Category: Basketball

Starting over has to start somewhere, and so the Clippers got on with it Wednesday.

While Kawhi Leonard got an NBA Finals hero’s welcome back up north in Toronto, the Clippers did what they could to entice fans back to Intuit Dome.

Not with superstars or championship aspirations. But with the promise of free parking, a jersey trade-in and a basketball team that is, at least, better than the Sacramento Kings, who they beat 121-96 in both teams’ season opener. Coach Tyronn Lue dedicated the win to suspended team owner Steve Ballmer: “Just want to say thank you for everything. We’re still fighting for him.”

Yeah, but the Clippers should focus on fighting for their fans, not the billionaire whose apparent salary cap circumvention has the organization in hot water.

Wednesday’s fan appreciation stuff was a swell gesture, as a start. But it wasn’t nearly far-reaching enough.

Not for embattled Clippers supporters who have stuck with the team through thick and thin, sickness and health, in spite of Donald Sterling, the former cheap, racist owner and now Ballmer, the wealthy, over-invested one whose salary cap circumvention cost his team its first-round picks in the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033 NBA drafts.

To fans, that was the most consequential part of the historic punishment dealt by the NBA, which commissioned a year-long investigation that determined the Clippers committed audacious levels of salary cap circumvention.

The league also fined the team $30 million, suspended team owner Ballmer and president of business operations Gillian Zucker for a year and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank for six months.

And Leonard? He got a $700,000 slap on the wrist and got traded back to Toronto, where he signed a two-year, $115 million contract extension and on Wednesday, had Raptors coach Darko Rajaković saying he was “super excited for the chance to bring a Hall of Famer back home.”

“That’s one of the most insulting parts of it all, the way [Leonard] was able to walk away scot-free and the fans are left sort of holding the bag,” said San Pedro’s Justin Ratterree, while he tried to dodge raindrops as he waited in line, four hours before tipoff, to trade in his No. 2 Leonard jersey.

“It’s rough right now. Defending the team this past couple months has been really rough ... and I’ve kind of just given up defending. How can you defend it?”

Even Ballmer stopped doing that, releasing a statement on Sept. 13 that read, in part: “This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets.

“I want to apologize to our fans, employees, and my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and distress this matter has caused, for which I accept responsibility as principal owner.

“We are,” he added, “committing to put this chapter behind us.”

Read more:Swanson: Kawhi Leonard is a Hall of Fame scam artist who deserves Clippers fans' boos

Yes, let them try to scrub the memory of Leonard, the intensely skilled and private player who demanded so much of the Clippers when he signed with them as a free agent in 2019. Who made no efforts to popularize the team, missed almost as much time as he worked, and who failed to lead the Clippers to their first championship or anywhere close to it in his seven seasons.

After his trade to Toronto went through on Sept. 23, the Clippers resisted posting the “Thank You, Kawhi” graphic that pro sports teams do when they part ways with a player.

Let them also forget to play a tribute video when Leonard’s Raptors visit Intuit Dome for the only time this season on Nov. 2.

And let the Clippers expand the jersey swap beyond the first 4,000 paying customers at Game 1; there was no official figure available Wednesday night for exactly how many jerseys were traded and how many of them belonged to he-who-must-not-be-named.

Read more:Steve Ballmer apologizes to fans, says Clippers will comply with NBA sanctions

The Clippers should keep it going, offer the option all season. Set it up at the Intuit Dome’s Lost and Found — invite fans to exchange the No. 2 jersey of the player whom they lost all respect for a guy they’ve found themselves newly enamored with, likely rookie Keaton Wagler if Wednesday’s exchange was any indication.

Clippers fans also deserve more than having their parking picked up until an hour before gametime, on one rainy workday, on late notice.

They should have their parking at games covered all season — or at least substantially reduced from the typical $70 price that’s already too steep. (The Dodgers didn’t start charging $65 until the National League Championship Series!)

They should do more if they want to continue to draw a crowd to watch a team whose best player is now Darius Garland, whose future is compromised, whose current best-cast scenario — the play-in! — only Clippers fans could love.

Several fans Wednesday also said they would appreciate improved transparency, including in terms of player injury and availability news.

It’s the least the team can do for these patient people, who will have the type of team that they usually fall hard for, actually — a group of gamers, devoid of divas, punching above their weight.

“All this stuff that’s going on,” Lue said, “you can’t take that out on our players … that’s not their fault, you know?”

It’s not fans’ fault, either. Let’s see the Clippers go above and beyond for them.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The NBA never wastes any time getting back to business. The first day of the season gave us the biggest opening night comeback in league history on Tuesday, and Wednesday’s full slate of games included everything that makes this league such a treat to watch, all the way down to LaMelo Ball getting away with the most obvious travel of all-time in his debut for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Wolves beat the Miami Heat, 131-105, in a nationally televised barnburner as both sides debuted new stars. Ball and the Wolves got the win despite Giannis Antetokounmpo going off for 35 points on 11-of-19 shooting in his first game as a member of the Heat. Ball was solid with 21 points and six assists in his debut, and he helped set up teammate Anthony Edwards for a 45-point scoring outburst.

Everything was going so well for the Wolves that the refs even let Ball take about eight steps on a step-back three-pointer. Did LaMelo just forget he needed to dribble? It sure looks like it, but the refs let him get away with it anyway. Watch the play here:

IS THIS NOT A TRAVEL FROM LAMELO BALL? pic.twitter.com/nJhuRoB97k

— Vertex (@HoopVertex) October 22, 2026

Here’s another look at the play. I’m cracking up.

Is this a travel from LaMelo?👀 pic.twitter.com/Hx2CsZReOJ

— GUCCE (@gucceCU) October 22, 2026

I usually hate when casual fans harp on uncalled traveling, and then I have to explain the concept of the gather step. Not this time. Ball clearly traveled, but the refs let him do it because the vibes were good, I guess.

The Wolves jacked 50 three-point attempts in their opening night win. Is this team going to great the record for most threes attempted? The 2024-25 Boston Celtics took 48.23 three-point attempts per game, so it’s a high bar to clear. I was very high on the Wolves, ranking them No. 4 overall in my championship rankings coming into the season. This win was encouring for that.

The refs can’t just let players travel like this, because it gives the NBA a bad reputation. This time, the traveling scourges are right. I have no idea how LaMelo got away with this.

There are a few tricks of the trade you pick up when you write as much as I do. One of them is keeping a thesaurus nearby, a trusty little companion that helps you find different ways to describe situations, emotions, and perspectives. Sometimes you need a better word to properly articulate what you’re trying to say. And as I sit here holding that thesaurus in my hand, flipping through its pages like a desperate man searching for answers, I cannot find a collection of words that adequately expresses the disappointment and frustration I experienced Wednesday night watching the Phoenix Suns open their season.

Every season opener carries a certain magic. There is hope. There is anticipation. After months of speculation, theorizing, and convincing ourselves that certain players will develop and certain decisions will pay off, the rubber finally meets the road. The basketball starts counting. Reality arrives.

On Wednesday night in Portland, reality arrived driving a car and promptly ran over the Phoenix Suns. Apparently, that wasn’t enough. Reality threw the damn thing into reverse and backed over the mangled corpse for good measure. Perhaps it’s appropriate the Suns call The Morg home.

As the regular season began, nearly everything we feared about this team was on full display. The inability to facilitate an offense. The inability to consistently knock down three-pointers. The inability to effectively rebound the basketball. All of those concerns we spent the offseason discussing came screaming back to life, standing in the middle of the Moda Center like some grotesque collection of basketball nightmares.

And the things we hoped would carry this team through those deficiencies? They were nowhere to be found. The energy we expected never materialized. Instead, we watched technical-inciting tantrums. The leadership and composure we believed would help establish an identity evaporated into chaos. The toughness, connectivity, and collective effort that were supposed to define this version of the Suns seemed to disappear the moment the ball went into the air.

I kept searching for the right word to describe it. Frustrating? Disappointing? Pathetic? Somewhere in the English language, there had to be something that captured the magnitude of what we witnessed. And after exhausting the thesaurus, I kept coming back to one word.

Embarrassing.

This is fucking embarrassing

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) October 22, 2026

Now, I understand this was Game 1 of 82. If life and decades of watching the Phoenix Suns have taught us anything, it is that the opening game of a season rarely tells the entire story. There will be adjustments. There will be growth. There will be nights when this team looks considerably better than whatever the hell we witnessed in Portland.

But understanding the importance of perspective doesn’t mean we have to ignore what happened in the moment. We are allowed to react. We are allowed to be frustrated. We are allowed to look at a team that scored 12 points in the first quarter while surrendering 43 and wonder how in God’s name an entire offseason of preparation produced that particular brand of basketball catastrophe.

Eventually, things will settle down. The rotations will stabilize. The offense will find some semblance of rhythm. Hell, we might even score a few points along the way. But Wednesday night made one thing abundantly clear. The hope and belief surrounding this team will have to be earned. Every ounce of it. The Suns spent the offseason talking about culture, toughness, accountability, and fortifying their identity. Those words sounded wonderful in September. They looked considerably less impressive when the lights came on in Portland.

Reality is here now. And reality doesn’t give a damn about your offseason optimism.

Bright Side Baller Standings

Jalen Green’s performance in the preseason finale was enough to earn him his first BSB of the season.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 1 against the Blazers. Here are your nominees:

Devin Booker
23 points (7-of-13, 0-of-0 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, -43 +/-

Jalen Green
10 points (4-of-12, 2-of-6 3PT), 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers, -23 +/-

Dillon Brooks
10 points (4-of-11, 1-of-2 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 turnovers, -29 +/-

Miles Bridges
8 points (3-of-11, 0-of-5 3PT), 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, -35 +/-

Oso Ighodaro
8 points (4-of-7, 0-of-0 3PT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, -7 +/-

Mariah Carey
10 AMA’s, 14 Billboards, 5 Grammys, 34 Grammy nominations, 2 MTV VMAs, 19 World Music Awards

Jordan Goodwin
3 points (1-of-4, 1-of-3 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 turnover, -28 +/-

---

Let the regular season voting begin…

Well, in a game that truly had it all, the Milwaukee Bucks fell 128-116 to the revamped Washington Wizards. The Bucks were led by “the Heat package,” which combined for 68 points. The final score really doesn’t reflect how the game transpired; frankly, the Bucks controlled most of the contest but just couldn’t turn an eight-point lead into a 15-point lead. Some of that was Washington, but I felt like Milwaukee shot itself in the foot a good number of times by playing frantic and rushed instead of calm and poised.

That said, take a step back and think: “frantic and rushed” is about what you would expect when a bunch of guys who have barely played with each other—including young fellas getting thrown into the fire—suit up for a regular-season game. A beautiful mess, shall we say—I can’t wait to do it all over again on Friday. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.

Editor’s note: this year, we are trialing a more consistent grading criteria (while still allowing for your interpretation)—grades are not rewards for production, they’re judgments of performance against expectation:

A: Exceeding expectations.
B: Above expectations.
C: At expectations.
D: Below expectations.
F: Fail (i.e., substantially below expectations; actively detrimental to the team).

Player Grades

Ryan Rollins

23 minutes, 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, 4/14 FG, 1/4 3P, –4

Rollins vastly underperformed compared to what we have come to expect from him and rightly rode the pine to close the game. Yeah, he missed some makeable shots—took some bad ones too—but he is also relied on as the team’s best point-of-attack defender, and he failed on more than a few occasions to keep dudes in front of him and navigate screens. I also thought Rollins allowed himself to get sped up going to the basket, which really isn’t like him; he’s usually cool as a cucumber in tight spaces. An out-of-character game on so many levels.

Grade: D-

Tyler Herro

31 minutes, 24 points, 9 assists, 4 turnovers, 9/21 FG, 4/11, –6

My Prescient Prediction was basically right on. This was the Herro we expected to see in the preseason and, indeed, it looked like he took it up a notch for the real thing. Except when Bilal Coulibaly was on him, Herro got wherever he wanted. Look, we know Herro can score, but the nine assists were the story (and the reason he gets into the B band). Washington paid him a lot of attention in the pick-and-roll, and he was able to methodically locate the open man most of the time. As expected, Herro’s on-ball defence wasn’t great—and I’d like to see him compete 10% more in that part of the game—but I thought he was largely in the right spots off-ball.

Grade: B-

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

31 minutes, 22 points, 7 rebounds, 8/12 FG, 1/3 3P , 5/6 FT, 0

Jaquez was nails all game long. He used his size to make plays for himself and others in the paint, especially when Washington tried to hide Young on him—straight to the post! Jaquez also proved a helpful defensive option on the Wizards’ big front line, which might even be a preferable matchup for him than wings or guards. Other than Jericho Sims, who played under two minutes, Jaquez was the only Buck who didn’t have a negative plus-minus—and it felt like it.

Grade: B

Kyle Kuzma

27 minutes, 5 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 2/9 FG, 1/4 3P, –10

Woof. Where do I start? Look, Kuz’s defence was good, and he did have some solid posessions guarding (and fronting) Davis, but his game had no other redeeming qualities. First off, this whole “returning to Washington and embracing the hate” thing is so corny and has to stop—he’s done this every time Milwaukee has played them! You could tell from the jump that this was a game within a game for him. Sure, Kuz wanted to win, but he wanted to be the reason the Bucks won—give me a break! He missed gimmes at the rim, took out-of-rhythm shots, missed a free-throw blockout, and made two of the most diabolical passes I’ve seen. To top it off, as Miggity pointed out, I’m pretty sure Kuz scored a bucket for the Wizards via a controlled tip. Hated almost every second of Kuzma’s game.

Grade: F

Myles Turner

32 minutes, 11 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 4/7 FG, 2/5 3P, –4

Turner’s offensive numbers look fine, but I thought he was woeful on defence. My biggest issue was his lack of urgency and awareness when recovering to rolling big men after showing on pick-and-rolls. He was surely aware that Trae Young loves to throw lobs, yet there were at least three instances where Turner could have easily recovered to his man after showing on screens, only to dawdle, let the big get behind him, and catch a lob. I also thought Turner was straight-up soft on the inside, letting himself get pushed around.

Grade: D

Kel’el Ware

13 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 6 fouls, 3/6 FG, 0/2 3P, –10

On the one hand, I don’t want to go crazy on a 22-year-old for not being able to physically deal with Anthony Davis. On the other hand, I wanted to see him compete more. I just spoke about Turner lollygagging after showing on screens while his man got behind him—Ware might have been worse. Ware was BBQ chicken for Davis and simply couldn’t be on the court at the same time as him—hence he fouled out in 13 minutes. I felt like Ware was a little lost and sped up on both ends, and it is year three for him now, so you’d hope to see less of that. Still, based on the preseason, I can’t say this sort of game was out of the ordinary. He won’t be playing against an All-NBA centre every game, though, which we need to keep in mind.

Grade: D-

Kasparas Jakucionis

26 minutes, 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 5 PF, 4/7 FG, 1/3 3P, 6/6 FT, –4

Wow. What a game for Jakucionis! So much to like. With this season being a developmental one, giving KJ—who is younger than Brayden Burries—26 minutes on opening night and having him look right at home is huge. Jakucionis handled (and beat) pressure with relative ease, while holding up OK on defence (though Young did catch him too many times). The final thing I want to highlight is KJ’s feel and how he used it to draw a few Young-like BS fouls. People don’t like it, but guards who aren’t elite athletes need to have this in their bag. Swing-throughs, up fakes, accentuating contact—you need it all, and his counterpart at point guard last night is the perfect example.

Grade: B+

Brayden Burries

15 minutes, 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 turnover, 3 PF, 3/6 FG, 2/2 3P, 4/5 FT, -12

I mean, you couldn’t have asked for much more from Burries in his first official game. You could tell his heart was racing a bit at the start, but he settled in after getting his name in the books. By the third quarter, Burries was nailing step-back threes with a one-point lead and doing celebrations running back down the court. Also, as we saw in the preseason, Burries is going to get to the charity stripe. Yeah, he got caught in the wrong spots on defence a few times, but that’s to be expected—great first outing.

Grade: B

Ousmane Dieng

21 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 4 PF, 2/6 FG, 1/5 3P, –4

I thought Ous played… just OK. He had a smooth windmill gather that left our guy Khris in the dust, and his defence was mostly solid, but man, the dude needs to make threes for this to work.

Grade: D+

AJ Green

15 minutes, 6 points, 2/3 FG, 2/2 3P, –10

AJ was AJ. Hit an open three and made a tough one off a wide pindown. Jenkins drew up some action for him out of a timeout, but it broke down. Defence was fine even if he was undersized.

Grade: C

Taylor Jenkins

It’s tough to judge Jenkins too harshly, given it was the first game. The Bucks generated 42 three-point attempts and won the possession battle. He also “played the kids” like fans wanted. Maybe Jenkins could have had the team better prepared for the foul-baiting that Young and (to a slightly lesser extent) Davis were going to do; I did think the refs got sucked into a few horrendous flails by Young, but some were definitely there. Ultimately, I think we could easily be sitting here talking about a Bucks win if a few things had gone differently, so overall, not much to complain about at this point.

Grade: C

Limited minutes: Jericho Sims

DNP-CD: Gary Trent Jr., Nate Ament, Bogoljub Markovic, Caris LeVert

Inactive: Kam Jones, Cormac Ryan, Pete Nance

What We Learnt

Jenkins will lean toward playing the youth, even if it costs him wins and leads to frustrating moments. Good.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• Postgame, Jenkins credited his team’s ability to weather multiple storms in the third, but said their inability to keep the Wizards out of the paint and off the free-throw line was what did them in. Mentioned the backside rotations as a key flaw as well.
• On Burries: “The shots were great, but I thought he was making good reads… Looked very comfortable. I thought he did some good things defensively… He’s got a lot to learn, but this is great for him to get this exposure right out of the gate.”
• As I mentioned, this was a classic game where veterans were playing a rebuilding team, and the refs seemed obliged to call everything in favour of Young and Davis. On one possession, in the bonus, Young “set” a screen (flopped at the slightest bit of contact). The ref saw him on the floor and called it. Really frustrating; you could see the dismay on all the Bucks’ faces.
• I’m both very happy that Gary Trent Jr. didn’t play and incredibly worried that it means something is coming down the pike.
• Milwaukee did a lot right. They won the possession battle (91 attempts to 86), played in transition (16-9 fast break points), and got strong contributions from their bench (45-39). They just couldn’t handle Washington’s size, got destroyed 70-50 in that area, and, obviously, the free throw discrepancy (41-23).

Up Next

The Bucks head back to Milwaukee for their home opener on Friday, which is now at 3:00 p.m. CDT to make way for the World Series. Tune in on My24.

The Hawks initially had the number 23 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. However, the New Orleans Pelicans had other plans, swapping with the Hawks in a trade that moved themselves up to the number 13 pick while the Hawks moved down to 23.

The Pelicans took Derik Queen, center from Maryland, and in the process gifted the Hawks an unprotected first round pick for 2026, which drew scrutiny from circles around the league. The pick the Hawks received turned into the eighth overall pick, in which the Hawks selected their point guard Kingston Flemings from the University of Houston.

A former five-star high school recruit from San Antonio, TX, Flemings led the Cougars to the Sweet Sixteen, where they were defeated by Illinois. Despite the early exit for a team that was looking to avenge their heart- breaking loss in the national championship the year prior, Flemings stood out as one of the best players in the country.

The lottery pick guard led the Cougars in both points (16.1 per game) and assists (5.2) per game in his one year at the collegiate level. In a loss against Texas Tech, Flemings exploded for 42 points, which set Houston’s record for a freshman. The historic feat for Flemings featured both flashes of athleticism and touch that allowed him to find consistently at the rim as well as knocking down shots from behind the arc at an efficient clip (shooting 4-for-9).

Both scoring and dishing out passes at a high mark turned Flemings into a no-doubt lottery pick. Though he was not an elite shooter coming out of high school, the ex-Cougar worked hard and developed himself in a trusted source of three-point scoring, converting at an impressive 38%. While obviously talented on offense, Flemings is a scrappy defender who averaged 1.5 steals at Houston and was sound in his efforts both on and off the ball. This combination of offensive and defensive prowess drew comparisons to De’Aaron Fox when he was a draft prospect.

While Flemings is clearly talented, the question of how he’ll fit in the Hawks is a different matter.
One thing is for sure. With the exit of Trae Young, the Hawks desperately need someone to take over and lead the team as their undisputed floor general. Flemings exhibited notable leadership qualities that allowed Houston to preserve through adversity in close, competitive games. His natural leadership will ease him into the role of commanding the team’s offense, which was desperately missed by the team once the playoffs arrived.

Flemings taking over the main ball handling role would greatly open the Hawks offense. Last season, CJ McCollum took over as the team’s primary ball handler despite not being a “true point guard.” Once again equipped with the impressive scoring trip of McCollum, Jalen Johnson, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the Hawks will need someone like Flemings to be at their best and flow in the offense.

While of course Flemings is scoring threat who will continue to develop himself as a three-point shooter, I don’t believe his success in the NBA will come from being a high-scoring guard. Longevity in the league for most players is often in the form of finding your niche or role and starring in it. For Flemings, that role is being a facilitator and play initiator that allows some of the most talented scorers in the league to thrive as well as being a scrappy defender who becomes an irritant for any opponent the Hawks face.

It’s not quite fair to expect Flemings to be that guy immediately out of the gate, or even in his first year, but the Hawks have the guy who I believe will be their floor general that leads them to winning some playoff rounds in the years to come.

NBA Basketball is back! The Sixers are coming off the season opener with a solid win over the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks, defeating them 106-100. There isn’t much time to savor the win, however, as the Sixers travel back to Philadelphia to host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Coming off their first game, it’s hard not to feel good about how the Sixers performed in their regular-season debut. In particular, their defense was much better than most expected. Defensive rotations were crisp, and effort was shown across the board, including from Joel Embiid, who stated after the game that one of his goals this season was to get back on an All-Defensive team.

Offensively, results were mixed, but the Sixers had several stretches where the Knicks’ defense simply didn’t know what to do. They ran high screen-and-rolls with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, which resulted in blitzes that freed up one or more of Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and VJ Edgecombe. When healthy and firing on all cylinders, defenses are going to have a hard time defending that five.

Fast forward to tonight’s game, and the Sixers will look to build upon their early success, though there’s plenty to clean up in that department. The Sixers’ three-point shooting was dreadful for most of the Knicks game, and they’ll look to get back on track in that area.

It will also be interesting to see how Nick Nurse utilizes the rotation. He really only went 7.5 players deep in their first game, and of course, that is not sustainable considering we’re not even in November. Both Dean Wade and Dominick Barlow, who are expected to be in the rotation to varying degrees, were out. If that’s the case again tonight, they might have to turn to rookie LaBaron Philon Jr. or Jabari Walker, who played a handful of minutes in their first game. Regardless of whether it’s tonight or in a week or two, Nurse will simply have to cut down the heavy minutes load with more than 80 games on the horizon.

Shifting focus over to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Sixers are slated to go from one tough opponent to the next. The Cavs retained most of their core group, with James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. They did change things up beyond that, however, adding Peyton Watson and Mario Hezonja in free agency, along with Meleek Thomas through the draft. The Sixers had their fair share of trouble against the Cavs during the regular season last year, so this will be another good test to gauge how this team is performing compared to last year’s.

Heading into tonight’s game, the Sixers are listing Dean Wade as questionable while Dominick Barlow remains out. For Cleveland, Jarrett Allen is questionable with right patellar tendinopathy. Nae’Qwan Tomlin (back) and Khalifa Diop (knee) are out.

The Sixers have an opportunity to start the young season with back-to-back wins against talented opponents in a highly competitive Eastern Conference. Let’s see if they can get it done.

Game Details

When: Thursday, October 22, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: ESPN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow:@LibertyBallers

The season opener was between two teams headed in opposite directions. The Washington Wizards want to win, and — led by a whale of game from Anthony Davis, they did. The Milwaukee Bucks — after trading away perennial Most Valuable Player candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo — succumbed.

For the Bucks, a lot of nights will be like this.

For the Wizards…82-0 is on the menu.

More seriously, even without No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa, who was out with an ankle injury suffered in the preseason finale, the Wizards demonstrated they can be formidable at full (or nearly full health).

It was not a perfect performance by the Wizards. Trae Young generated open and wide-open corner threes, which they bricked. In fairness, they were slinging bricks from deep from the wings and out top — 6-28 from three for the game. Young was the worst offender, shooting 0-6.

The Wizards made up for it by avoiding turnovers, scoring inside, and getting to the free throw line (32-41). The scant turnovers were something of a surprise. Controlling the paint and getting to the free throw line were not. The Wizards used two bigs together most of the night, and a team with Davis and Young are going to make the other team foul.

A few fun things from this one:

• Davis dominated — 34 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assist, 2 steals and a block. He was too much for Milwaukee handle, especially since the twin towers lineups meant he was being guarded by Kyle Kuzma much of the evening.
• Starting in place of Dybantsa, Bilal Coulibaly was a defensive terror. He kept popping up all over the court to deflect the ball, get a steal, or block a shot. On one block of a Tyler Herro attempt, Coulibaly flashed from the low block on the far side to swat Herro’s attempt from above the free throw line. He finished with four steals and two blocks.
• Young had 13 assists, and it could have been more if teammates made a few more open looks. He’s enormously skilled at drawing defensive attention, holding it, and then hitting a teammate left open. I particularly liked a play in the second quarter where he jumped, looked at Justin Champagnie on the wing while in the air long enough for a help defender to leave the paint to start the closeout sprint, and then fire a pass to Ayton, who was open under the basket. It’s been a while since the Wizards had someone who could make that kind of pass. (He was on the broadcast team last night.)
• Speaking of Champagnie, he played a helluva game. My hope is that he stays a significant part of the rotation when Dybantsa is back. He could, for example, take the minutes Khris Middleton played last night (no disrespect to Middleton, who’s had a terrific career — just that Champagnie is better now and has an NBA future).

Thoughts & Observations

• Has Chris Miller always pronounced Chipotle without the T?
• John Wall brought some good moments to the broadcast, which has long needed some help. Two notes: 1) it’d be great if Wall could talk just a little slower, and 2) it’d be great if the production could bring the level of his mic up a touch. That’s it — I loved the stories, observations, and the “technical” basketball talk. His presence brought out some good stuff from Drew Gooden too.
• One grumble about the broadcast and then I’ll shut up about it — Chris Miller sharing the stat about Tre Johnson making 115 threes last season, which he said was the most for a Wizards rookie through 60 games. He said it like viewers should be super impressed. Except, it mainly just highlights that the game has changed. Most teams have a similar stat from the past few years because everyone shoots more threes.
• Okay, one more. Miller had me grinding my teeth when he praised Bub Carrington after Carrington harassed Ryan Rollins full court. It was a start to good defense, which Carrington messed up with a dumb foul. The effort was good. His intent was good. The play was not good defense.
• Speaking of Carrington’s defense, the first half ended with an open three from Milwaukee’s Herro. That open look arose because Carrington inexplicably lunged at the ball, got overextended and off balance, and then had to scramble frantically to try to get back into the play. Good effort, but he needs to play smarter.
• A play at 5:44 of the first quarter made me laugh. Davis got a wide open three because George blocked for him like he was a member of The Hogs. George’s blocking, which should have been called for a foul, kept two defenders away from Davis.
• I jotted the same basic idea (using different wording but the same point) in my notes three different times during the game: Trae Young is a tough cover. The league literally made rules designed to stop some of his more egregious free throw grifting tactics. Last night, he shot 16 free throws.
• I like the idea of Kyshawn George. Last night’s game has me vigilant because it included four turnovers and four fouls. Excessive fouling from over-aggressive play has been an issue throughout his career. Turnovers have been a chronic issue, as well — and the adventurous passing on display last night (attempted a lob to Davis in a crowded paint, tried a bounce pass in traffic in a crowded paint). He can be a good player if he dials back the aggression and focuses on right play instead of highlight play.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

FOUR FACTORS	BUCKS	WIZARDS	LGAVG*
eFG%	53.3%	55.8%	54.6%
OREB%	28.9%	30.0%	26.0%
TOV%	15.7%	10.8%	12.7%
FTM/FGA	0.209	0.372	0.206
PACE	102		99.4
ORTG	114	126	115.8

Note: the LGAVG column is the league average from last season. That will update with averages from this season going forward.

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median so far this season is 17.7%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

WIZARDS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Anthony Davis	34	72	127	35.6%	2.9	209	6
Bilal Coulibaly	29	62	160	10.1%	2.7	182	6
Trae Young	38	82	125	25.5%	2.0	104	6
Bub Carrington	19	39	147	19.1%	2.3	206	0
Deandre Ayton	15	32	163	17.2%	2.6	220	6
Justin Champagnie	21	44	188	8.2%	2.6	149	17
Kyshawn George	29	61	100	25.3%	-2.5	68	13
Alex Sarr	24	52	104	16.2%	-1.0	76	-4
Khris Middleton	12	26	77	10.5%	-1.1	-12	-2
Tre Johnson	19	41	103	15.3%	-0.8	-29	12

BUCKS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Jaime Jaquez Jr.	31	67	140	21.4%	3.5	135	0
Tyler Herro	32	68	107	32.9%	-2.0	110	-6
Kasparas Jakucionis	26	56	157	17.4%	4.0	112	-4
Brayden Burries	16	33	137	23.6%	1.6	122	-12
AJ Green	15	33	209	7.4%	2.3	101	-10
Myles Turner	32	68	115	13.8%	-0.1	42	-4
Ousmane Dieng	21	45	103	14.7%	-0.9	14	-4
Kyle Kuzma	27	58	63	18.7%	-5.7	6	-10
Ryan Rollins	24	50	85	22.8%	-3.5	3	-4
Jericho Sims	2	4		0.0%	0.0	0	4
Kel’el Ware	14	29	98	25.3%	-1.3	-16	-10

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LOS ANGELES – "Big crowd."

Walker Kessler mumbled just loud enough for the press to hear him as the 7'2 big man sank into his seat at the podium following the Los Angeles Lakers' season-opening 127-105 rout over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

The ease with which he answered questions – at one point, he said, "Contrary to my name, I run a lot" – mirrored how effortless he looked on the floor, always seeming to be in just the right place and just the right time to receive a lob from Luka Dončić or Austin Reaves.

At one point early in the third quarter, Kessler was running behind the play as Dončić dribbled into the low post. Draymond Green stepped towards Dončić, freeing Kessler up in the paint with no one near him.

"Luka!" He shouted out.

Next thing Kessler knew, the ball was in his chest.

Dončić had rifled it behind his back past Green and right to Kessler and before the Warriors enforcer had any idea what had happened, Kessler was already coming back down from the rim.

"He's just wicked smart," Kessler said of Dončić. "His basketball IQ is crazy, and I think he recognized I was running the floor. ... He just found me."

LUKA BEHIND-THE-BACK DIME TO KESSLER!

KESSLER'S GOT 18 PTS (9-9 FGM) 💯 pic.twitter.com/NBSCriABxA

— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2026

And it wasn't just Luka Magic. Kessler finished the night a perfect 12 of 12 from the floor for 26 points, his shot chart entirely in the restricted area. Ten of those were dunks; the most in a game by a Laker since Shaquille O'Neal in 2003.

O'Neal gave Kessler his flowers on-air postgame.

"For so long, the Lakers big men have been historical and dominant," he declared on Inside the NBA. "Walker Kessler is the best big man in the NBA."

A glowing review from Laker royalty, and one that shouldn't be taken lightly.

The spotlight that comes with donning the purple and gold – especially at its glamor position – can be blinding. The weight of following in the legacy of Shaq, Kareem, Wilt and George Mikan has crushed other superstars before. Dwight Howard infamously spurned Kobe Bryant in 2013 for the Houston Rockets. Russell Westbrook became public enemy No. 1 in his own hometown.

Kessler hasn't just shown he can handle the pressure that comes with this job. He somehow looks comfortable in it.

"He understands what this is and the pressures that come with it," head coach JJ Redick said. "I think it was a good opening statement for him."

WALKER KESSLER WENT 12-12 IN HIS LAKERS DEBUT 🤯

He had 10 DUNKS... the most by a Laker since Shaq in 2003! pic.twitter.com/i7KWBrC9f6

— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2026

It hasn't always been that way for the North Carolina and Auburn product.

By his own admission, there were times in his college career that Kessler let pressure get to him. Outside voices dictated his own thoughts and feelings. But as he's gotten older, he's focused more on being grateful for everything that comes his way.

"I'm a big believer in what an opportunity," Kessler said. "God is so good in my life for me to be here. ... It's really hard to focus on the negativity when you actively do that, and so I've been the past couple years really focusing on that."

Wednesday was just game one out of 82. Dončić kept it in perspective, saying he was impressed with his new running mate and how they played off each other. When Luka would drive, Kessler would step up. When he was doubled, Kessler he played in the pocket.

"I think our ceiling is even higher," Dončić said. "But ... he did an amazing job today."

He knows that even if Kessler makes catching lobs look easy, the reality is far from it. But keeping in mind that this was just their first game together, the future – and present – at Crypto.com Arena looks just as bright as the lights that so many before them have shrunken under.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walker Kessler delivers big opening night statement in Lakers debut

The Golden State Warriors got the chance to see their No. 11 overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft make his league debut on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg got a taste of the NBA and earned his first 'welcome to the league' moment during the season-opening matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, who defeated the Warriors, 127-105.

Lendeborg played 29 minutes and scored 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting, adding three rebounds, two assists and a steal. However, the main lesson Lendeborg learned of the day is don't mess with Luka Dončić.

The rookie found himself guarding Dončić on multiple possessions during the game. Lendeborg accepted the challenge. He didn't back down, playing physical with the Lakers' All-Star and letting him hear it, too.

That might have been where Lendeborg messed up. Dončić scored 28 points on 7-for-18 from the field and added eight rebounds and seven assists.

The two went at each other, especially in the first half. But Dončić had the last laugh at the end of the second quarter where he banked in a half court shot from about 50 feet to beat the buzzer. Going into the locker room, he had some words for Lendeborg.

LUKA MAGIC ✨Beyond half-court at the buzzer to extend the Lakers' lead against the Warriors 🍿 https://t.co/RiPZVHk7gg

— ESPN (@espn) October 22, 2026

Lendeborg, Luka react to the banter

Lendeborg even received a technical foul for his back-and-forth with Dončić. After the game, Lendeborg discussed what happened on the court with him and Dončić.

Lendeborg described his debut as "interesting."

As for Dončić, he said he lost respect for him.

"I had a lot of respect for him," Lendeborg said. "I didn't watch the NBA much. I just watched highlights, seeing him kill people all the time.
But then being in there first hand, just watching him whining and complaining, I lost all respect, man. Like, that was awful.

"Like me getting frustrated, it's not about the foul being called, it's about him complaining the entire game. And then you get foul call. Congratulations, bro," Lendeborg added.
"And then you talk to me, like you did something great, bro. Come on, now. It kind of threw me off for a little while, 'cause, you know, like I said, I had so much respect for him. Gone."

On Dončić's end, it was business as usual.

"I think everybody knows when somebody starts talking, it (brings out) a different me, so that was it," Dončić said in postgame interview with ESPN.

Later, he told reporters that Lendeborg "was talking crazy" and Dončić wasn't trying to talk back.

"This season I'm not trying to get techs, so it's the first time that that was not a double tech because I didn't say nothing," he added. "So I'm working on it. As you see, I think it worked great."

Warriors support Lendeborg's 1-on-1

Head coach Steve Kerr's message to Lendeborg: "Better days ahead."

"I loved the back and forth," Kerr told reporters. "Yaxel's a competitor. This was a great welcome to the NBA game for him, having to guard Luka, who's as tough to guard as anybody in the world. Having to learn about all the little tricks that exist in the NBA. 
He probably had three fouls that probably wouldn't be called fouls in any other league in the world, but it's the NBA, and he's got to learn this stuff."

"It's his first game," Kerr added. "He is an unbelievable young guy, and great talent, and it was a frustrating night for him, but a lesson well learned, and he'll get better from here."

For what it's worth, Kerr thought that Dončić and Lendeborg should have received double technical fouls for their back and forth banter. However, it was the rookie that got whistled.

Teammate Draymond Green encouraged him to keep talking and was honest when speaking to reporters about how Lendeborg should approach guarding Dončić for the rest of the season.

"Everyone's going to say 'you should not talk to Luka' and I disagree with that (expletive)," Green said. "1,000%. You (expletive) gonna talk to somebody, you talk until you can't (expletive) talk no more. And if he bust your ass, guess what? You gotta play him again three more times and you go back at his ass again. Then you see him the third time and you go back at his ass again."

Green said you have to earn respect in the league at the end of the day.

"If you start talking to someone, then you got yourself into a battle," Green said. "When I lose respect is when you start talking to someone and you realize 'oh I'm into a battle' and you stop. You keep going. You get all my respect."

Draymond Green on Yaxel Lendeborg going at Luka Doncic: “Everyone will say the rookie learned his lesson. What he learn? The next time he see him, go at his ass again.”Full soundbite https://t.co/jb87fMCjJW

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 22, 2026

Yaxel Lendeborg stats in NBA debut

• Points: 12
• Rebounds: 3
• Assists: 2
• Field goals: 5-for-11
• Steals: 1

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yaxel Lendeborg rips Luka Dončić after debut: 'I lost all respect'

How LeBron James can give Sixers' half-court offense a new wrinkle originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

LeBron James made a triumphant Sixers debut on Tuesday, exhibiting how he’ll help put the pieces together on this new-look roster.

James played the role of connector on offense against the Knicks, not often initiating himself, but utilizing his elite passing and basketball IQ to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. He totaled 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Working in the pick-and-roll with Tyrese Maxey was one example of that within the Sixers’ half-court offense. The two are an enticing pairing. Maxey brings stellar shooting and out-of-this-world acceleration, while James can attack downhill and pick defenses apart as a passer.

They also have the established chemistry that contributed to James’ decision to come to Philadelphia.

“A lot of the reason why I’m here is because of him,” James told reporters after the Sixers’ preseason finale against the Celtics. 

Everyone knows James has a well-rounded game. However, he has not been the roll man in pick-and-rolls at a high volume throughout his career.

In the 2025-26 season, James averaged just 0.8 possessions per game as the roll man. Since the NBA started tracking pick-and-rolls in 2015-16, the most James has done that came in 2023-24, but still at just 1.5 possessions per game.

He’s shown that he can be effective setting a pick and rolling. Since the start of the 2015-16 season, he’s scored 1.25 points per possession as the roll man, which would have ranked in the 76th percentile last season. It’s just not something he’s done much.

“The luxury of my game is I can do everything,” James said at his media day press conference. “Literally, I can do everything.”

He’s played into that versatility in the very early days of his Sixers tenure. James has been working with Maxey as the picker in empty-side ball screens.

The advantage of an empty-side ball screen is how far off-ball defenders have to rotate to help. It gives Maxey and James more space to operate and creates cleaner reads.

“It’s a good set for us. It’s a good movement for us,” James said following the preseason finale when asked about his two-man game with Maxey. “It’s good to know we have that in our back pocket whenever we need it. It’s a connection that we have.”

That connection was on display early in the regular-season opener.

In the first quarter, James set a down screen for Maxey near the break. They then used a dribble handoff to catch Jalen Brunson off guard and get Maxey open for a baseline jumper. 

It was a nice look at that chemistry between the two and highlighted James’ comfort being the screener that a guard like Maxey can work off of.

The two of them were back at it in the second quarter. James set the same empty-side ball screen. After Mikal Bridges iced it, Maxey rejected the screen and burst towards the baseline. James’ defender, Andre Drummond, dropped to help. That left James open at the free throw line after a short roll. 

The defense collapsed on him once he caught the ball. The slightest of pass fakes to Anfernee Simons sent OG Anunoby and Brunson flying toward the far corner. The fake meant Jaylen Brown had nobody near him in the dunker spot.

The savvy from James on that play underscored the menace he can be as a passer off a short roll. Especially if he’s playing as a small-ball center, like he was during that stint, James can punish a defender who drops to support towards the ball handler. James playing the five has downsides, but how he can attack slower-footed centers is a benefit.

James also still possesses the size and strength to exploit switches against guards. With around 3:30 left in the first, he set a ball screen for VJ Edgecombe that forced Landry Shamet and Josh Hart to switch the matchup. 

Despite a bump from Drummond on the roll, James successfully played bully ball against Shamet in the paint.

James was good facilitating offense after setting screens on Tuesday. Where he can be better is finishing when he gets the rock off of the roll. There were a couple occasions when he didn’t convert on a pass from Maxey off the empty-side ball screen. 

Late in the first half, Maxey hit him on the roll off a dribble handoff. James took a dribble and started to go up with the ball, but Miles McBride rotated over and tied him up, forcing a jump ball. 

In the fourth quarter, Maxey and James went back to the same ball screen. Maxey threw him a bounce pass and James drove into Hart before missing a contested layup.

On a high pick-and-roll a few minutes beforehand, James passed up an open jump shot at the top of the key to drive towards the basket against OG Anunoby. He ended up settling for a bad shot.

“I can be a lot better, still getting my rhythm,” James told NBC’s Zora Stephenson after the win.

James was good playing to his strengths on Tuesday. As a connector in half-court offense and a finisher in transition, he was true to form. 

Once he and Maxey work together more in the two-man game, he should find his groove as a half-court scorer, too. He has, after all, scored more points than anyone else in NBA history. 

That dynamic could give the Sixers offense a changeup pitch that it has lacked. Pairing a true rolling threat with Embiid’s tendency to pick-and-pop could keep defenses on their toes. Plus, if and when Embiid misses time, James can still provide playmaking off the pick-and-roll as a small-ball center. 

Even if he’s not the isolation scorer he was in his prime, James is still a creation hub. Some of that will come off setting screens for others. If he can score off those looks as well, he’ll present yet another problem for opposing defenses to solve against the Sixers.

The Boston Celtics trotted out a starting lineup of Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Jayson Tatum, Paul George, and Mitchell Robinson in the team’s Opening Day loss — but it might not be the team’s best.

In fact, its best might look more like last year’s starting squad, just with Paul George instead of Jaylen Brown.

The Celtics’ most effective lineup of the game featured Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Jayson Tatum, Paul George, and Neemias Queta. It’s a small sample size, obviously, but the team was steamrolling Detroit while these five were on the floor for a 5-minute stretch in the second quarter.

At the point Queta subbed in for Luka Garza halfway through the frame and joined the others, the game was tied 39-39. By the time White and Hauser were subbed out with 1:11 to go in the quarter, Boston had broken ahead with a 18-4 run and taken a 57-43 lead. Unfortunately for the C’s, who eventually choked the lead in the second half and lost, that lineup didn’t see the court for the rest of the game. To be fair to head coach Joe Mazzulla — who was clearly experimenting with different squads throughout the game — only two other lineups saw more time on the floor, led by the starters, who played only 8 minutes together.

Over their short run together, the lineup recorded an absurd 172.7 offensive rating and an equally absurd 36.4 defensive rating, according to NBA.com. That results in a 136.4 net rating — the highest mark of the game for any Celtics lineup. Boston’s second- and third-best lineups finished with net ratings of 60 and 56.7, respectively, but only totaled 5 minutes combined. The starting lineup finished with a 146.7 offensive rating, a 106.3 defensive rating, and a 40.4 net rating. All impressive marks, but nowhere as dominant as the Hauser-Queta lineup.

The lineup’s statistical success is completely unsustainable, but its early chemistry makes sense. With four out of five of last year’s starters reprising their roles, the lineup may have the most continuity and rapport of any potential starting five Boston could roll out, especially if George is locked in as a starter when he’s healthy. And slotting him in next to the other four is easy when he is such a perfect fit for Mazzulla-ball.

Talking about Mazzulla Ball, the Hauser-Queta lineup may fit better into the scheme than opening day’s starting lineup, at least in part due to the shooting Hauser brings to the table. The starting lineup against Detroit featured only one elite three-point shooter in Paul George, who shot 39.2% from distance last year and 38.4% over his career. Otherwise, neither White nor Tatum shot better than 33% from three-point range last year and Queta is a non-shooter despite a few long-range attempts this preseason. Walsh shot 38.4% from distance last year, but has yet to shoot at the volume that may be needed for a starting lineup (he shot a career-high 1.8 attempts per game last year, whereas Hauser put up 6.5 per game). If Tatum continues to struggle with his deep shot, Hauser’s level of high-quality volume shooting might be needed to make up for it.

The difference between Hauser and Walsh is pronounced, but the same can’t be said for Queta and Robinson. The 7-footers share a similar skillset and may have some level of interchangeability. While Queta was a part of the Celtics’ most successful opening day lineup, we didn’t get to see Robinson have a chance to run with the same crew, and — despite finishing -8 for the game — he played an important role in the starting lineup’s success. The gap between the two centers’ performances in Tuesday’s game may come down to a difference in rapport with Tatum and the others. Queta’s had years to develop chemistry with his Boston teammates. Give Robinson some time, and he might be just as effective alongside White, Hauser, George, and Tatum.

All in all, it’s a long season, and a one-game sample size means very little. Nevertheless, through one game, the Celtics’ best lineup to hit the court hasn’t been the starters. But, if its level of statistical prosperity balances out into sustainable success, it might just become the starting lineup.

The Houston Rockets got 30 points apiece from Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr., as they used a massive first half of basketball to build a lead, and then cruised home in the second half to a 128-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the season opener Wednesday night at the Toyota Center.

The Rockets were up 70-38 at the half behind 16 points each from Durant and Smith, and then emptied their bench by the fourth quarter giving Houston their first victory of the year.

Durant finished with 30 points on 10-for-16 shooting, 2-for-4 from deep, with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. While Smith’s 30 came on 11-for-17 shooting, 4-for-8 from deep, along with 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Durant had 4 turnovers while Smith had 1. Despite Ime Udoka’s preseason promise of less KD minutes, Durant led the team with 37. Is anyone suprised? Ime just can’t help himself, even in a bench-clearing blowout.

The presence of Fred VanVleet added a floor-setter for the Rockets, but he was just 2-for-8 from the floor for 6 points in 30 minutes of action, but he did add 11 assists and 0 turnovers. That didn’t stop KD’s 4 give-ups or the 4 turnovers by Alperen Sengun, so it appears those two can still rack up some turnovers even with FVV back. But Sengun had a solid game despite the turnovers, going for 23 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists on 9-for-15 from the floor and 2-for-2 from deep.

Amen Thompson added 16 points, 10 boards, and 4 assists, while Marcus Smart had 10 points and 2 assists in 26 minutes off of the bench to round out Houston’s double-digit scorers.

Tari Eason was ejected after receiving a flagrant 2. He played just three minutes and scored 2 points. Reed Sheppard struggled with his shot, going just 1-for-6 from the floor with 3 points, 4 assists and 2 steals. We also saw what Ime’s plans are for Reed when his shot isn’t falling, and that was just 16 total minutes for Reed, even in the blowout. Newcomer Bogdan Bogdanovich had 5 points in 13 minutes and hit a three.

Houston shot 16-for-36 as a team from deep, a respectable number, and they shot 53 percent from the floor. They also won the rebound battle against the Mavs at 42-33.

Dallas was led by 32 points from Cooper Flagg, who I think is about to have a monster season. Heads up if you’re into fantasy basketball at all. But the Rockets might have an emerging player of their own. Jabari looked good this preseason and has now carried that over to the start of the regular season. Breakout incoming?

The Rockets will be back in action Friday night against the San Antonio Spurs.

He spent the offseason admiring the great Lakers centers that came before him. He pondered how he could possibly continue such a legacy.

Turns out, Walker Kessler makes it look easy.

The new Lakers center scored 26 points on 12-for-12 shooting with nine rebounds, one assist and two blocks in his purple and gold debut to help the Lakers (1-0) to a dominant 125-105 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.

From admiring Lakers legends, Kessler can now be mentioned in the same breath. His 12 made field goals without a miss were the most by a Laker since Wilt Chamberlain in 1969. His 10 dunks are the most for a Laker since Shaquille O’Neal in 2003.

O’Neal, for one, welcomes the company.

“Walker Kessler is the best big man in the NBA,” O’Neal proclaimed on “Inside the NBA” after the game where he also christened Kessler “Milk Chamberlain” and officially dubbed him a member of the “Big Man Alliance.” “You heard it here. And I’m not playing.”

Kessler deflected his success, crediting the play of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. The dynamic guards who scored 28 and 23 points, respectively, combined for 13 assists. Doncic connected with Kessler on an alley-oop on the game’s first play. He hit him with a behind-the-back pass wrapped around Draymond Green. He looked for Kessler even when the center wasn’t looking back. Kessler admitted one lob went down as just a layup because he didn’t see the pass in time.

“It’s not what I saw,” Kessler said of his sizzling debut. “It’s what Luka and AR [Austin Reaves] and all the other guys saw, throwing me the ball, honestly. Again, I wish I could tell you it was [that] I did something crazy, but I think just being in the right spots and being vertical and just trying to dunk everything. That’s really the biggest thing is having the attitude and mentality to try to dunk everything.”

Doncic, who had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, understood it was more than just Kessler being 7-foot-2. He praised the center for his activity and how he reacted to the game. When Doncic drove, Kessler knew to step up. When the star point guard got doubled, Kessler expertly played in the pocket.

Kessler did his part. Trailing a play in transition during the third quarter, Kessler saw Doncic methodically probing the lane. Passing the three-point arc, Kessler shouted Doncic’s name. Doncic answered with a no-look, backwards bounce pass.

Read more:Lakers' new Luka Doncic era opens with rout of Warriors

“He’s just smart,” Kessler said, still stunned from his first competitive game with Doncic. “He’s just wicked smart. His basketball IQ is crazy.”

After playing together for just one half during the preseason, Kessler and Doncic said there would be an acclamation period during the regular season. But from the first lob Kessler caught from the star guard — when the team was playing pick up during a five-day trip in Slovenia this summer — the 25-year-old Atlanta native sensed something special building.

“I could get used to this,” Kessler said with a smile of his first alley-oop connection with Doncic.

The Lakers hope so. They sent two first-round draft picks and two first-round pick swaps to pry Kessler, a restricted free agent, from Utah. The organization was desperate to pair Doncic with a rim-running, lob-catching center to maximize the star guard’s offensive capabilities as he enters the prime of his career. The move was a significant risk. The Lakers now don’t own their first-round draft pick until 2032. They signed Kessler to a four-year, $130-million contract, which places him among the top-10 paid centers this season. The elite group includes NBA champions (Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Davis), defensive players of the year (Victor Wembanyama) and former NBA most valuable players (Joel Embiid).

Kessler, meanwhile, has not even approached the All-Star conversation while toiling with Utah.

Kessler acknowledged the investment the organization made to get him. It motivated him to live up to the expectations of a franchise that exists under a spotlight he’s rarely seen. Just as he’s growing more comfortable with Doncic’s unexpected passes, Kessler is accepting the scrutiny that comes with playing with a team like the Lakers.

“I wish I could say I’ve always been comfortable with it, but I haven’t,” Kessler said. “When I was younger, going to college, I definitely let the pressure and kind of let outside voices and stuff kind of dictate how I felt. But I’m a big believer in what an opportunity. … When you count your blessings and give thanks giving, it’s really hard to focus on the negativity when you actively do that.”

Lakers coach JJ Redick praised Kessler’s end-to-end transition running that led to his instant impact. Kessler said running keeps him engaged in the game, so much so that he will sometimes run needlessly, searching for any spark. By the time the Lakers subbed him out with six minutes remaining in the fourth and a 30-point cushion, Kessler looked exhausted. Teammates gave him extra hugs on the bench. Forward Matisse Thybulle massaged Kessler’s shoulders.

After his historic debut, Kessler sat down at a table in front of a room packed with reporters. More than half a dozen TV cameras were lined up at the back of the room.

“Wow. Big crowd,” Kessler said as he picked up the microphone. It was the first time he remembered to hold the microphone at a formal Lakers news conference without being prompted.

He’s getting used to this.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

There’s a common idiom that most NBA players follow when it comes to the league’s best players: Don’t poke the bear.

But when it came to Luka Doncic on Wednesday night during the Lakers’ season-opening blowout win over the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena, Yaxel Lendeborg not only poked the bear, but ignited a barrage of chirping late in the second quarter.

And the Slovenian superstar made it clear that whatever the Warriors rookie said was out of bounds.

“He was talking crazy,” Doncic said. 

The trash talk started when the Lakers 6-foot-8 guard picked up a shooting foul against Lendeborg late in the second, with Doncic laughing as the No. 11 pick in June’s NBA draft became frustrated with the call. 

Even after Lendeborg subbed out, Doncic kept talking to the 6-foot-9 forward out of Michigan while he was on the bench after knocking down a fadeaway against Will Richard, and once again while Sandro Mamukelashvili was shooting free throws. 

Lendeborg picked up a technical foul with 22 seconds left in the first half after he and Doncic, presumably, kept chirping at each other.

The punctuation mark to the jawing came right before halftime, when Doncic nailed a buzzer-beating halfcourt shot to give the Lakers a 66-52 lead going into the game’s break.

"He was talking crazy" – Luka Doncic on the chirping with Yaxel Lendeborg.

Says he's trying not to pick up as many technical fouls and refrained from picking one up tonight. https://t.co/sYqydObQt7pic.twitter.com/1azX8moQAx

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) October 22, 2026

“Nobody understands what he says,” Austin Reaves quipped of Doncic. “He’s not speaking English. I didn’t understand anything and barely knew anything was going on. So, I know we need an article to come out and I’m going to start paying people to talk s— to him so gets [into] another gear when people start trying to talk to him.”

The most impressive part of the back-and-forth was Doncic not picking up a technical foul during the whole ordeal after being assessed 16 technical fouls last season.

“I wasn’t trying to talk back this season,” Doncic said. “I’m trying to not get techs. So it was the first time that [it] was not a double tech, because I didn’t say nothing. So I’m working on it. But as you see, it worked great.”

New Lakers forward Ziaire Williams, who had his own altercation with Doncic in late March while the 6-foot-10 forward was still with the Nets, which led to double technical fouls and Doncic serving a one-game suspension in the Lakers’ next game because of an accumulation of techs, appreciated Lendeborg’s spirit.

“It’s a lot better when you’re on his side than the other side, for sure,” Williams said. “I mean, the rookie, he was talking a lot of smack, too. Shout out to him for not backing down. Luka definitely had the better day. At least he didn’t back away from the challenge.”