the fourth quarter.

With over five minutes left in the third quarter, Josh Minott entered the game for his first minutes this season. Given how things were going defensively, it seemed like Fernández wanted to see if he could change the pace with his length as a 3-and-D wing, while also scoring some points.

For the second straight game, though, Ben Saraf, Drake Powell, and Danny Wolf each didn’t see the floor, leaving Dëmin and Nolan Traoré as the only members of the Flatbush 5 to enter the game.

The fourth quarter didn’t change much early. And things only got worse for Day’Ron Sharpe, who picked up his sixth foul — a flagrant foul — with 6:54 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland looked like they had this one wrapped up, just like it looked like they had their opener locked up. They blew a 29-point lead then. It looked like Brooklyn might pull off the improbable this time.

The Nets’ late-game comeback fell short. It was improbable, fun, and gave a peek at what Brown Jr. and Dëmin can be while on the floor together.

“I think he’s a special player. I think he’s going to be very special for this team, for the organization, for Brooklyn in general… he’s fully embracing the name not just on his back, but on the front of his jersey, and I think that’s what’s most important right now,” Dëmin said about Brown Jr.

It’s only game two of 82 and the Nets still have a lot to clean up. Maybe Wednesday’s loss inspired confidence in the team’s future and their fight for Fernandéz — Sunday’s a new opportunity.

“A lot of times you’re down 20 whatever and then you just stop fighting and it was the whole group. The guys off the bench gave a spark and then the first group… they kept swinging and swinging and swinging,” Fernandez said.

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Julius Joins James

It’s always interesting seeing the Beard on the other side — former Net James Harden that is. On Saturday, it was an old record of Harden’s we heard of… for Julius Randle. According to NetsPR, Randle’s 21 points, six rebounds and five assists joined Harden (10/19-22, 2021) as the only Nets with 20+ PTS, 5+ REB and 5+ AST in consecutive games to start the season.

Take it for what you will.

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Next Up: Pacers

The Nets won’t have much time to dwell on Saturday’s loss and their 0-2 start. They return to Barclays Center Sunday night for the first of a league-high 16 back-to-backs this season, facing the Indiana Pacers.

Indiana is 1-1 to start the season. After beating the New Orleans Pelicans in their season opener, the Pacers fell 121-105 to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

As Jordi Fernández told reporters before Saturday’s game, Brown won’t play on Sunday as he remains on a minutes restriction.

Coming back home on Sunday, the Nets are still looking for their first win of the season.

Washington picks up their 2nd win of the season, 1st on the road, with a 124-120 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

The Wizards started off a little slow in this one, similar to how they started against the Raptors, on Friday, allowing the Bulls to build an early 10-point lead, which was built on the Bulls playing with tremendous pace. The Wizards’ transition defense was lacking in the first half, being outpaced in fast break points, 19-5.

In the 2nd half, the Wizards started countering the Bulls fast pace by also playing with at a fast pace as well, which lead to easier transition points and allowed Washington build a lead. Washington was able to get up to as much as 19 points.

The transition offense seemed to really pick up the Wizards energy on the defensive end. Washington looked a lot more engaged on that end, holding to just 20 points in the 3rd quarter and outscored the Bulls, 40-20 in that frame.

In the 4th quarter, the Bulls went on a 16-4 run in the final few minutes of the game to draw within 3 points with just 23 seconds left, but the Wizards were able to hit some critical free throws to put this one away. Washington’s defensive intensity absolutely started to wane again, but they were fortunate to have enough of a cushion to hold off Chicago.

The Wizards were led by Trae Young who finished with 25 points and 9 assists. Kyshawn George also had a strong performance, including some key And-1s in the 4th quarter. He finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds.

A much better performance in the 2nd half by the team, but they will need to find a way to play more consistently for 48 minutes, especially on the defensive end.

The Wizards climb back over .500 once again, at 2-1, with a trip to Charlotte to take on division foe, Charlotte Hornets.

The Milwaukee Bucks tumbled to 0-3 after an away game against the Philadelphia 76ers that felt much closer than the final scoreline indicated. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the Bucks with 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in 27 minutes. Kel’el Ware (19 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks) and Ryan Rollins (15 points, three assists) followed. Tyler Herro’s red-hot start for Milwaukee slowed; he managed 13 points in 31 minutes on 6/14 shooting. Joel Embiid scored 28, Jaylen Brown had 27, and Tyrese Maxey scored 26 for a LeBron James-less Sixers squad.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

Dean Wade opened the scoring with a three-pointer after Maxey found him open in the corner, and the Sixers quickly got rolling, extending their lead to 12-3. The Bucks struggled early from the field, getting good looks but failing to convert. That said, Milwaukee worked its way back to a one-possession game by the first timeout after Jaime Jaquez Jr. put back a missed Ryan Rollins jumper. Nate Ament made his debut, replacing Kyle Kuzma midway through the first half and scoring his first NBA point on a made free throw. Although the Sixers stayed in control and stretched their lead to 11, the Bucks stayed in the hunt. Kuzma threw down a big contact dunk over Adem Bona, briefly silencing Xfinity Mobile Arena. However, Tyrese Maxey closed out the first quarter with a ridiculous half-court buzzer-beater (of course), giving Philly a 34-25 lead.

The Bucks played well to open the second, with back-to-back triples from Brayden Burries and AJ Green helping cut the 76ers’ lead to just one. Milwaukee and Philly later found themselves tied at 37, and Rollins’ transition bomb gave Milwaukee its first lead of the game. A big Ware jam pushed Milwaukee’s lead to five, with Ware looking solid against Bona in the paint. Unfortunately, Ament picked up four fouls midway through the second quarter as he struggled with Philly’s physicality. The Bucks stayed resilient, though, and with under four minutes remaining, led by six; they consistently got to their spots and, despite struggling from three, converted a lot at the rim. As expected, Philly roared back, with a Jabari Walker and-one and a Jaylen Brown corner three with 12 seconds left to put the 76ers up by six. A pair of Kel’el Ware free throws trimmed Philadelphia’s lead to four at the half, though, up 64-60.

Milwaukee came back blazing in the third frame, with a Herro pull-up three in transition giving the Bucks a 67-66 lead just 90 seconds in. From there, it was back-and-forth. The visitors found a couple of nice shots out of pick-and-roll action as they looked to up the tempo. However, the Sixers found their groove from midrange, especially through Maxey and Brown, and soon led 78-72 with just over six minutes remaining. Milwaukee responded, closing the gap with hot shooting when AJ Green hit a triple to tie it at 82. From there, though, the Sixers slowly built a commanding lead; an in-traffic Jaylen Brown layup put them up eight, and Maxey’s last-second fadeaway over Ament helped the home team close out the penultimate quarter up 97-87.

Philly threatened to put the game beyond arm’s reach early in the final frame. Maxey’s driving layup past Kuzma gave the Sixers their largest lead of the game at 13, while Milwaukee looked stuck in mud. The Bucks stuck with it, though, and, through hustle and quick defensive rotations, trimmed the deficit to just six. Ware even converted an and-one that made the game a one-possession affair; however, a deep Brown three, followed by a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope transition bomb, all but buried the game. Embiid iced the contest with a one-handed jam that brought the Philly faithful to their feet, and the Bucks waved the white flag.

Stat That Stood Out

A more encouraging sign for Milwaukee: they grabbed 62 rebounds, 20 more than the Sixers. The Bucks also grabbed 17 O-boards, which turned into 20 second-chance points. Ware 13), Kuzma (12), and Jaquez (8) led the way for Milwaukee. For context, Milwaukee finished 28th in rebounds per game last year at 40.7.

Obscene Overreaction

Could Jenkins turn to Jericho Sims over Myles Turner on Monday against the Pacers? Turner managed zero points, five boards, three turnovers, and four fouls in 20 minutes tonight and has looked like a net negative for Milwaukee.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points, Jarrett Allen added 21 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their home opener, 125-121 over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night.

Evan Mobley added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who bounced back after blowing a 29-point lead in Thursday’s 114-106 season-opening loss at Philadelphia.

Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 28 points, Julius Randle scored 23 and Egor Demin 22, including 15 in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland was up by 17 with four minutes remaining before Brooklyn went on a 22-7 run to get within 123-121 with 8.1 seconds left on Porter’s fourth three-pointer of the night. Sam Merrill made a pair of free throws after Porter committed his sixth foul to put it out of reach.

A three-pointer by Jaylon Tyson gave the Cavaliers a 104-82 advantage with 9:29 remaining before the Nets started chipping away. Demin made three three-pointers during a 9-2 spurt over a 47-second span to get the Nets within 11 midway through the quarter.

The Cavaliers were 29 of 38 from the foul line, including 11 of 15 in the fourth quarter — and shot 50.6 percent from the floor. The Nets made only 40.2 percent of their shots from the field but were 23 of 27 from the line.

Cleveland was up 45-44 before taking control with a 23-9 during a five-minute span late in the second quarter behind five points apiece from Mobley, Allen and Proctor. Allen started the run with a three-pointer, only the 21st of his 10-year career.

Cleveland has won four of its last five home openers and extended its winning streak to eight games over Brooklyn.

Up next

Nets: Host the Indiana Pacers Sunday.

Cavaliers: Host the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday.

CLEVELAND — The Nets turned what looked like a blowout into a nail-biter.

One they came up just short in, erasing a huge deficit before falling 125-121 in Cleveland on Saturday night before 19,432 at Rocket Arena, including team owner Joe Tsai.

There may not be any moral victories in the NBA, but there is progress. And from their sorry season-opening loss, this was definitely a step.

“Just strung some stops together, just stopped doing the things that were just self-inflicted. Whether it was game plan mistakes, fouling, [giving up] offensive rebounds, stuff like that. Just clean up a bit of the little things and hopefully start winning some games,” Julius Randle said. “So, we’re right there. No moral victories, but we honestly are right there.”

The Nets trailed by 22 points with 9:11 left, and by 13 with just 2:05 to play. They got within two in the waning seconds, but never over the hump.

“We fought and we gave ourselves a chance. I’m proud of how the guys, a lot of times you’re down 20, whatever, and then you just stop fighting. And it was the whole group,” coach Jordi Fernández said. “Even though the shots were not going in at times, they kept swinging and swinging and swinging.

“That’s how you get it back. Proud of them. A lot of things we could’ve done better — all of us, from my positions to the players. But I like the way we’re trending. We’re trending in a way that in the first game, we didn’t play hard enough. If we would’ve played this way in Game 1, most likely would’ve had success. So, what I told the guys is take these two experiences, a three-possession game and a two-position game, and then put it together in the third game.”

This was light years better than their desultory opening loss to the Hornets.

Michael Porter Jr. had a game-high 28 points and nine rebounds, while Julius Randle added 23 points, six boards and five assists.

Most encouraging was the breakout from Egor Dëmin, who bounced back from a shaky opener with 22 points on 5-for-10 from deep with six assists. He had 15 in the fourth quarter, including three 3s in 47 seconds to spark a 12-2 blitz.

“It was important for us to find that extra effort and the positive energy and get away from the attitude, from not being able to execute certain things and convert the rhythm towards us,” said Dëmin, adding the late run “was more successful because we started to play our own game and we stopped letting them dictate us.”

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 22, while Jarrett Allen added 21.

The Cavaliers had blown a 29-point lead in losing their opener at Philadelphia, and the Nets nearly pulled off a similar rally.

Brooklyn trailed 104-82 after a Jaylon Tyson 3-pointer with 9:29 to play before storming back to pull within two.

Mikel Brown Jr. and Dëmin’s four-minute stint was their first together, with Brown hitting a pair of 3-pointers to start the rally.

Dëmin followed with three straight of his own.

The last, off a Randle feed, made it 108-97 with 7:01 to play.

“I see a lot of threats out there when you have Mikel and Julius and Mikel and Egor,” Fernández said. “The other team, they should be concerned with all these guys being able to score the ball. So it’s good. Now we have to grow together.”

Porter’s 3-pointer pulled the Nets within 123-121 with 8.1 seconds left.

But they couldn’t get over the hump.

“We need to have each other’s back more. In that fourth quarter, we were scrambling more. But a big thing is finishing possessions,” Porter said. “Keep this thing solid. We gambled some. We helped some where we didn’t need to help. We had a lot of lackadaisical moments. I had a couple moments. The guy back-doored me. … We just all got to be more solid on that end for sure, and then we’ll be all right.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers unfortunately had to stress down the stretch for a win in their home opener against the Brooklyn Nets.

Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Player of the game

Jarrett Allen

21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block

This was your standard Jarrett Allen game. A solid showing on both ends of the court that won’t always get the credit it deserves. Allen shot 7-for-8 and cleaned up a handful of plays in a game where every possession ended up mattering.

“I don’t know how many plays he made at the rim tonight that saved us,” said Kenny Atkinson after the game.

Grade: A-

Grades

Donovan Mitchell

22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers

Mitchell wasn’t as explosive at any point tonight as he was in the first half versus Philly, yet his presence was more evenly spread throughout this game. He is still working to avoid pressure, rather than fighting against the current. But old habits die hard.

Grade: C+

James Harden

12 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 turnovers

Harden didn’t shoot the ball particularly well in this game (1-8), but he played his old tricks in getting to the free-throw line on a four-point play — his only make of the first half.

Grade: D+

Evan Mobley

20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks

Mobley left a handful of scoring opportunities on the table by coming up blank at the rim. Still, his outside shooting (2-of-3 from deep) opened the floor in the first half. And good things happened any time he played with aggression.

This was a strong contender for player of the game. I gave Allen the nod only because of a few awkward possessions from Mobley down the stretch.

Grade: B+

Peyton Watson

11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers

Watson’s offensive fit in the starting five doesn’t look seamless, but it did feel better tonight than it did on Thursday. Hitting a pair of three-pointers in the first half helped in that regard — though he still has plenty of wrinkles to iron out.

His offensive foul late in the game was nearly a back-breaker.

Grade: C-

Jaylon Tyson

15 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers

Tyson’s outside shot has been a bit erratic to start the season. He airballed multiple three-pointers tonight, but still finished 3-for-7 from downtown.

His scoring off the bench was an overall positive, and he has budding chemistry with Hezonja. It still feels like there’s a more refined version of Tyson that’s waiting to emerge this season.

Grade: B–

Mario Hezonja

9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 turnovers

Hezonja is fitting right in with Cleveland. All of the ‘on-paper’ skills (size, playmaking, floor spacing and interior scoring) have become tangible right away.

That said, he does have to take better care of the ball. Cleveland is losing the possession battle, and 8 combined turnovers between Hezonja and Tyson aren’t going to cut it.

Grade: B

Sam Merrill

7 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds

It took Merrill 10 minutes of playing time before attempting a shot in this game. A rarity in the world of Money Merrill. But to absolutely no surprise, his first look was butter from the corner.

With that said, everyone involved has to make sure Merrill is attempting three-pointers at a far higher rate than this.

Grade: C-

Craig Porter Jr.

3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist

The Cavs will spend all season searching for a backup ball handler on their bench. Whether or not it’s a traditional point guard like Porter remains to be seen. His first few stints have yet to leave a lasting impact.

Grade: D+

Tyrese Proctor

5 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

This was the best game Proctor has played in the 2026-27 campaign (including preseason). It was a brief sign of life from a player who needs to make the most of the opportunity in front of him.

Grade: C+

San Antonio (1-2) capitalized on its hustle tonight by gathering 13 offensive rebounds, turning Dallas over (12 steals), and inreasing its intensity over the final two periods to generate enough separation and secure its first victory of the season 122-106. A Dallas lineup missing stars Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving found ample contributions from a mix of old and new contributors to keep the game interesting for three periods before the Spurs’ talent and experience took over.

Stephon Castle (19 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals) steadied the offense throughout an uneven first half, and his defense is what helped secure a comfortable lead in the third period and beyond. Devin Vassell (11 points and 6 rebounds) contributed from the get-go, which allowed Wembanyama (23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks), Fox (17 points and 7 assists), and Dylan Harper (22 points and 5 rebounds) to settle themselves before suffering too big of a deficit. San Antonio received solid enough and timely bench production from Keldon Johnson (7 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Julian Champagnie (12 points and 5 rebounds).

Dallas – recalling shades of its deep 2024 playoff run – relied on savvy support from old hands Daniel Gafford (12 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals) and PJ Washington (10 points and 4 rebounds) to build confidence of an upset well into the second half. Veteran Naji Marshall (10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) was crucial during the Mavericks’ first half burst. Sergio de Larrea (21 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) performed like prime Marco Belinelli and was often the best player on a floor full of more highly touted professionals, while Marcus Sasser (12 points and 5 assists) shot well from the field.

The non-Wembanyama starters contributed 13 of the Spurs’ first 14 points to stake them to a six-point lead. Dallas found a good amount of its output in the lane and benefitted from San Antonio’s hacking for several 3-point plays. Castle and Vassell put up 70+% of the Spurs’ output late in the stanza. San Antonio, however, shed so many points at a frightening rate at the other end, as nearly all of the Mavericks’ field goals came from inside the 3-point line. The Spurs were fortunate to be up 32-31 after 12 minutes.

Behind the exploits of de Larrea (4 baskets and 1 assists) over 5+ minutes of the second, Dallas repeatedly powered through the disinterested Spurs defense to go ahead by six. Wembanyama crafted a 90+ second highlight sequence of his own to whittle away the Mavericks’ advantage. Wembanyama’s brilliance coincided with a noticeable uptick in defensive intensity and crashing of the offensive boards to get San Antonio back in the dirver’s seat. Harper’s and-1 made it an 8-point Spurs lead going to the half.

San Antonio turned an engaged defense into a variety of transition opportunities to get its lead out past double digits to start the third. After the Mavericks’ reserve hit a transition three, the Dallas announcers decreed him ‘de la-trea.’ A closing push spearheaded by de Larrea and Marcus Sasser nearly ceded the hard-earned lead back to the Mavericks. Castle and Wembanyama hit enough shots to eke the Spurs back out ahead 92-89.

Observations

• Sequence of the Game #4: EVERYTHING TARRIS REED, JR. DID IN FIVE MINUTES OF PLAYING TIME!
• Tarris Reed, Jr. (6’11” 265 lb) playing time: He snagged his first rebound 70 seconds in, and his first basket occurred 15 seconds later! His second rebound extended a Spurs possession, which ended with a Champagnie three! (First offensive foul occurred 3 1/2 minutes in.)
• My favorite all-time #10 Spurs currently: #1 DeMar DeRozan, #2 Speedy Claxton, #3 Ron Brewer, #4 Louie Dampier, #5 Tarris Reed, Jr.
• The crunchtime five during the fourth quarter push: Wembanyama, Fox, Harper, Champagnie, Johnson.
• Highway 41: Late in the fourth, Fox took a feed Wembanyama, curled into the paint, and executed a lightning-fast lob to his center for an and-1.
• It was sobering to read that Risacher had only a two year window to make an impact for Atlanta and was jettisoned to Dallas.
• The introduction of the Dallas roster was reminiscent of the Charles Barkley ‘who he play for’ bits on Inside the NBA.
• The ambience inside American Airlines Center – despite my TV’s maximum volume – was funereal.
• The preferred meal of Final Scores so far: mediterranean food!
• Sequence of the Game #1: Partway in the first quarter, an energized Castle patiently bided his time deep in the Dallas paint on a lay-up, then in doing a Ginobili impression – swatted the ball out of a Mavs’ hands, and was gifted a Kornet outlet for a runaway dunk.
• Sequence of the Game #2: Late in the first half, and with Dallas thratening to blow the game wide open, Wembanyama slammed down a lob, turned away a de Larrea floater shortly after, spoonfed Keldon Johnson an outlet pass with purpose for an acrobatic finish, and knocked down a three in 100 seconds of game action.
• Seequence of the Game #3: Fox separated a Mavs big from a defensive rebound in the waning seconds of the half, and whipped a lefty pass through traffic to Harper for an and-1 to give the Spurs their biggest lead (8) to that point.

Game Rundown

The teams shot under 40% coming out of the gate. Fox followed a made three with a hideous airball. Castle battled a trio of Mavericks impressively to extend an early San Antonio possession. Wembanyama was involved in two careless possessions which resulted in turnovers. Vassell knocked down two straight shots and Castle followed with two more buckets of his own to push the Spurs ahead. A successive line of Mavs invaded the paint for their own scores. The Spurs whipped the ball around and through the Mavs’ zone to success for Castle (9) and Vassell (8). Bryant tipped in a carom in his first seconds of court time. San Antonio left a humdrum first quarter up one.

Champagnie saw his first three go down at the start of the second period, but de Larrea knocked down a couple of bankshots to draw Dallas even. An offensive foul drawn by Castle was challenged and overturned by Coach Dusty May. Lazy transition defense allowed de Larrea to toss a lob to Gafford that gave the Mavericks the lead back. Wembanyama woke up from an 18+ minute slumber to erase most of the deficit on his own, and Castle’s steal and slam combo put San Antonio back up. The rest of the half played out like a furious track meet with San Antonio maximizing their offensive chances. Fox provided the last opportunity of the half, as he knocked the ball away from a Mav and found Harper at the basket for an and-1 to make it 68-60 Spurs.

San Antonio forced turnovers on the Mavericks’ first two possessions of the third quarter. A minute later, Wembanyama turned away a Gafford turnaround which resulted in a shotclock violation. Scores by Castle and Harper increased the Spurs’ lead to double-digits for the first time. A Fox-to-Wembanyama lob made it 77-63 Spurs. But just as the viewing audience believed that they had finally figured it out, San Antonio settled for contested shots over several possessions. Two open jumpers from Marcus Sasser sandwiched around de Larrea’s second transition three of the quarter quickly made it a 2-point game. An out-of-bounds call on Dallas was challenged by May again and was overruled. de Larrea hit a baseline jumper to put the Mavericks back up. Buckets from Castle and Wembanyama put the Spurs up three going into the fourth.

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For the Mavericks fan’s perspective, please visit Mavs Moneyball.

After a strange 23 hour SEGABABA, San Antonio gets two days off before hosting Darius Acuff and the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, October 27 at 7:00 PM CDT.

The Dallas Mavericks’ (1-2) 2026-27 home opener on Saturday was supposed to be a special one. Just one night after first-year head coach Dusty May got the first NBA win of his career, 121-105 at the Indiana Pacers in something of personal homecoming, having grown up in nearby Bloomington, Friday’s game against the rival San Antonio Spurs (1-2) was supposed to be star guard Kyrie Irving’s first game back on the Mavs’ home floor in exactly 600 days.

Except Irving didn’t play — the team called it injury management, even though his recovery from the torn ACL he suffered on Mar. 3, 2025 against the Sacramento Kings was extended when last season went down the drain, in hopes that he would be 100% ready to go for the start of this year. The home crowd didn’t get the first look at second-year stud Cooper Flagg that they were promised, either, as Flagg was injured the night before, late in the first half of the win at the Pacers, on a hard flagrant foul in transition by Aaron Nesmith.

The Mavs fielded a bare-bones lineup against one of the best teams in the Western Conference at the American Airlines Center on Saturday, but still somehow made it a compelling game for three quarters before falling, 122-106, before a disappointed (announced) sell-out crowd. The likes of Zaccharie Risacher, Naji Marshall and PJ Washington were called upon to lead and rally the troops, but it was rookie Sergio de Larrea, an even more unlikely protagonist, who made things really interesting, finishing with a team-high 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting (3-of-4 from 3-point range).

“We apologize to the fans that they can’t see [Flagg and Irving] today,” team president Masai Ujiri said in a televised state media address alongside the MavsTV broadcast team in the second quarter. “Especially with Kyrie. It’s a back-to-back, four in six days, so it’s tough. But there’s something special between those two.”

The Mavericks couldn’t stop the Spurs’ swingman trio of Devin Vassell (eight points), Stephon Castle (nine points) and De’Aaron Fox (10 points) in the first quarter, employing a zone defense look for much of the frame as a clearly under-manned defensive unit. This wasn’t a strategic move. This was the only move on the board with the roster as constructed on Saturday.

But the Mavericks countered with contributions from everyone left on the roster. Marshall scored nine in the first. Washington and de Larrea each had six, and Dallas trailed just 39-37 at the end of one. The second quarter was just as pleasant a surprise, as the makeshift Mavericks defense was able to slow Victor Wembanyama & Co. as the lead see-sawed back and forth before halftime.

Let’s start with Larry

Larry scores his 21st point and puts the Mavs in the lead! pic.twitter.com/9wxqNmKd2C

— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) October 25, 2026

The sickos found their excitement for this game in the additional minutes that would surely be coming de Larrea’s way. The long and creative Spanish rookie was selected 25th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, then found his way to Dallas in a four-team draft-day trade. He turned heads first with six points and a pair of assists in the first quarter before finessing home a teardrop over Victor Wembanyama midway through the second. He shot 5-of-6 from the field in the first half after looking timid in his first NBA appearance in Wednesday’s 128-110 loss at the Houston Rockets.

MavsTV color commentator Devin Harris coined the nickname Sergio de La-trea after de Larrea connected on his first 3-pointer of the game with 28 seconds left in the first half to pull Dallas to within 63-60. We usually would pay no mind to the silly nicknames the talking heads pat themselves on the back for coming up with, but that one feels like it might have a little staying power. De Larrea led the Mavs with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting (1-of-1 from 3-point range) and three dimes in the first half. His alley-ooping assist to Daniel Gafford streaking to the cup in transition with 7:34 left in the second was a thing of beauty, too.

Larry and Sasser making a HUGE IMPACT from deep! pic.twitter.com/OvRNSSIleE

— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) October 25, 2026

De Larrea was the first Maverick off the bench, as May continued to substitute with vigor in the third game of the year. He came off the bench just three minutes into the third quarter and hit two more big 3-balls as the Mavs chipped away at what had grown to a 14-point Spurs lead. He followed up his 11-point second-quarter effort with eight more in the third quarter, and the Mavericks cut the San Antonio lead to 92-89 entering the fourth.

Gafford leaves late in second, twice

Gafford limped to the locker room with five minutes left in the second quarter after knocking knees with Castle. He started at center against the Spurs and had gathered eight points and five rebounds to that point. The play after de Larrea’s teardrop over Wembanyama, Gafford pulled down an offensive board, pump faked then dunked through the 7’5” gargantuan and let out one of his barbaric yawps after securing the much taller Wembanyama on his back hip.

He came back onto the floor with under two minutes before halftime, but picked up his fourth foul right before halftime. Like, right before halftime. There were three seconds left on the clock, and Gafford half-assed a challenge against a driving Dylan Harper on what turned into a three-point play that let the air out of the Mavs’ tires before the break. San Antonio led 68-60 at the break.

But May went back to Gafford to start the third quarter, and he immediately blocked Wembanyama’s fading attempt in transition a minute into the second half. He was much more active on both ends against the Spurs than he was a season ago. His patter and chemistry with de Larrea reminded me almost of the way he played off of … never mind, I don’t want to invoke that name.

Down the stretch

The effort from this rag-tag bunch of Mavericks was admirable, but you always felt like the Spurs were lying in wait, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. They marshaled the necessary firepower, but wouldn’t stop playing with their food.

Two-way signee Walter Clayton Jr. knocked down a nice little side-step 3-pointer early in the frame to cut the Spurs’ lead to 103-94. But from there, the Spurs took control over the last 8:30 of the game. The shorthanded Mavs simply ran out of gas. The game became one of those losses with a lot of good takeaways after San Antonio put together an 11-2 run over the next four minutes to extend the lead to 115-96.

The Spurs held the Mavs to just seven points in the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter to turn a surprisingly close game into a messy mathematical blowout late. Washington, Gafford and Marcus Sasser chipped in 12 points apiece for Dallas in the loss, while Wembanyama finished with a game-high 23 points and seven boards for San Antonio in the win.

The Cleveland Cavaliers built another big lead and nearly maintained it the whole way in a 125-121 win over the Brooklyn Nets. It wasn’t until the final few minutes that this game became tighter than it had any business being.

There’s much to point to. A lofty 23 turnovers are the starting point. Empty possessions when you have an opportunity to hammer the final nail in the coffin are another. Either way you cut it, the Cavs are off to a sloppy start this season.

Evan Mobley began the game strong with a pair of three-pointers and a smooth bucket in the paint during the opening quarter. Similar to opening night in Philly, Jarrett Allen joined Mobley for an eight-point quarter to begin tonight’s game. The Cavs have made it a point of emphasis to involve their bigs early.

Allen even hit his first three-pointer since December of 2025.

Cleveland enjoyed better three-point shooting overall. They shot just 7-for-29 in their season opener, but began tonight 10-of-17 from deep in the first. Things certainly feel better when the ball is going through the hoop.

The Cavs rode that hot shooting to a 14-point lead going into halftime. Mobley and Allen led the team in scoring with 13 points each.

As mentioned, the final minutes became helter-skelter. The Cavs allowed the Nets to creep back into the game by forcing turnovers and slowing Cleveland’s offense to a halt. The Cavaliers turned it over eight times in the quarter while Brooklyn nailed eight three-pointers.

Their 22-point lead was whittled to two points with under 10 seconds to play. It was a near disaster that, in all honesty, still has lingering effects despite the Cavs holding on.

The Nets were led in scoring by Michael Porter Jr. with 28 points, while Julius Randle and Egor Demin combined for 43 points.

Despite all that, the Cavs got their first win of the season and are now 1-1. They host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.

The Sixers passed their first test without LeBron James, holding on to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 127-116 Saturday night.

Joel Embiid had a big second half offensively, leading the Sixers with 28 points shooing 8-of-20 from the field and posting a triple-double with 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Jaylen Brown had a strong outing on his 30th birthday, going for 27 points and five assists on 9-of-19 shooting.

VJ Edgecombe finally got some three-balls to go down and made some big plays on the glass, finishing with 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting with 13 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey had his most modest night of the season with 26 points and four assists. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the Bucks with 21.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• The Sixers tried to get the new guy up to speed as quick as possible, finding Dean Wade open in the corner on the first possession of the night. He drilled the three for his first Sixers points. Embiid threw a behind-the-back bounce pass to Edgecombe who hit a much-needed three off his own as the Sixers got off to a 10-1 start. They seemed to be having fun early, even if Maxey’s lob attempt was too high for Edgecombe.
• Milwaukee’s dribble penetration got them started. They scored 12 of their first 13 points in the paint. The Sixers were finishing possessions fairly well, but Jaquez is always able to fly in there and grab a putback or two a quarter against this team.
• Edgecombe had played great complementary basketball so far, but he had only made one three-pointer over the first two games of the season. He hit three in the opening quarter — two of them were impressively made as he was still very much nursing a shot to the groin he took a few possessions earlier.

Joel Embiid with the behind-the-back dime to VJ Edgecombe for three! pic.twitter.com/AN2B1kghu8

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) October 24, 2026

• It wasn’t a huge shock Labaron Philon Jr. didn’t play in the Sixers first two games, but it was still good to see him check in early in this one. He got an open three for his first NBA shot attempt but the good look didn’t fall. His first 3:11 shift was pretty quiet with Maxey out there running the point and Brown getting into a groove of his own. Kyle Kuzma put Adem Bona on a nasty poster, but Maxey banking in a half court kept the Sixers up nine after one.

TYRESE MAXEY. BANK SHOT FROM THE LOGO. pic.twitter.com/w2CzY1U3j9

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) October 25, 2026

Second Quarter

• Two quick threes from the Bucks started a 15-2 run to take their first lead of the night. The Sixers missed some open jumpers during this stretch, but got swatted away on a couple attempts to drive to the basket. Bona had another rough stint, picking up two quick fouls while not stopping any of the Bucks’ challengers at the rim.
• Upon returning to the game Embiid earned a trip to the line and knocked down a midrange to stop the bleeding, but the offense felt like it was falling into stagnation. They made just two of their first 15 shots, with a lot of those looks inside the arc getting bottled up.
• Ironically, it was one of the better halves the Sixers have had so far shooting the three, making 10-of-24 attempts. It helped them hang around through shaky play because everything the Bucks were getting was coming from inside the arc.

top of the key for three: pic.twitter.com/ZAiAaZtBPT

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 25, 2026

• Coming out of a timeout, the Sixers forced a loose ball that made it’s way to Brown, who threw a gorgeous full-court bounce pass to Maxey to complete the fast break. Embiid was then able to steal the ball as the Bucks were trying to get out of the backcourt and made a nice find to a cutting Jabari Walker, who’s layup drew a foul.

TURNING DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE x2 pic.twitter.com/U79e3i5Q6b

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) October 25, 2026

• Brown drilled another three from the corner, but they surrendered a second-chance opportunity to Ryan Rollins and put Kel’el Ware at the line with five seconds left in the half. The Bucks had a 13-8 edge in second-chance points and a 19-5 advantage in fast break points, but they trailed the Sixers by four at the half.

Third Quarter

• Brown was able to draw Myles Turner’s fourth foul of the night on a drive to the basket, but Edgecombe picked up his fourth just as quickly trying to get around a screen and was subbed out. A couple baskets from Tyler Herro put the Bucks on the seesaw with the Sixers early in the half.
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was favoring his back after a play in the first quarter and did a bit again after drawing an offensive foul in the third. It will be worth keeping tabs on if that impacts his availability for the second half of this back-to-back.
• Giving the ball to one of their stars has already got the Sixers’ offense out of quite a few pinches already this season. All three of Embiid, Maxey and Brown were able to get themselves a bucket as they struggled to get separation. A couple quick threes and Ware stripping Embiid for a fast break bucket kept Milwaukee right on their tails.

Jaylen Brown is absolutely cooking tonight, leading the floor with 22 points on 7-13 FG, 2-4 3PT shooting so far (midway through Q3) 🔥 pic.twitter.com/cHUp1cUN7x

— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) October 25, 2026

• The moments of ball movement they did get looked really good when it did happen. Embiid chucked a pass over his head to hit Brown in the corner, who swung it one more time to KCP who buried another three. Coming out of that timeout rookie Nate Ament missed a pair of free throws to give the fans free chicken for the second straight game.
• It’s worth nothing that after that timeout Nick Nurse went to Walker at the five instead of Bona. Walker seemed to tweak his ankle quickly into his shift. He was able to tough it out to split the pair at the line to remain eligible in the game, but subbed right out and went to the locker room. Maxey hit a beautiful stepback midrange to give the Sixers a 10-point lead after the third.

Fourth Quarter

• It seemed like the Sixers wanted to put this one away as quickly as they could. After another nice driving basket from Brayden Burries, Anfernee Simons drilled a three for his first field goal of the night, then Maxey got all the way to the cup, prompting a Bucks timeout. Edgecombe, back after having to sit most of the third, drilled his fourth three of the night coming out of the timeout.

👌👌 pic.twitter.com/Ks0GzUnry8

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 25, 2026

• After the home opener Nick Nurse made a mention of how much he’s like Embiid getting to loose balls this season, and it has been noticeable how many more 50/50 balls he’s getting to this season. He had four offensive rebounds in this one. An Embiid that’s focused on winning those possessions is just as important as his dynamic scoring ability, which was also on display through the middle of the fourth.
• Offensively the Sixers put themselves in a good position to pull away with the game, but their defense had begun to slip. So much so that they called a timeout when the Bucks cut it to an eight-point game with four minutes to go. They used that to bring Maxey back in but also had to use that time to steal Embiid a bit of rest on the bench.
• Nurse went small with Wade at the five to give Embiid that breather. Wade drew a foul shooting a three and didn’t seem to land comfortably at all. He went on to miss two of three at the line. Brown had a three that would have stopped the bleeding rim out halfway down. Embiid checked back into a six-point game with two and half to go with Jaquez drawing Edgecombe’s fifth foul of the game.
• Fumbling away an offensive rebound led to a Ware putback that drew Embiid’s fourth foul and cut it to a one-possession game. Edgecombe was able to grab the missed midrange by Embiid and Brown was able to knock down the open three this time. Edgecombe was also able to brush past Embiid picking up a cheap fifth foul by stealing the ball from Jaquez, pushing it up for a KCP three in transition and putting this one to bed.

A MASSIVE effort sequence from VJ Edgecombe who may have just secured the win for the Sixers.

On one end, a huge offensive board that leads to a triple. On the other, a steal that leads to a transition 3. pic.twitter.com/Ntre14E7Jd

— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) October 25, 2026

The Warriors are already short-handed.

In the second game of the season, Golden State deployed two-way player Graham Ike as their starting center against the Grizzlies. Seth Curry, brother of Steph Curry, weighed in on the grim situation as the Warriors began the campaign with back-to-back losses.

“With all due respect to Ike. A 2-way starting for the dubs in game 2 is tough,” Seth wrote in a post on Threads.

Seth spent the 2025-26 season with the Warriors, but was limited to 10 games because of ongoing injuries. Golden State missed the playoffs last year and the current state of the roster doesn’t bode well for the team’s chances of making a deep postseason run this season.

The Warriors extended center Kristaps Porzingis this offseason to a two-year, $40 million deal, which seemingly secured the team’s primary big man. However, Porzingis is dealing with an undisclosed health issue and is out indefinitely.

Along with Porzingis, the Warriors have been without big man Charles Bassey and Al Horford, who is managing back issues. The fanbase was critical of the front office’s lack of moves this offseason, but the absence of so many key players has evidently affected the Warriors’ play to start the season.

Darius Garland and the Los Angeles Clippers struggled to keep control of the ball throughout their crosstown rivalry game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Oct. 23.

The Lakers (2-0) capitalized on those mistakes by the Clippers (1-1) and earned a 125-117 victory at Crypto.com Arena.

The Clippers gave up 26 turnovers, including nine by Garland. It was a drastic increase from the 17 turnovers the team had in the 121-96 season-opening victory over the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 21.

The Clippers finished the first quarter against the Lakers with a 31-27 lead but had eight turnovers take place during that period.

The Clippers had only allowed nine total turnovers in the first half against the Kings.

Clippers crumbled vs Lakers

Lue’s team crumbled in the third quarter against the Lakers, giving up 10 turnovers and were outscored 39-26.

“We had to be better,” Lue said. “They did a couple things, but we got to take care of the basketball.

“You can’t play against a good team and turn it over 26 times and expect to win the game. We fought, we played hard, but we didn’t play smart.”

The Lakers scored 33 points off those turnovers.

The Clippers will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder, the toughest test for the team so far this season, on Sunday, Oct. 25.

Through the first two games of the season, the Thunder have proven to have players that could generate turnover opportunities.

The Thunder forced 13 turnovers, including three steals by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, during their NBA Finals rematch against the San Antonio Spurs to open the season.

The Thunder improved to 2-0 on the season after Ajay Mitchell and Cason Wallace combined for nine steals against the Denver Nuggets, who turned the ball over 22 times.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Clippers have glaring issue to fix before Thunder game, 'We didn’t play smart'

Let’s open the season at home on a much different note than that first game.

If you don’t have the SB Nation app, it comes in real handy for Game Threads. Just sayin’! You’ll see our team commenting more during the game now. Why? Because we have the app!

If you haven’t downloaded the SB Nation app yet, now is the time.

Game Threads are so much better in the app, and with Suns basketball back, you’re going to want to be there with us!

📱 iOS: https://t.co/rlWLl9wrHL

📱 Android: https://t.co/4XngVKJDjK

— Bright Side of the Sun (@BrightSideSun) October 5, 2026

The Lakers (2-0) head to Salt Lake City where they will face the Utah Jazz (1-1) on Sunday afternoon.

The purple and gold will take on a Jazz team that’s coming off a thrilling one-point over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz

When: 2 p.m. PT, Oct 25

Where: Delta Center

Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet

---

Over the past few seasons, the Lakers and Jazz have built a strong working relationship on the trade market.

The trend started in 2022, when Los Angeles sought a point-of-attack defender and acquired Patrick Beverley for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson. That season — which was Westbrook’s second year with the Lakers — was such a disaster that, at the trade deadline in 2023, the Jazz stepped in to facilitate a three-team deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The trade sent Westbrook to Utah and brought D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to Los Angeles.

Importantly, the Jazz also played an instrumental role in bringing Luka Dončić to Los Angeles by being the third team that acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino and draft assets to help give the Lakers flexibility to do the trade. Apparently, current Jazz CEO Danny Ainge had no idea he was helping the Lakers acquire Dončić was which was incredibly hilarious.

It doesn’t stop there. In the offseason, the Jazz also helped the Lakers land their biggest offseason signing by trading Walker Kessler.

Suffice it to say, both teams have helped shape each other into what they are today.

Thank you for Walker, Utah!

Two games into the season, Kessler is showing why Dončić wanted to play with him. Not only has he quickly become the team’s defensive anchor but also the perfect big alongside Dončić and Austin offensively. While it’s too early to draw any firm conclusions, the Lakers’ willingness to give up a substantial package for the 25-year-old center is already looking more justified.

WALKER KESSLER DOES IT AGAIN 🚨

After going 12-12 from the field with 10 dunks (most by a Laker since Shaq) in his debut, @WalkerKessler13 delivered a dominant all-around performance to push LA to 2-0!

22 PTS | 10-14 FGM | 8 REB | 3 STL | 6 BLK pic.twitter.com/3wGnS6oG6V

— NBA (@NBA) October 24, 2026

On Sunday, Kessler returns to the city he called home for four years. There’s no doubt that Jazz head coach Will Hardy will know how to game plan against him best, so it’s going to be interesting to see how that goes.

Kessler’s return will for sure be the headline of the afternoon.

Utah will be L.A.’s toughest opponent yet

There’s something about a 2 p.m. tip-off in Utah that screams trap game. While it’s only right to expect this Lakers team to avoid the trap, they’ll still be presented with a challenge. Facing a Jazz team this early in the season — when they’re not exactly motivated to tank yet — will be tougher than facing the Golden State Warriors and L.A. Clippers.

Aside from George and Collier, the Jazz have this year’s second overall pick in Darryn Peterson and last year’s fifth overall pick in Ace Bailey. In the frontcourt, former Defensive Player of the Year awardee Jaren Jackson Jr. is off to a productive start this season. This Jazz team has promising young talent and a frontcourt that can create matchup problems for opponents.

That said, while the Jazz have plenty of offensive firepower, their defense remains a concern. They surrendered 123 points in their season opener against the Grizzlies, including 23 in transition alone. In their win over the Pelicans, they blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead. There are clear weaknesses the Lakers can exploit, and that’s where their superior talent should give them the edge.

Ideally, the Lakers enter this match with the same sense of urgency that they’ve had over the last two games. Dončić should be in line for a bounce-back outing while hopefully Reaves and Kessler carry their momentum into this matchup. L.A.‘s role players also have the talent advantage so that should be the case in this match.

Let’s see if the Lakers can secure their first road win of the season and make Kessler’s return to Utah a special one on Sunday.

Notes and Updates

• On Dončić and Reaves, both had a total of 17 turnovers in the win against the Clippers. Look for both team to improve on that versus the Jazz.
• For the Lakers’ injury report, Cameron Carr (right Oblique strain) and Adou Thiero (left knee effusion) remain out.
• Jake LaRavia, who was out last game due to a right ankle sprain, is no longer in it which means he’s cleared to play on Sunday.
• As for the Jazz, Jusuf Nurkic (right second plantar plate tear) is out.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

CLEVELAND — Surrendering a 29-point lead in the season opener to a conference rival wasn’t exactly how the Cleveland Cavaliers drew up the start of their season.

“It sucks, it’s frustrating,” Mario Hezonja said two days after the loss.

As maddening as that loss was for the Cavs — especially after how last season ended against the New York Knicks — being able to play with leads is a skill. And it’s a skill that is becoming more important to learn in a league that large comebacks are seemingly more common than ever. The Detroit Pistons erased a 22-point deficit to defeat the Boston Celtics on opening day. And the Knicks and Indiana Pacers had incredible success the last two postseasons due in part to their ability to overcome large deficits.

Practically speaking, there’s two reasons why we’re seeing teams surrender leads.

“Live-ball turnovers are up, and three-point variance,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said when asked why we’re seeing more comebacks.

“That’s the NBA. People shoot so many threes, so you got a lot of variance. You got the turnovers, and you got the rebounding. It all equals a possession game.”

Atkinson used Thursday’s game as an example of that. In the first half, the Philadelphia 76ers had eight more turnovers than the Cavs. In the second half, the Cavs had 13 more giveaways than the Sixers. “You lose the possession game, now they got more opportunities. Now a big lead can evaporate.”

There’s also a mental component to playing with a lead that the Cavs need to master.

“There’s a ton of a particular mental training that you have to have for that,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said when asked about playing with a lead. “I think when people look at leads, they automatically think you are the sole reason why a team is up big when in reality the other team is just as much a culprit of why they’re down 22 as to why you’re up 22. So I think it’s a dual relationship to a lead.”

The Cavs are trying to change how they view leads like this.

“Just because you have a 30, 20 point lead doesn’t mean anything really,” Hezonja said. “You got to treat it as a 10-point lead or no lead at all mentally.”

Another theory for why we’re seeing more blown leads could be tied to the stakes of the game as well. Playoff games and opening night mean more than your run-of-the-mill January game.

“I think when they’re meaningful games, you have to focus and really execute, and it’s just not an easy thing,” Brooklyn Nets head coach Fernández said.

Poor execution in the second half is to blame for the lost lead to the 76ers. Particularly when the Sixers increased pressure on the ball handler. The Cavs went away from what was working.

“They changed the matchups a little bit, and we should have exposed it and used it against them,” Hezonja said. “But it turned out that they slowed us down and we kind of went away from Evan [Mobley] and Jarett [Alen] paint touches.”

Atkinson summed up this problem in one sentence: “Pass to the open man.”

“Don’t fight pressure, go away from pressure,” Atkinson said. “Sometimes going away from pressure means throwing it to your buddy who’s wide open, and then you gain the advantage that way. But if you try to fight pressure, you can turn it over. So that was a big part of our film session — pass to the open man.”

The Cavs are hoping to use the frustrating opening-night loss as something they can grow from. This isn’t the only time they will have a big lead against a strong opponent in a high-leverage game. And they might not be able to afford a loss in that game like they were on Thursday.

“I’m glad that we got that out of the way because there’s things that we implemented in practice in the 36 hours since,” Peyton Watson said, “and we’re going to be better.”