In a really disappointing opening NBA Cup game, the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the injury-ravaged Toronto Raptors 121-107. The only real positive to come out of the night was Brayden Burries’ breakout game (as I predicted!): he scored a career-high 21 points on 8/14 shooting, plus 11 rebounds (five offensive) and six assists. For the Raptors, second-year man Alijah Martin went off for a career-high 27 points on 6/7 from deep.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

The Bucks got off to a blinding start, leading 15-4 after five minutes largely thanks to Brayden Burries, who was electric as a rebounder to kick this one off; Burries had a maniacal five rebounds in the first four minutes, two of which came on the offensive glass. Unfortunately, Myles Turner picked up two quick fouls, which meant early minutes for Kel’el Ware; and while Ware did some good things, the Raptors seemed perfectly content leaving him open from three, and the Bucks’ offence stalled when he kept missing. Before long, it was a one-possession game after Alijah Martin nailed three spot-up triples in short order. Thankfully, Ryan Rollins scored five points in the final two minutes to put the Bucks up 29-24 after one.

Burries opened the second with a baseline hammer, followed by a Rollins and-one to push Milwaukee’s lead out to eight. The Bucks knuckled down on defence for the next few minutes, and a Burries mid-range jumper forced the Raptors to call a timeout as the home side led by double digits about halfway through the period. After going scoreless in the first quarter for the third straight game, Tyler Herro finally began to heat up in the second, nailing a step-back jumper against the waning shot clock and making some great interior passes. Burries was fantastic, nailing his first three to reach a career-high 15 points (on 7/10 shooting) with just over two minutes left in the first half! Much to Milwaukee’s dismay, though, Toronto closed on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to single digits, 60-51, at the major break.

The Bucks began the third lethargic, unable to generate good shots as the Raptors opened on an 11-4 run. Milwaukee was getting by on ticky-tack foul calls, while Toronto was running smooth offence. The visitors took their first lead at the six-minute mark after another Martin triple, but Herro and Jaquez responded with threes of their own to take it back; a transition lob to Nate Ament a few plays later capped Milwaukee’s 10-2 run and forced the Raptors timeout. Of course, the visitors responded in a flash with a 6-0 spurt as Jenkins called a timeout. Both teams mostly held serve from there on out, with a late AJ Green bomb bringing the Bucks to within two, 89-87, after three quarters.

The Bucks began the fourth like the third: unfocused and lethargic. With Herro taking a break, Rollins assumed point guard duties and did not do a good job, as he threw a reckless whip pass to Turner in the middle of the floor; the Raptors then went down the other end to grab their own rebound and find Martin for his fifth three of the night to add to his career high—really disappointing stuff. Jenkins had to sub Herro back in much earlier than (I assume) he wanted to, as the Bucks went down seven, but thankfully, AJ Green kept them in it with timely threes. Milwaukee made a few runs but could not execute (on either end) when they needed to, losing in ugly fashion to a depleted Raptors outfit.

Stat That Stood Out

Before AJ Green’s three at the buzzer, the Bucks had scored just 17 points in the fourth. The physical Raptors defence had completely strangled them.

Obscene Overreaction

Myles Turner would beat out pillows, butter, and kittens for the softest things on this earth.

The Lakers recently sent two of their youngest players to their G League affiliate.

Rookie Cameron Carr and third-year guard Bronny James are on assignment with the Coachella Valley Lakers. Lakers coach JJ Redick revealed the messaging he shared with Carr and James on the decision.

“You guys need reps, and you need to play,” Redick said.

Cameron Carr and Bronny James will rejoin the team for the upcoming three-game trip at Detroit, Atlanta and Milwaukee, per JJ Redick. https://t.co/FstOHJ6TLY

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) November 7, 2026

The Lakers’ No. 24 overall draft pick began the season with an oblique injury but made his NBA debut last Sunday against the Raptors. Since then, Carr has played a minute in a total of three games.

James, whose $2.3 million contract was fully guaranteed in the offseason, has competed in five games this season and totaled 2.4 minutes.

As bench players, Carr and James evidently haven’t received much playing time as the Lakers continue their strong start to the season. Given their limited minutes, the Lakers’ decision to send them to Coachella Valley allows the pair to get the reps they haven’t received at the NBA level.

That’s not to say Carr and James won’t contribute to the team as the season goes on.

The guards are set to rejoin the Lakers for their upcoming three-game road trip to Detroit, Atlanta and Milwaukee.

When Joe Tsai bought a 49% stake in the Brooklyn Nets in 2017, he and longtime investment partner Ollie Weisberg saw value in the NBA’s “limited” supply of teams and the growing market for live sports — starting in Brooklyn. Opportunities to buy into the league are rare, let alone to own one of two teams in the country’s largest market.

“We wanted to invest in sports because we think it’s a phenomenal financial investment,” Weisberg told Barron’s Patti Domm in a recent interview. “We believe that live sports is extremely unique. Live sports bring people together.”

Weisberg graduated from Harvard, where he studied international development economics and Chinese before writing his thesis on Russian and Chinese privatization. He later joined Goldman Sachs where he worked on the firm’s original Series A investment in Alibaba and negotiated the term sheet with Tsai. After a decade working for Ken Griffin of investment giant Citadel, he reunited with Tsai to build Blue Pool Capital. And when Tsai bought into the Nets, Weisberg joined him as a minority owner and vice chair of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment.

Their new partnership was rooted in the changing economics of live sports.

“We believed that we would ride along with the growth of media rights, which primarily, five, 10, 15 years ago were in cable. But as you know, we’ve had a shift to OTT (over-the-top distribution) on your phone through streaming, and so we believed that would grow. That was a long-term bet on that trend. Then you layer in the concept of buying an asset where there is fixed supply. There were only 30 [NBA] teams.

“We believed that Brooklyn is a massively growing part of New York City,” he told Domm. “The team went from Jersey to Brooklyn back in 2012. We were very focused on how we could participate long term in owning control of a team. It’s not that often that control deals are on the table. We actually bought the team from Mikhail Prokhorov in two tranches. It allowed us to wade in as a minority shareholder at 49% and then ultimately take control,” Weisberg said.

The two believed their experience building businesses could help improve the franchise.

“We felt that we could bring our expertise and history of building businesses to turn the team around, both on the court and off the court businesswise,” Weisberg said. While the partnership has yet to produce a title for the Nets, the Liberty won the WNBA championship two years ago and the value of the franchise has more than doubled, per Sportico, going from $3.3 billion in 2019 to an estimated $7.4 billion this year. In addition, the Liberty’s valuation is now seen at more than $600 million, dozens of times greater than the estimated $14 million the Tsais paid James Dolan for it in 2019.

That Brooklyn investment was never intended as a short-term play, said Weisberg. But that doesn’t mean the Tsais are opposed to bringing in outside investors. In 2024, they sold a minority stake in Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Nets, Liberty and Barclays Center, to Julia Koch and her family. Tsai remained chairman of BSE Global and governor of the Nets with Weisberg as the alternate governor.

“We view the Brooklyn Nets as a family asset, and so we capitalize in making it worth more, right? But we’re not capitalizing by looking to sell it,” he said.

Increasing a team’s value also means improving the experience for fans. Weisberg pointed to owners who have invested in the product around the game.

“There have been owners that have taken teams — and we’d like to think we’re part of this group — that have made the product better, made the experience better: the food, the wine, the venues, the club space. That drives higher revenue, more money, therefore more value. I would think of this as a circular reference. Obviously, more funds get attracted, more funds get raised, and team values go up. So, the answer to your question is, unabashedly, yes. It is an asset class that has arrived.”

The Nets and Barclays Center is investing more than $150 million in renovations over five years, part of it financed with the $688 million the Kochs paid for the minority piece. The latest phase, announced in October, includes a redesigned atrium, a 9,000-square-foot event-level club and a new American Express entrance and lounge.

Technology is another part of that effort.

In September, the Nets announced a multiyear partnership with Alibaba as their official technology and cloud partner. The deal includes 360-degree replay technology and the Nets Figure Lab.

The arena and technology investments are part of a broader approach to sports ownership that extends beyond Brooklyn. Among other sports assets, Blue Pool Capital’s portfolio includes a three percent stake in the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and SailGP, an international sailing league founded by Larry Ellison, the founder of tech giant Oracle. Last year, Bloomberg estimated that Tsai’s sports investments were nearly equal to the value of his stock in Alibaba.

“We’re looking at Formula One. We have quite a lot of activity in lacrosse. I get decks (investment proposals) on new teams and leagues every day… Soccer is an area we’ll look at. It’s about understanding the league, and then understanding which team, like we did with the Brooklyn Nets,” Weisberg said.

That approach also applies to the market surrounding a team. Weisberg pointed to Blue Pool’s investment in the Miami Dolphins, where the opportunity extended beyond the football franchise itself. 

“We’re really happy with Miami, and Miami’s really interesting because it owns four assets. It owns The Miami Dolphins, the Hard Rock Stadium, the Formula One race, and the Miami Open. We took a view that the economic development of Miami would also propel ticket sales across all those assets. 

Of course, the Knicks’ success has added another dimension to the competition for basketball fans in New York, but Weisberg said the rivalry is something the organization welcomes.

“I would tell you that this fires us up. We want to compete. It’s great for New York. I’m originally a New Yorker. We’re all New Yorkers, but it is getting us fired up to compete,” Weisberg said.

He also described the relationship between NBA owners as a balance between competition and cooperation.

“One of the things that’s beautiful about the NBA is off the court, we’re business partners. On the court, we compete. A lot of the media rights are shared by the owners. So, when the Knicks won, I’m happy and thrilled for my partner, Jim Dolan, but it’s just going to make us that much more fired up to compete.”

Building the Nets’ audience is another long-term part of the investment. Weisberg said the organization is looking to attract New Yorkers who do not already have a team while developing a connection with younger generations through its community work. The process, he added, won’t be simple or short.

“Strategically, we’re looking at bringing over the marginal 40- or 50-year-old that doesn’t have a team. And then we’re looking through our community work, through our Brooklyn basketball community organization, which includes basketball camps, to long term build a fan base. This is a poignant nuance.

“Building a franchise takes decades. Joe and I are prepared to take the time to do that. When we view ourselves as stewards of the Brooklyn Nets, that’s the mentality you have to have. You may know, during COVID, the early days, we paid all our hourly workers before anybody else did. We’re a community asset,” Weisberg said.

The organization’s Brooklyn Basketball programming has reached more than 50,000 young people annually through free clinics and school programming. The program is also expanding into Greenpoint, Bushwick and Gowanus in 2027.

Weisberg used the word “asset” 11 times in his answers to Barron’s. He described sports as an asset class, NBA franchises as fixed-supply assets, the Nets as a family asset and the organization as a community asset.

Those ideas aren’t mutually exclusive. They see the Nets as a valuable investment, but one whose value also depends on what they build in and around it — a better fan experience, a stronger connection to Brooklyn and a fanbase that can grow over generations.

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The Dallas Mavericks bounced back with a home win over the Utah Jazz, 112-100. Cooper Flagg led an all-around team performance with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists to go along with three steals and a block. Lauri Markkanen scored 24 for the Jazz in defeat.

The Mavericks looked spry early, pushing the Jazz and jumping to an 8-3 lead. Flagg’s activity in particular stood out; during one sequence, he saved the ball out of bounces on the Jazz side of the court, throwing it to Kyrie Irving, only to sprint the floor and put Irving’s missed three through the basket on a tip in. The Jazz rallied back to tie the game at 15 just before the six minute mark, forcing a Dallas timeout. The offensive pace slowed way down the rest of the frame, with a Jazz hot shooting start cooling off some. Markkanen rained from downtown, taking eight threes and making four, but also picked up two fouls in his minutes. Dallas found themselves behind 28-26 after one quarter of play.

The Dallas defense struggled in the second quarter; with the bench unit in action, the Mavericks gave up basket after basket and Utah built an eight point lead. Dribble penetration kills Dallas this season, with no player seemingly able to stay in front of their man for more than a dribble. Santi Aldama got his first minutes in a Dallas uniform and immediately scored on the offensive glass. The Mavericks slowly worked themselves back into the game. PJ Washington kept a scorching offensive start going through the second, hitting his fifth three-pointer of the half and scoring 22 to pace Dallas. The Jazz kept pace, and the game entered halftime tied, 57-57

Quarter three was outstanding for the Mavericks. Cooper Flagg found his rhythm early and never let up, and Morez Johnson Jr. showed his pedigree in a big way, playing stellar defense, rebounding, and helping
Dallas take control of the game. It may well have been his best stretch as a professional. The offensive rebounding and second-chance points proved pivotal to Dallas, and they ended up taking an 89-76 lead into the final frame.

While the Jazz did attempt to mount a run in the fourth, at one point going on a 10-2 run, the Dallas Mavericks decided to close the door early. Dallas kept the pressure on, pushing after misses and makes and held off the Utah Jazz in a very satisfying performance.

Rebounding problems? What rebounding problems?

A couple of days after the Spurs made Dallas look like a youth basketball team on the glass, Dallas thumped the Jazz on the glass at both ends. Led by Morez Johnsons’s hilarious 17 rebounds (10 on the offensive end), the Mavericks managed to control both ends of the floor without having a stellar shooting game. The Mavericks shot under 30% from three and under 45% from the floor and still bodied the Jazz badly in this contest.

So now it’s question worth asking: was or is Dallas a bad rebounding team or did Dallas simply have to play the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs a total of four times in their first seven games? I suspect the answer is somewhere in the middle, but it’s nice to see that they CAN rebound the basketball.

PJ Washington, the stabilizing factor

Mr. Washington has taken much heat around these parts and will continue to be part of trade speculation moving forward, but I have to acknowledge just how good he’s been. His 26 points, including six three-pointers, helped keep the Mavericks in the hunt during the first half when much of the team didn’t have juice. I have been enormously impressed with his shot this season, along with his consistent effort. Washington was the quiet (or maybe not so quiet) X-factor in their run to the Finals, as he did a little bit of everything.

I have no idea what lies in the future for PJ, but watching him find some early success has felt good.

There’s a lot to build on

In his last two contests, Kyrie Irving has shot just 16 of 47, which, if you can do math, is not good. And yet, Dallas is a final basket and some meh reffing away from beating the San Antonio Spurs and as we know they just gave the Utah Jazz a beating. Not NEEDING Kyrie to be a Superman is a gift. He’ll be just fine.

I lead with that preamble because this was not an easy win. This team has something. What that is, I don’t rightly know at the moment, but I am curious to find out.

There are so many positives from this game. So many building points to go off of. The aforementioned Johnson, looking like a man who can control the paint at times. Walter Clayton Jr., a fearless addition to the back court. Zaccharie Risacher and the bundle of frenetic energy. And that’s just the bench, and it doesn’t consider the guys who couldn’t play like Sergio De Larrea.

Not knowing what this team could be feels spectacular, because the arrow is pointed in the right direction. Enjoy it.

Doc Rivers didn’t hold back when discussing Giannis Antetokounmpo.

On an episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast” this week, Rivers divulged how Antetokounmpo handled his final season with the Bucks before an offseason trade to the Heat, saying the 10-time All-Star wanted to leave without formally requesting a trade.

“Giannis wanted out, but he was a Buck. And he didn’t want to be the bad guy,” Rivers said. “He wanted [general manager Jon Horst and owner Wes Edens] and those guys to say, ‘We’re trading you,’ instead of him asking for a trade. To me, that was the game that was being played.”

Antetokounmpo was traded to Miami during the offseason in a blockbuster deal that sent Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and draft capital to Milwaukee, including multiple first-round picks.

Doc Rivers tells Bill Simmons it was so hard for him to coach Giannis Antetokounmpo during his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks:

“He’s not easy. He plays at this crazy downhill pace. He’s really a difficult guy. He has this great passing ability, but he doesn’t have a super-high…

— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) November 6, 2026

Rivers also explained why he found it “not easy” to coach Antetokounmpo, whom he was with on the Bucks from 2024 until Rivers resigned earlier this year.

“He’s not easy. He plays at this crazy downhill pace. He’s really a difficult guy,” Rivers said candidly to Simmons. “He has this great passing ability, but he doesn’t have a super-high IQ at the same time. He really has only one way of playing. Every play, he wants to force it. I wish he’d learned how to execute better.”

Jason Kidd — who led Antetokounmpo and the Bucks from July 2014 until January 2018 — discussed Rivers’ comments on ESPN earlier Friday, and didn’t agree.

“Giannis’ superpower to get downhill and he makes plays,” Kidd said. “Understanding Doc saying that his IQ, I disagree with that. I think Giannis understands how to play the game. His forcefulness getting downhill is what it’s all about. And so when he causes a problem, he’s one of the top five players in the league”

The Heat have struggled to a 3-6 start despite Antetokounmpo averaging 27.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists, although the team won three of four prior to losing to the Warriors on Thursday night.

Jason Kidd DISAGREES with Doc Rivers on Giannis being difficult to coach:

"I don't. I think when you talk about stars — they are hard to coach but they want to be coached. Giannis superpower is to get downhill and he makes plays. Doc saying that it's his IQ — I disagree with… https://t.co/3Vlbok6tCUpic.twitter.com/eM1f5xaGwE

— The HEAT Realm (@WadexFlash) November 6, 2026

Head coach Erik Spoelstra is still working to integrate Antetokounmpo alongside Bam Adebayo following an offseason that significantly reshaped Miami’s roster, although they are arguably the most disappointing team in the NBA this season.

Through the first nine games, Miami is second in pace but has just the 19th-ranked offense to show for it, and their pace-for-pace’s-sake style of play has contributed to a surprisingly inefficient defense so far, where they rank No. 26 in the NBA.

The Heat return on Sunday against the lowly Kings.

The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Player of the game

Donovan Mitchell

23 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds

Mitchell opened this game with a flurry of scoring to put the Cavs ahead right away. He continued the first half by doing a little bit of everything, dishing 7 assists and grabbing 5 rebounds to go with his 15 points in the opening quarters.

The Cavs have searched for the appropriate balance between Mitchell’s scoring and playmaking to start this season. Tonight looked like the right idea. His shot-making kept Philly on their back foot, and Mitchell made the right reads when the time to pass emerged.

Grade: A

Grades

Evan Mobley

22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 steal

Mobley looked spry and agile tonight as he helped hold Joel Embiid to a 0-for-9 shooting start. He also cooked Embiid with a mean-jab step before bursting around him to the rim in the third quarter. It was a strong two-way game from Mobley, who held his own as the lone big after Jarrett Allen was ruled out for tonight’s game.

Picking between Mobley and Mitchell for Player of the Game was splitting hairs.

Grade: A

James Harden

17 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds

Harden didn’t have it rolling until the game was already out of reach, but he filled his role and bought in defensively to help the Cavs turn that end of the floor into a roaring positive.

Grade: B+

Meleek Thomas

12 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals

Thomas hit two three-pointers in the first half, both sent Rocket Arena into a frenzy. The Cleveland crowd has already fallen in love with the 20-year-old rookie, and I’m giving him a bonus half-grade for holding his own in the post against LeBron James.

Grade: B+

Peyton Watson

13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists

Watson returned tonight after missing the previous two games with a hamstring injury. It took him some time to warm back up, but Watson began to settle into a groove during Cleveland’s run in the third quarter. His downhill drives are something this team hasn’t had at the small forward position, and they provide added rim pressure that benefits everyone.

Grade: B

Mario Hezonja

15 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

By all definitions of the award, Mario Hezonja should be the league’s Most Improved Player this season. He’s gone from outcast to someone who can’t be left out of the rotation as Cleveland leans on Hezonja for his size, playmaking, and floor spacing.

Grade: A

Sam Merrill

0 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals

Merrill is struggling through something right now and left the game early with a right elbow injury.

Grade: INCOMPLETE

Tyrese Proctor

3 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

Proctor made his impact felt early by grabbing 4 offensive rebounds in the first quarter. He scrapped and clawed defensively for 2 steals and multiple deflections, making up for a poor night of shooting the ball.

Grade: B

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-95 in LeBron James’ first game back in Cleveland this season.

Cleveland hit the ground running in this one. Donovan Mitchell rattled off seven quick points to start, while the Cavaliers’ defensive intensity gave them opportunities to run in transition. That two-way combination fueled a 27-12 start for the Cavs.

Philly managed to narrow the gap to 33-22 by the end of the first quarter, and worked their way back into the game throughout the second. A 17-point first half from VJ Edgecombe led the way for the Sixers.

Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said before the game that taking care of the ball was his biggest point of emphasis. His team did a fine job of this in the first half, only turning it over five times. They finished the game with 15 turnovers.

Mario Hezonja was a big help off the bench for Cleveland, scoring 10 points in his first 10 minutes. Hezonja has been a positive presence on the glass and was able to notch a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Philly made it a game during the third quarter, whittling the deficit down until it felt like Cleveland might suffer the same fate as the last time they held a big lead over the Sixers. But a strong close to the third put the Cavaliers back up by 17 points, a cushion they were able to enjoy for the final quarter.

The Cavs held Joel Embiid and LeBron James in check throughout the night, with the two stars shooting 2-for-16 and combining for 7 turnovers in the first three quarters. It was Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown who gave the Sixers any signs of life.

Donovan Mitchell led the way with 23 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. It was a fantastic all-around performance that was buoyed by the elite defensive effort around him. Evan Mobley added 22 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

The Cavs are now 5-4 and will be back in Rocket Arena tomorrow night to host the New York Knicks in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Unable to pull a rabbit out of the hat this time, the Sixers were crushed 119-95 by the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday Night. They are 1-1 in NBA Cup action with a -19 point differential.

Joel Embiid had one of his worst games maybe ever, finishing with six points on 0-of-9 from the floor and seven rebounds. LeBron James had his worst outing as a Sixer, putting up eight points, shooting 3-of-12 from the field along with seven rebounds, three assists and six turnovers.

Tyrese Maxey struggled for the second consecutive game, shooting 5-of-15 from the floor to put up 17 points and four assists. VJ Edgecombe kept the Sixers in as long as he could, going for 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting along with three rebounds and two assists.

Jaylen Brown was as much help as Edgedcombe had, scoring a team-high 20 points, shooting 9-of-19 from the field with five rebounds and five assists.

The Sixers were without Adem Bona while Cleveland was down Jarrett Allen.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• Edgecombe opened the game creating a transition dunk with his speed. From there it was all Cavaliers for the first six minutes of the game. LeBron turned the ball over twice, both of which turned into transition baskets. The Sixers started the game 1-of-7 seven from the field — and committed — four turnovers, with only one of those attempts coming in the paint after Edgecombe’s dunk.
• LeBron finally backed his way into the post for a layup that ended a 15-2 run to start the game, but on the other end they were having a hard time containing James Harden’s pick-and-roll. They gave up four offensive rebounds they were lucky only turned into two points.
• After an 0-of-5 start that despite some declarations, did include a three-pointer, Embiid was finally able to draw a foul on Evan Mobley and get to the line. That didn’t do the trick as he missed his next two attempts, both from the paint.
• A pair of threes from Maxey and Anfernee Simons gave the Sixers the faintest hint of a pulse. Simons was able to draw a foul attempting another three, and Maxey got into the paint and get a jumper to go through contact for an and-1. Mitchell had gotten Cleveland’s offense up and running since returning into the game and responded with a couple of baskets. Jabari Walker, the first backup five of the night for the Sixers, grabbed the team’s first offensive rebound of the night, earning a pair of free throws that cut the Cavs’ lead to 11.

Second Quarter

• This quarter also started with good stuff from Edgecombe, nailing a three off the catch and a midrange jumper off the dribble. Brown found KCP for another much needed three, but the Cavs made their first five field goals to start the second to keep extending their lead.
• Brown also found a groove, as he and Edgecombe brought the Sixers back into the game with an 11-2 run fueled by a fury of midrange pull-ups. Walker, who had a solid shift, capped off the run with a good contest on a Harden three that fell short. He ran quickly out of that contest and Brown rewarded him with a full court pass for the layup.
• KCP got called for a reckless closeout on a Harden three that threw cold water on Philly’s momentum momentarily as LeBron got stripped for his fourth turnover of the night on the ensuing possession. Embiid looked pretty bottled up on his next post-up, but he was able to swing it out to Maxey who found Edgecombe for a no-dip three to beat the shot clock. KCP got a whistle back by drawing a transition take foul.

VJ DROPPED 15 POINTS IN Q2 🔥

He leads all scorers with 17 PTS at the break on Prime! pic.twitter.com/wDM8n9kSr0

— NBA (@NBA) November 7, 2026

• Embiid was able to get Harden to foul him on a jumper, but he still wasn’t generating shots that looked comfortable. Brown tried to help get him going by feeding him in transition, but Embiid passed it to Maxey who was not expecting the ball, leading to another awkward missed fast break opportunity. The possession was nearly salvaged with an open three for Maxey, but Dean Wade got called for an illegal screen. Harden drilled a patented stepback three to put the Cavs up eight at the half.

Third Quarter

• The Sixers’ offense still looked awkward in their attempts to get Embiid going coming out of the half. LeBron also missed his first two shots of the third, but they put together enough possessions to once again cut the lead to three. Maxey made a layup in transition, drilled a three, and threw a bounce pass down the length of the court to Edgecombe after stripping the ball away from Harden.

VJMAXX. pic.twitter.com/Nd3dsN9Tcd

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 7, 2026

• LeBron finally drilled a midrange jumper, but every time the Sixers got within a score, they fell right back down in a hole. Brown turned the ball over in traffic and then the team took a shot clock violation. Embiid threw a behind-the-back pass into way too much traffic and LeBron threw another pass right into a Cavaliers’ chest.
• Embiid’s struggles were really felt on both ends as crasher after crasher was able to grab an offensive rebound over him. It probably should have been more, but the eight second-chance points the Cavs had scored on their 12 offensive rebounds hurt quite a bit. He also missed his 18th straight three-point attempt as the offense looked bottled up.
• Things continued to spiral towards the end of the quarter despite the Sixers shuffling in the bench lineup. Simons had a particularly brutal stretch where his inbound pass got intercepted and he fouled Peyton Watson on the transition layup. Watson missed the free throws, but got his own miss for another offensive rebound and found Mitchell for a three, extending the Cavs’ lead back up to 17.

Fourth Quarter

• It was frustrating to see the Cavs having seven missed free throws three minutes into the fourth. They turned the ball over twice in the opening minutes of the quarter. The Cavs gave them plenty of chances to take the game but they didn’t take them. Offensively they had an ugly start to the quarter missing a barrage of pull-ups off the dribble.
• The best part of every Cup game that becomes a blowout, especially the ones on national television, is the announcers reminding you that it still matters because of the point differential. Despite Stan Van Gundy’s enthusiasm, the Sixers couldn’t do anything to whittle down Cleveland’s lead.
• For as much as the announcers need to promote the rules of the Cup, the Sixers didn’t need to have LeBron, Maxey and Edgecombe all out there as they continued to fall down more than 20. The tread on the tires, let alone anything happening, is not worth the risk. It’s not like they were really helping the point differential anyway. It would still be garbage time but it would also be another chance to get Labaron Philon Jr. extended minutes.
• Philon would eventually relieve Maxey with four minutes left, and LeBron’s night was done just a few seconds later. Tacko Fall made his Sixers’ debut playing the final 3:21 minutes and was credited with one rebound that probably should have gone to Walker and fouled Thomas Bryant on a three-point attempt.

The New York Knicks say they have no bad blood with Taylor Swift.

The pop superstar was criticized by Tyler Kolek and Miles “Deuce” McBride as the "fakest" Knicks fan. The Knicks players made the comments during a TikTok stream while playing NBA 2K.

The team released a statement to various outlets on Friday, Nov. 6 expressing their support for Swift, saying she is always welcome in New York. USA TODAY Sports reached out to the team and did not hear back at the time of publication.

"Taylor Swift has been a Knicks fan for many years, has a long history with Madison Square Garden, and we are incredibly appreciative of her support of the organization," a representative for the Knicks told ESPN.

Swift was among the dozens of celebrities who attended the NBA Finals. She sat courtside for Game 4 with Mariska Hargitay and Este and Alana Haim and wore a blue T-shirt that had the clever saying "Stevie Knicks" written in orange – in reference rock icon Steve Nicks. The Knicks went on to beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games to win their first NBA championship in 53 years.

Swift also sat courtside at Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, the hometown team of her now-husband, Travis Kelce.

The Grammy-winner and All-Pro tight end got married at Madison Square Garden this summer with an extensive celebrity guestlist and designer touches.

The players' comments were a response to a fan asking who the "fakest" Knicks fan was during the championship run.

Kolek added, "I don't know if I've seen her at any other games. … It's a little performative."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Knicks support Taylor Swift after players called her 'fakest' fan

The Washington Wizards play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night. No rest for the weary.

Game info

When: Saturday, Nov. 7, 8 p.m. ET

Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

How to watch: Monumental Sports Network

How to listen: The Team 980 AM, 106.7-2 FM

Injury Report

Wizards: Reece Beekman, Justin Champagnie and Jamir Watkins are out. Anthony Davis and Tristan Vukcevic sat out today’s game so it remains to be seen whether they’ll play tomorrow.

Thunder: Nikola Topic, Thomas Sorber, Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are out. Jaylin Williams is sitting out today’s game against he Memphis Grizzlies.

Pregame notes

The Wizards are currently about to fly out of ATL and take a red eye to Oklahoma City as I write this. They will play a Thunder team that was 6-2 before today’s game against the Grizzlies. Before today, Oklahoma City won two straight games against the Cavaliers with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 42 or more points IN EACH GAME.

Thankfully, Washington now has a point guard who can put up numbers with Trae Young. But their hands will be full, especially if Anthony Davis misses tomorrow’s game because of an ankle injury. Let’s hope AD can suit up tomorrow so we can see a potential upset.

Same opponent, different stadium, same result. After falling to the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night in Washington, the Wizards traveled to Atlanta and got beat again, 139-132.

With Anthony Davis sidelined with a sprained ankle, the Wizards’ defense largely collapsed. The Hawks got free runs at the rim, open threes, offensive rebounds, and largely had their way against Washington.

How bad was it? The Hawks had 105 points in the first three quarters and added another 34 in the fourth. Atlanta had 37 assists and 52 made field goals. Maybe it’s because Venus is in retrograde.

Trae Young played a solid offensive performance in his first game back in Atlanta since getting traded to Washington. His defense looked more like it did when he was with the Hawks, which is to say inattentive and ineffective. He’s a wizard on the offensive end though — a dizzying mix of passing, shooting, crafty drives, and world-class foul-drawing.

The Wizards kept things close to the end with offense powered by Kyshawn George, who played another strong game. George finished 33 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists. He carried the offense late, pouring in 18 points in a powerful fourth quarter.

Tre Johnson’s shooting heated up. He finished with 23 points in 27 minutes off the bench, and he drew at least three, “He’s not bashful” comments from Hawks analyst Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins and play-by-play man Bob Rathbun marveled at Johnson’s aggressive shot selection.

Washington got as close as three points in the final minutes after trailing by as much as 14 in the second half, but didn’t have enough to finish the comeback.

The Wizards fall to 4-5 on the season, and 1-1 in NBA Cup play.

From the Notebook

• Early defensive play will be a learning experience for rookie AJ Dybantsa. On the play, Atlanta’s Onyeka Okongwu got free for a lob dunk. The reason he got free? Dybantsa didn’t call out a screener, Deandre Ayton got picked, and Okongwu was wide open.
• The first quarter included one of the worst defensive plays I’ve seen from Young this season, Kingston Flemings made what was going to be a routine cut to clear out the side. Young lost track of him, so it turned into an easy backdoor layup.
• I’ve been frustrated by Bilal Coulibaly’s lack of offensive aggression this season. In the first quarter, he attacked in transition and drew a foul. He made both free throws. This is the way.
• Early in the game, I noted that it was the most active Alex Sarr has looked all season. His energy level seemed to dwindle later in the game, but he did finish with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in 30 minutes. That’s a solid game.
• The Wizards started the game with Ayton in Davis’ slot. In the second half, they tried Coulibaly instead of Ayton. It didn’t seem to make a ton of difference either way.
• Bub Carrington’s defense is much improved this season. Example: late in the first quarter, he pressured CJ McCollum into a backcourt violation.
• Dybantsa kept doing a good job of getting into the paint and to the rim…and then not finishing. I’m confident the finishing will come.
• The Wizards kept setting ball screens for Young that would send him left and into the sideline. I’m not sure why they’re doing that other than it’s something Young likes. Which, I’m not sure why he’d want that — most teams want to keep the ball out of the middle and are perfectly happy to push it to the sideline. That’s what ice coverage tries to do.
• Back to Coulibaly for a second — his poor shooting is an issue. The Hawks declined to defend him at the three-point line. They were happy to let him shoot. He made one of three.
• George carried the offense in the fourth quarter AND made a terrific defensive play — staying with McCollum through a heady sequence of moves before rising up and blocking the shot. The possession ended with Lu Dort hitting a fading two over Tre Johnson. I thought Coulibaly should have been in the game for defense on that play.
• I really liked the simplicity and execution of Washington’s out-of-timeout play with 13 seconds left in the game. George inbounded the ball to Sarr and immediately ran a classic “get action” (meaning he followed the ball to get it back from the big). He ended up with a wide open three, which he hit. Good design and execution.

No PPA stats tonight.

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

The Spurs have won six in a row, but when it takes a 52 point outburst from Victor Wembanyama to pull out a hair-thin 112-111 win over the Mavericks at home, one wonders how sustainable this is for an 82 game season. There are 74 games left to play, and the Spurs need to think about playing more than nine players and developing young players like Carter Bryant and Tarris Reed. One positive note is that they play the Kings tonight, a team that they blew out of the gym on their final preseason game on October 16.

You can’t take a win over regular season Kings for granted, they defeated the Mavericks by 15 a few days before the Spurs had to pull out all the stops to barely edge Cooper, Kyrie and the rest of the Dallas gang. That’s the only win so far for Sacramento, but it shows that you always need to treat every opponent with appropriate fear. The Kings should be a little more motivated tonight as they are at home, and winning an NBA Cup game will be a great opportunity to light the beam after the game.

Let’s GO SPURS GO!! It’s a late night west coast game, so put on a pot of coffee or your stimulant of choice and stay up with us and watch the game. If the Spurs win tonight, they could be tied with the Golden State Warriors for the early lead in the West Group C. Portland can also be tied at the top of the group if they defeat the Lakers, which would be great, because it’s always great when the Lakers lose.

Game Prediction:

In a serious miscalculation, the Kings team runs a promotion to give all of the fans in the arena a purple laser pointer so that they can ‘light the beam’ after a Kings win. When the court is covered with little bright purple dots before the game, the game is delayed for an hour by having to confiscate all of the trinkets from the attendees.

San Antonio Spurs at Sacramento Kings (NBA Cup)
November 6, 2026 | 9:00 PM CT
Streaming: DAZN, League Pass
TV: DAZN
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

Jayson Tatum came back from a rest game with a head of steam, and the Charlotte Hornets stood no chance with five notable injuries.

Tatum’s 34 points (24 of which he scored in the first half) led the Boston Celtics to a 119-80 win over the Hornets in the teams’ first matchup of the season and Boston’s first stop in a 4-game road trip. The win gives the C’s a 7-2 record on the season and an NBA Cup group play record of 2-0 in East Group C.

Boston now leads the group by record, and sports a +53 scoring differential, which leads the group by 44 points. The winner of each group, plus two wild cards from each conference, will make it to the NBA Cup’s knockout rounds.

The Celtics starting squad tonight included Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, and Neemias Queta. Boston’s injury report was clear.

The Hornets started Coby White, Brandon Miller, Grayson Allen, Naz Reid, and Ryan Kalkbrenner. Kon Knueppel, Moussa Diabate, and former Celtics Grant Williams and Dennis Schroder, sat out with injuries. Miller also left the game at the half with right groin soreness.

Tatum started hot with an easy three-pointer off a screen, as the Hornets opened up the game with Reid guarding him. But he did not spam that matchup off the bat. Instead, the opening minutes were defined by energy and activity. George hit a three-pointer after Queta rebounded a midrange clunker. George and Queta both stuffed a couple Hornets shot attempts. White got a defensive rebound, ran the length of the floor and hit a transition 3 to give the C’s a 9-2 lead three minutes into the game.

White and JT kept the momentum going for a few more minutes. White scored on back-to-back and-1s, including a 4-point play, to get 7 points in 15 seconds of game time. Tatum scored the next two buckets and put Boston up 21-7 with less than 7 minutes to go. At that point, the C’s had connected on 5-7 three-point attempts.

However, the offense started dragging after that as the Hornets seemed to settle in. Payton Pritchard hit a sweet step-back three-pointer, and the Celtics’ activity didn’t slow, but shots stopped falling so effortlessly. In response, Coach Joe Mazzulla called a timeout and subbed in Baylor Scheierman and Sam Hauser to inject some offense. Scheierman immediately made an impact by splashing a three-pointer, then drew a foul on the Hornets to get the ball back for the C’s soon after.

Luckily for the Celtics, Tatum stayed hot. He drove to the basket for a couple nice layups, got to the line and hit a pair of free throws, got an and-1 with another layup, then nailed a three-pointer. That wasn’t the end of it, though. Before the quarter ended, he assisted on a deep (and I mean DEEP) Hauser three-pointer, and got the ball to Scheierman for an attempt from behind the arc at the buzzer. Scheierman missed the shot, but it was a quality look.

By the end of the opening frame, Tatum already had 18 points and Boston led Charlotte 40-20.

The C’s stayed active in the second quarter despite the big lead. Mitchell Robinson opened the frame with a tough finish through contact inside (of course, he missed his free throw) and was all over the boards. Without Tatum, who regularly takes a rest at the start of second quarters, the team struggled to make its shots — but so did the Hornets. Both teams scored a combined 3 points over the first 3 minutes of the second quarter.

Boston began to break out of that lull around the 8-minute mark of the second frame, when White hit a three-pointer. That shot seemed to take the lid off the basket for the C’s, as George cashed in on a floater soon after. George then hit a three-pointer, which Luka Garza followed up on the next possession with another 3. Almost halfway through the quarter, the Celtics led 53-25.

JT came back into the game with 5:34 left to go in the second frame, and after about a minute, hit a beautiful step-back 3 to keep the offense rolling. It was the first of three straight offensive possessions with made 3s for the Celtics, as Pritchard and Tatum hit on the team’s next 2 three-point attempts. Those buckets helped secure Boston’s first 30-point lead of the game, as the C’s led 62-31 with 3 minutes left to go in the half.

Naz Reid hit back-to-back shots to cut into the lead, but White hit a couple of his own, and Robinson got a block that led to an open Hauser 3, leaving the Celtics with an imposing 70-39 lead at the half. Boston won the quarter 30-19.

Jayson Tatum, who was red-hot in the first half, racked up 24 points on 57.1% shooting from the field and 5-8 shooting from three-point range. He also had 4 rebounds and 6 assists before the break.

Boston’s second-leading scorer was Derrick White, who had 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal at the half. No other Celtic had more than 8 points, but the team as a whole shot 54.8% from three-point range.

On the other end of the court, Naz Reid led Charlotte in scoring at the half with 10 points. The Hornets shot only 28.3% from the field and 21.7% from three-point range in the first half.

The Celtics maintained their energetic defense from the first half, but the offense briefly stuttered to open the second. Nevertheless, Queta got the scoring going with a couple nice buckets, including a hook shot and an impressive one-handed alley-oop on a pass from JT. Tatum continued to make his mark on the game by hitting a couple free throws, then assisting on a tough Walsh dunk and-1. Four minutes into the third quarter, the C’s had a 79-45 lead.

The Celtics didn’t let themselves become complacent with such a lead. Tatum, Pritchard, and Scheierman kept the offense churning, while the defense stayed active and refused to allow Charlotte’s offense to get in a flow. JT was unstoppable driving to the rim and reached 30 points on a layup with 4:26 remaining in the third. Robinson threw down a couple hefty alley-oops, the second of which put the game out of reach entirely, as the C’s had a 94-53 lead with less than 2 minutes to go in the frame.

By the end of the third quarter, which the Celtics won 26-18, Boston led by 39 points.

The C’s opened the fourth with Pritchard, Hauser, Hugo Gonzalez, Mike Conley, and Luka Garza on the floor. While the Hornets scored the first 4 points of the quarter, Hauser and Pritchard splashed a couple three-pointers that inspired Charlotte to call a timeout, raise the white flag, and send in its reserves. Boston subbed in Ron Harper Jr. for Pritchard, but otherwise kept the same squad on the court to run up the lead.

Without Pritchard, Gonzalez and RHJ led the Celtics offense. After Gonzalez hit a 3 with 5:35 to go in the final frame, the Celtics had a 112-67 lead. It was such an insurmountable lead that NBA.com’s NBA Cup standings page showed Boston’s group play record as 2-0 about halfway through the fourth quarter.

The C’s offense was a little clunky the rest of the way, but a couple three-pointers from Walsh and Garza inflated the lead to 118-74 with about 2 minutes left in the game.

Tatum finished the game with 34 points on 56.3% shooting from the field and 11-11 free throws, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, and a steal.

White failed to score a single point in the second half, but still finished as Boston’s second-leading scorer for the night, with 18 points. The only other Celtic to finish in double digits was Pritchard, who had 12 points.

The team as a whole shot 45.8% from the field and 54.5% from three-point range. Boston’s 24 made three-pointers is a new NBA Cup record.

Reid led the Hornets with 14 points, while Sion James had 11 points off the bench. Overall, Charlotte shot 29.3% from the floor and 22% from behind the arc.

Boston’s next game will be against the Milwaukee Bucks at 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The road trip will then take the C’s to Philadelphia and Toronto.

The C’s next NBA Cup group play game won’t be until Tuesday, Nov. 24, when they will face the Wizards. It will be the Celtics’ third of four group play matches before knockout rounds begin on Friday, Dec. 4.

The Hawks welcomed Trae Young and the Wizards into their building for their first of five group stage NBA Cup games of the season. They’d have to find a way to win missing Jalen Johnson, Asa Newell, and Jock Landale among others — although Anthony Davis was not available for the other side.

The good guys came out blazing, using their solid team defense to force turnovers and create easy opportunities going the other way. Nickeil Alexander-Walker remained scorching from deep:

Nickeil stays hot in the early going ♨️ pic.twitter.com/5gkG1i4Iyx

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 7, 2026

Atlanta raced out to an early 20-10 lead with help from their rookie phenom Kingston Flemings:

Watch Kingston move without the ball 🙂‍↕️ pic.twitter.com/qSTjJ0N6AW

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 7, 2026

Atlanta let the Wizards storm back once the bench came in, however. Down just about all of their reserve fours and fives, Washington went on a 22-8 run to close the quarter.

Kingston Flemings had a mini takeover in the early part of the second quarter. He and the other first-round rookie, Zuby Ejiofor, powered the Hawks with some nice link ups:

It's the Kingston and Zuby show!! pic.twitter.com/c9VquMya3X

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 7, 2026

The second quarter remained close until the starters re-entered the game. They executed at a high level on both ends of the floor and pushed the margin to a seven-point lead at halftime.

Standout performers from the 66-59 first half include Nickeil Alexander-Walker (16 points on 5-for-10 shooting), Dyson Daniels (four points, nine rebounds, and seven assists) and Kingston Flemings (nine points on 4-for-5 shooting and two assists in just 11 minutes).

In the third quarter, Luguentz Dort of all people decided to take over on both ends of the floor. He was everywhere, picking off lazy passes and crashing the offensive glass for easy scores. Here was just one example:

Lu steal and score 🔒 pic.twitter.com/FsB7zDUykA

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 7, 2026

After that, Zuby Ejiofor had a nice cameo on the third quarter, injecting some hustle and off ball rim runs into the works. His efforts helped push the Hawks lead to 105-94 with one quarter remaining.

The Hawks kept the Wizards mostly at bay early in the fourth quarter, although Washington seemingly matched every three ball for three ball. In fact, the Wiz went 12 for their first 18 three-point attempts in the second half.

Washington made a big push towards the end of the game behind Kyshawn George’s scoring explosion, but some key buckets from Lu Dort of all people were key to closing the door:

LU AGAIN to beat the shot-clock buzzer 😳 pic.twitter.com/4SpBdqdQbJ

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 7, 2026

Atlanta squeaked out a 139-132 win to move to 6-4 and 1-0 in the NBA Cup.

Luguentz Dort was the star man with 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 28 points, and Dyson Daniels was one rebound short of a triple double (13 points and 12 assists).

The Hawks have a quick turnaround against the Brooklyn Nets tomorrow at 7:30 PM EST.

Back in mid-October, as Karl-Anthony Towns voiced his displeasure with the lack of a new contract extension, he also maintained it wouldn’t impact his performance. 

He may not have been completely truthful. At least so far, it seems to have pushed him to be even better. 

Through eight games, Towns has been the best Knick amid an uneven start for the reigning champions. But, Towns insisted, something bigger is at stake than a new deal. 

“I came into the season wanting to defend the championship at all costs,” he said after practice Friday. “Like I said before, the city hasn’t seen that trophy here in New York for 53 years, and all of us in this locker room, especially myself, don’t intend for it to leave. 

“Being the No. 1 pick, [reaching] the Finals and getting your title, and having to go out there and try to figure out how to do it again, that’s enough motivation for me.” 

Towns has been terrific, even while many teammates have struggled. He is averaging 19.9 points, a career-high 13.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He is shooting a career-best 42.9 percent from 3-point range on 4.4 attempts. He owns a NET rating of plus-9.0, the best among Knicks starters. Towns also leads the team in defensive rebounding percentage at 33.3, which ranks tied for fifth in the league. The 7-footer also has tallied a double-double in every game. 

“I just always want to impact winning, and I always try to get every rebound possible for our team so we don’t give up any second-chance points or we give ourselves more chances at second-chance points on offense,” he said. “Obviously, with [Mitchell Robinson] gone, I had to pick up the effort, especially the rebounding effort. When you have one of the greatest offensive rebounders the NBA has ever seen in Mitchell Robinson, it’s a team effort. I just want to do my part to help with rebounding.” 

Head coach Mike Brown raved about Towns’ all-around play and was particularly effusive in describing the energy the big man is bringing on a daily basis. If he is unhappy about his current contract, Towns is doing a good job of hiding it. 

Brown would like to see Towns improve in two areas: pick-and-roll defense and cutting down on turnovers. His 3.8 turnovers per game would be a career high, up from 2.5 a year ago. Some of that is a product of having the ball in his hands more as an offensive hub. 

“I say those two things because he’s been doing so many things well for us,” Brown said. “He’s rebounding, he’s running, he’ s shooting the ball well from 3, he is passing when he doesn’t go for the home run ball, he’s communicating. The energy he’s bringing is great.” 

Towns agreed. He has played well, but there are things he can improve upon. When asked about his season in general, he opted to look more at the team’s overall performance. 

That’s where his head is at, not individual numbers or a new contract. 

“Me and Jalen [Brunson] are here to lead the team. I want to do my part as best as I possibly can. I can’t allow outside distractions and ego to get in the way,” Towns said. “We won last year because we put our egos to the side and we did what’s best for this city, best for this team, this organization, and we sacrificed, and I’m always going to be willing to sacrifice for my brothers and this family that we’ve built here.”