Category: Basketball

There might not be a better Monday on the sports calendar than Oct. 26.

It's officially the 2026 sports equinox, a rare convergence when the calendars of the biggest leagues in North America overlap to create a sports fan's dream.

This year, the sports equinox features games in all five major professional leagues, plus championship action in two of them. That means the World Series, WNBA Finals, Monday Night Football and regular-season NBA and NHL games are all on the schedule.

Here's a look at everything happening during the 2026 sports equinox and how to watch.

NFL WEEK 7: 32 things we learned as trade deadline nears

Major League Baseball

• World Series Game 3: Milwaukee Brewers at Tampa Bay Rays, 8 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX One, Fubo)

WNBA

• WNBA Finals Game 5: Atlanta Dream at Golden State Valkyries, 8 p.m. ET (USA Network, CNBC, Peacock, Fubo)

NFL

• Monday Night Football: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN, ABC, ESPN Unlimited, Fubo)

NBA

• Washington Wizards at Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Minnesota Timberwolves at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Dallas Mavericks at Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks, 8 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder, 8 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Atlanta Hawks at Houston Rockets, 8:30 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Memphis Grizzlies at Utah Jazz, 9 p.m. ET (NBA League Pass)
• Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET (NBCSN, Peacock)

NHL

• Los Angeles Kings at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET (NHL Network)
• Toronto Maple Leafs at Calgary Flames, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
• Detroit Red Wings at Edmonton Oilers, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 Sports Equinox: World Series, WNBA Finals, NFL, NBA, NHL on same day

The Sixers knew they’d have to be a better rebounding team than they have in recent seasons. After finishing in the bottom 10 for the past couple of seasons, it was something that Nick Nurse stressed quite a bit throughout training camp.

They had plenty of problems in their first loss of the season to the Detroit Pistons. Jaylen Brown shot 5-of-20 from the field and the team as a whole came out of the gate slow, very much looking like a group that was playing their third game in four days.

With Joel Embiid resting on the second half of a back-to-back, it showed how dire the situation on the glass can be when he is out of the lineup. Starting a 41-year old LeBron James at center, the Sixers were out rebounded 54-37 by a Pistons team without starting center Jalen Duren in the lineup. They surrendered 15 offensive rebounds which led to 24 second-chance points.

Of course Embiid wasn’t the only missing Sixer in the front court. Jabari Walker missed the game with knee soreness after tweaking it the night before and Dominick Barlow has yet to play this season with a lumbar spine injury. Even Tacko Fall, who was converted to a two-way contract at the end of the preseason, has yet to see any action as he’s dealing with a quad injury.

Tyrese Maxey made note after the game that those reinforcements coming back should help them a lot.

“Some of our tall guys can come back, that would be great,” he said.

LeBron James referenced one of his old teammates, Taurean Prince, trying to hammer home that sometimes it’s as simple as going up and getting it.

“The ball goes up in the air,” James said, “and you go grab it.”

Both Maxey and James know the Sixers need to do more than just that. So does Nick Nurse, who’s trying to find ways for this team to finish possessions with the guys he has available.

“All five guys got to rebound. I just look at the numbers there and the defensive rebounding, just across the board, no matter position, just aren’t good enough,” Nurse said after the game, “so, everybody’s got to chip in with a few more.”

Even when Walker and Barlow are back, the only true center on the roster on nights Embiid will miss is Adem Bona, a springy center who’s struggled as a rebounder. In his best performance of the season, Bona had 13 rebounds in 25 minutes of play, but still let some crucial boards slip through his fingers, including two on one possession that led to Daniss Jenkins hitting the dagger three that put the game away.

Both Bona and Maxey stressed that the Sixers need to do a better job of finding their man and boxing out, regardless of position.

“We just got to hit, box out, try to fight, you got to figure it out,” Maxey said. “The ball comes off the rim, you gotta do whatever you gotta do to get that rebound.”

On top of the attention to the matchups, Bona believes that more Sixers crashing the glass on the offensive end will help even things out.

“Offensively, we got to rebound as a team. Sometimes we just have one guy going or we have two,” Bona said. “Obviously, we have to worry about fast breaks, getting back, but at the same time we also got to focus a little more on offensive rebounding.”

It’s an area of the game the Sixers will have to put more attention to, but for the time being, they’re in a tough spot to grab boards, personnel wise. They’ve been relying on LeBron to fill in center minutes so far, but they know that’s not a long-term solution.

“I don’t see it being a sustainable role,” James said, “but it’s a role we know that we can tap into if we need it.”

The end of the bench has really been depleted by injuries a week into the season — there’s not much they can do about that.The only legitimate criticism of the roster construction at the moment is the aforementioned use of the two-way on Fall. As tall as he is at 7-foot-6, Fall proved to not be a rotation player in his first stint in the NBA. Relying on a guy who was never a rotation-caliber player, hasn’t played in the NBA in four years, and also missed all of training camp and preseason with an injury to provide the help the team needs feels …. ambitious, to say the least.

The Sixers obviously aren’t going to achieve the goals they desire without Embiid in the lineup when the games matter. They do have to figure out how they’re going to eat those innings in the time it takes getting there.

Thunder star Jalen Williams was taken off the floor on a stretcher Sunday night after apparently suffering a leg injury with under two minutes remaining in Oklahoma City’s 108-101 win over the Clippers.

The gruesome injury had Williams’s left foot bending unnaturally after he awkwardly landed on it while being fouled. Thunder medical personnel quickly covered Williams’s leg with a towel as he and other players on the court reacted in shock.

The injury had such an impact on star teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that he fought back tears in his postgame interview.

“I don’t even know,” Gilgeous-Alexander said when asked what was going through his mind after the game. “I just feel bad for him. Nothing more than that.”

Gilgeous-Alexander continued and said the team will keep fighting without Williams.

“It’s obviously going to be tough without a player like that,” he admitted. “But he’s not gone forever. He’ll be back better than ever, and we know it. We’ve just got to hold the fort down until he comes back.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fighting back tears in the post game interview after Jalen Williams' gruesome leg injury https://t.co/3pOYngIWScpic.twitter.com/zEI7byVsxq

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) October 26, 2026

Williams, 25, has already been named an All-Star and All-NBA player since being drafted 12th overall by the Thunder in 2022. He played a big role in the Thunder’s championship run in 2025, but missed 49 games last season due to multiple injuries, including a hamstring and recovery from right wrist surgery.

The Thunder did not immediately diagnose Williams’s injury, and head coach Mark Daigneault said postgame that the team will be updated on Monday morning.

“We’re not doing great,” Daigneault said.

The Thunder play the second half of a back-to-back on Monday night against the Suns at home.

SALT LAKE CITY — For Walker Kessler, his first game back at Delta Center was an emotional one.

And he admitted he let those same emotions get the best of him leading into the Lakers’ comeback victory over the Jazz on Sunday.

Kessler was coming off of looking like one of the best big men in the league after the first two games of the season, entering the matchup against the Jazz with averages of 24 points (84% shooting), 8.5 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

But the 7-foot-2 center had a dud in his first game against his former team, finishing with more fouls (four) than points (two) in 28 minutes. 

He grabbed seven rebounds, but shot just 1-of-2 from the field and didn’t provide his usual rim protection, finishing with just one blocked shot. 

“Definitely let my emotions get the best of me,” Kessler said. “But you gotta learn those moments and move on.” 

Luckily for the big man, his teammates picked up the slack, with Luka Doncic leading the Lakers with 52 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds en route to a victory. 

Austin Reaves chipped in an efficient 29 points on 7-of-12 shooting (11-of-13 on free throws), with the Lakers having five players score in double figures.

“I’m just glad we got the win,” Kessler said. “I mean, I’ve got a lot of thanks to give to my teammates, I mean, all of them. They all played their roles and did a great job, even though it wasn’t my best night. So I really, really appreciated them.”

The No. 22 pick in the 2022 NBA draft spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Jazz.

He was an integral part of the team’s rebuild after the franchise traded All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to the Cavaliers during the 2022 offseason before the Lakers acquired him via sign-and-trade from the Jazz in July.

The transaction included a four-year, $130 million contract for Kessler, with the Lakers sending the Jazz unprotected first-round draft picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030.

The former Auburn Tiger could feel the emotions take over as he was arriving to the arena he used to call home. 

“Obviously Utah was the first four years of my career,” Kessler said. “It’s a special place for me. Kind of jumpstarted my career, a lot of good memories. Just letting my emotions get the best of me and kind of hype myself up more than I usually do and kind of got too amped.

“And then just couldn’t find the ball, couldn’t find the rhythm, just kind of was off a couple fouls that were tough, a couple blocks I usually [make] – it’s one of those nights. But fortunately basketball is not a one-man sport. I’ve got really good teammates and I’m very thankful.”

Despite Kessler’s subpar performance, the Lakers moved to 3-0 on the season after coming back from down 18 points.

“He didn’t have the best game,” Reaves said. “But for him to not have a good game and us still get a win shows the versatility of our team.”

Kessler was glad to get his first game back in Utah out of the way this early in the season.

“I knew I’d have some emotions naturally just because it’s my first place I ever played,” he said. “But yeah, definitely good to get out of the way and be excited for next time we play them.”

The referendum on the Boston Celtics’ bold decision to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers this summer might last all season. Celtics win? Great trade! Celtics blow a 22-point lead while Jayson Tatum shoots 6-for-23 from the floor? Bad deal, “welcome to being the guy, JT.”

Ultimately, NBA fans won’t know who “won” the Brown trade for a few years when the draft picks involved in the deal convey, unless the Sixers or Celtics win a championship before that happens. What’s already clear is there are still some hurt feelings for the players involved, and it’s leading to one of the most embarrassing war of words possible to start the new season.

Tatum and Brown both commented on the beef that isn’t a beef on Saturday after an emoji on social media added more fuel to the fire. Here’s the timeline of events here:

1. Jaylen Brown commented with the “cap” emoji — indicating someone is lying — when Tatum said he was surprised by the trade like everyone else in an Instagram video.
2. Tatum gave a long response about Brown’s emoji after the Celtics beat the Knicks on Friday, saying there’s “no beef” between the two and said he’s disappointed it’s turned into a drama rather than appreciating what the two accomplished together.
3. Brown responded to Tatum’s comment after the Sixers beat the Bucks on Saturday, and gave a couple memorable quotes. Let’s get into those below.

Brown said he agreed with Tatum that there’s no beef. Then it got interesting.

“Jayson comes from a wonderful family. We’ve accomplished some great things. He’s a hell of a basketball player. He’s got a great PR team. There’s no beef but there might be a little lamb chops and gravy. He should stay ready at all times.”

Jaylen Brown on Jayson Tatum: “It’s no beef, but it might be little lamb chops and some gravy, you know what I mean?

“He should stay ready at all times.” pic.twitter.com/1jkBUKguWr

— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) October 25, 2026

Brown liked the “lamb chops and gravy” line so much he said it twice. He really thought that one was going to bang, but in the humble opinion of this nearly 40-year-old blogger, it reads as pretty cringeworthy. I wish someone would have followed up on the last line about Tatum needing to stay ready. What does that mean?! I actually really like that line from Brown, it’s so ridiculous and opaque that it hits that just right. That’s how you do it when you want to go viral.

Here’s Tatum’s long quote on Brown’s emoji. Tatum said he’s too old for the drama, and that he and Brown need better communication. Watch his full response:

.@RealBobManning asked Jayson Tatum about Jaylen Brown’s 🧢 comment, and he responded at length: pic.twitter.com/7vR7EbHi80

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) October 24, 2026

And here’s the screenshot of Brown’s cap emoji that started it all. Shout-out to Tatum for rocking the backwards red fitted cap in this video. I assume it’s a Cardinals hat for the St. Louis native, but that will always remind me of Fred Durst.

Jayson Tatum on the Jaylen Brown trade in a recent interview:

"I was just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world."

Jaylen Brown in the comments: 🧢 pic.twitter.com/dia6lscJ2E

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) October 23, 2026

Here are some quick takes on the state of the Tatum-Brown relationship right now:

• I could be wrong about this, but … the Celtics *probably* told Tatum they were going to trade Brown just to make sure he didn’t have a bad reaction to it. In that sense, Brown likely isn’t wrong for using the cap emoji in response to Tatum saying he was totally caught off guard.
• Tatum’s response is far more mature, and this situation is clearly eating away at him a little bit. I’m sure he enjoyed his years with Brown. They won so many games, and that 2024 championship banner will hang forever.
• Brown seems to be using that trade and Tatum’s comments as motivation, which basically every athlete does.

This should be a non-story, but that’s never going to happen because fans love drama. Brown is probably going to keep leaning in, and Tatum is probably going to continue to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. This is all very silly, but whatever. Get back to me in 2035 and we’ll see who really won the Jaylen Brown trade.

Monica McNutt is still “mystified” by her viral hot mic Taylor Swift moment and how that got put out into the world during Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

During a recent episode of “The Pivot” podcast hosted by former NFL stars Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor, the ESPN basketball analyst gave her take on the incident in which she was heard taking a shot at the mega popstar while on the Knicks radiocast.

“Epitome of a hot mic situation. We weren’t even up yet. I’m still mystified and would love someone to explain how that got to the masses. But, we’ll leave that there,” McNutt said.

Upon spying Swift in a courtside seat at Madison Square Garden, McNutt was caught saying, “She’s not a Knicks fan. Get out of here, girl.”

By the time Game 4 ended with the franchise-defining OG Anunoby tip-in, McNutt had no idea she had gone viral and was receiving a ton of heat from Swift fans on social media.

She explained a PR staffer said to her, “You know you’re doing viral?”

“Dude I don’t care, did you just see that?” she responded. “I don’t care.”

On the podcast, McNutt defended what she said about Swift and said it was a “throwaway comment.”

We all know why Taylor Swift shows up at NFL stadiums, but Monica McNutt had questions when she appeared at Madison Square Garden during the NBA playoffs.

In this business, they say, “The mic is always hot,” and that night, it certainly was! The Swifties went into full attack… pic.twitter.com/JI27MjOTUO

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) October 25, 2026

“You gotta be able to read a little colloquialism because ‘Girl get out of here’ isn’t literally ‘Get out of here,'” she said. “But I had just seen you at a Knicks game with your man in no Knicks gear, and all the celebrity Knicks fans I am familiar with, blue and orange down baby, it ain’t no question. So, literally it’s a throwaway comment RC, that like please, congratulations you have built an empire, you have an incredible fan base, like I do not care.”

“Again, people that have never had our jobs, you don’t know how a hot mic works, and if you don’t speak with any of the flavor that I speak with, you probably took that comment to heart and it wasn’t even that deep,” she added. “And that’s on you, not me.”

Swift’s Knicks fandom was put into question when she was spotted at Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers with then-fiancee Travis Kelce, a Cleveland native.

Swift then showed up to Game 4 of the NBA Finals with the Haim sisters while wearing custom blue and orange Knicks novelty shirts with the pop star’s reading “Stevie Knicks.”

No one approached McNutt about the comment in person other than a reporter from TMZ, who asked to talk to her about the situation. She later apologized to Swift in the street interview between Games 4 and 5.

“The internet is not real….Baby I can close my phone and go on about my business. I am living literally my best professional life right now. What are y’all talking about?” she said.

However, one person did come to McNutt’s defense during the Knicks championship celebrations after taking Game 5 in San Antonio.

Taking her MSG microphone, Jalen Brunson said, “I just want to say something to the Swifties: She’s a really good one, cut her some slack. It’s all good. I promise.”

McNutt explained she did not know the NBA Finals MVP was going to defend her.

“Jalen is just — he’s so thoughtful. He’s an incredible leader,” McNutt said. “I think his sense of what is happening around the people that — not that he is responsible for me but like — he is the king of New York and I’m in the New York orbit if you will. Tip of the cap to him for sure. I was not expecting that. It was really cool.”

Egor Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr. are the foundation of the Nets rebuild. But going into the season’s fourth game, they’ve played just four minutes together.

The duo’s only action together was a cameo in Cleveland on Saturday. Now, after Brown was rested on the tail end of a back-to-back Sunday, he’s cleared to return — albeit still on a minutes limit — Tuesday in Boston.

With the Nets dragging a winless 0-3 record into TD Garden, seeing Brown potentially play alongside Dëmin would give fans something to look forward to.

But the Nets are intent on slow-playing it.

Brown’s minutes limit has kept him from starting. But asked if he’d look to get him on the floor alongside Dëmin within those constraints, coach Jordi Fernández suggested that’s something dictated by game flow.

“We have all this preparation, the coaches do a great job putting all these pages and film,” Fernández said. “But then at the end of the day, you have to react to a lot of things that are not controllable. Would I like to play them together? Yes. But if I’m just thinking about playing them together, I may not do what’s best for the group at the moment.”

Or what’s best for Brown long-term. The rookie played just 19 games at Louisville, missing the second half of his lone season with a back injury. While a rolled ankle cost him the first three preseason games, it’s more caution over the back injury that had Brown rested Sunday night.

“Correct. There’s not a new injury,” said Fernández. “We’re required to say … So he’s good. He’s doing great. Then after this game, he’ll be ready to go.”

Brown and Dëmin were a plus-5 in their four-minute stint together against the Cavs.

---

Josh Minott made use of his first extended action Sunday, with 15 points, eight rebounds and two steals in 21:14.

Danny Wolf, Drake Powell and Ben Saraf, all first-round picks in 2025, all saw their first action this season against Indiana. Rookie first-round pick Joshua Jefferson made his NBA debut, logging 3:38.

---

Pacers center Ivica Zubac rolled his left ankle on teammate Kelly Oubre Jr.’s foot in the first quarter Sunday. He left the arena on crutches.

The New York Knicks knew that it would be hard to repeat as NBA champions after they had the shortest summer out of all teams and spent weeks throwing parties in the “Big Apple” that would make the Great Gatsby turn pale with envy. On top of that, recent history, with nine different title winners in nine years, also told the Bockers that it would be almost impossible to win it a second time in a row. If they or you needed a reminder, here’s the 0-3 start for the defending champs. It’s not just talk anymore; it’s right in front of us in hard, cold numbers. Or as Keef suggested in the Postgame Thread: “This is getting real.”

How real remains to be determined, but right now it looks like nobody in Knick Nation wants to find out how bad this can get. Your beloved New York Ballers dragged themselves through another anemic, incomplete performance on Sunday night and granted the shorthanded Orlando Magic (playing without Paolo Banchero) their first win of the young season. It’s not like the Knicks didn’t try, starting with Jalen Brunson, who came out extremely aggressive and stayed that way throughout the entire contest. But 28 shots and 16 misses later, it turned out to be all for naught.

Knicks searching for… what exactly?

It’s one of the captain’s many remarkable traits that he never shies away from a challenge and is willing to put the team on his back even in the darkest of times. Whether him shooting that much is the best way for the Knicks in a game like this can be debated, though, and has been plenty in the past, especially when his shot is as off as it certainly seems to be early in the year. Nobody wants Brunson to change because eventually we will get the Finals Game 5 version of him (damn, that was beautiful). Yet he himself knows that not even the new king of the city has found a solution for all that’s wrong with the team right now.

Against Orlando, it actually looked like the Knicks had finally grabbed the rope and started to pull themselves out of the mud with a 12-0 start in the first quarter. The gameplan of leaving the Magic wide open from downtown worked to perfection as one of the worst three-point shooting teams in recent memory stacked up brick after brick. But before they finished a nice little three-story Brooklyn townhouse, their reserves, led by Anthony Black and Tristan Da Silva, all of a sudden did the unthinkable: they hit their open shots! Countless times, the Knicks overhelped on drives and could not recover out to the arc in time. With every new make, you could sense the confidence growing for their counterparts.

Magic reserves dominate Knicks bench

In turn, the Knicks themselves all of a sudden realized that they could actually lose this game against an opponent who has traditionally played them very tough over the last few years. They got careless with the ball, and you could feel them thinking too much. In the end, they did exactly what you would have expected from those scrappy stonethrowers from Disney World: they missed their three-pointers. A lot of them, all the way to a clip of 24 percent on the night.

"Our crap stinks
It does.
And we're the only ones
that can do something about it."

–– Mike Brown on 0-3 Knicks pic.twitter.com/R6pdyFkB0F

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) October 26, 2026

Superior talent in the form of Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns or OG Anunoby still let the Knicks lead for most of the night, but at no point did it really feel sustainable. Missing Jose Alvarado, the Knicks reserves were outscored 47-11 by the magical second unit and couldn’t muster up anything more than a few nice moments. Andre Drummond was, well, Andre Drummond. James Wiseman had a spectacular block but played way too giddy. Tyler Kolek had plenty of helpers (9 assists in 15 minutes) but once again struggled against Orlando’s size. Landry Shamet and Deuce McBride were off, and it certainly didn’t help them that Mike Brown experimented with a lineup that saw Mikal Bridges exclusively initiating the offense, surrounded by reserves. Yup, unfortunately it went as expected and did not really unlock the coldest player in basketball right now.

A fourth quarter to forget or learn from

But even if their reinforcements or their shooting hands weren’t up to par, the Knicks starters still had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. At that point, they decided it might be a fun idea to let Franz Wagner get going a little bit, and the big German certainly enjoyed it. After being silenced for most of the night by OG Anunoby, he all of a sudden stumbled upon the green light of seeing Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges in front of him for a long stretch. Wagner hit that metal quicker than he ever would on the Autobahn A100 in Berlin and drove into the paint at will against the smaller defenders. With all the momentum on their side, shots fell again for Orlando, and New York was wondering what actually had happened to them. In case you are also still wondering: 40 points by the Magic in the fourth quarter alone. Ballgame.

The bad defensive execution against an offensively challenged Magic team feels symbolic of what the Knicks are still missing to start the season. They made a living during their long playoff run by being the smartest squad in the arena, making the right pass at the right time and the correct rotation whenever it was needed. Paired with plenty of toughness, Jalen Marquis Brunson and an innovative offensive system, it turned out to be a devastating combination, especially in a league where fundamentals have become a relic of the past at times. It also could hide many of the flaws that the Knicks had shown us for the better part of two years with this current nucleus.

Some of these flaws are showing up again because right now New York isn’t making the “right” plays often enough. Until they are making them, this losing streak could continue. “There’s no light switch that we can just turn on and think we’re going to go win ballgames,” head coach Mike Brown said in the postgame. “Nobody is going to give us any of that. We have to be better with the little things until we start shooting the ball well.” Just like his players, he seems to be searching. The solution for the current issues might be physical; it might be mental. It might be a little bit of both.

Let’s hope that it is real sooner rather than later.

The Dallas Mavericks finished their first week of the 2026-27 season with a 1-2 record. They got blown off the floor in game one by Houston (128-110), bounced back with a win in Indiana (121-105), and then fell to San Antonio in their home opener (122-106). Cooper Flagg led the way with 23 points per game. Flagg also injured his shoulder against Indiana and missed their last game.

Grade: B+

If you take out the second quarter against the Rockets and the fourth quarter against the Spurs, the Mavericks played three excellent games of basketball. They beat Houston by 14 in the second half, had a 30-point lead in the first half of their win against the Pacers, and played the defending Western Conference champions tough without Kyrie Irving or Cooper Flagg. Marcus Sasser and Sergio de Larrea shined off the bench in the sought-after guard minutes, and Zaccharie Risacher showed intrigue as a connecting piece on defense. P.J. Washington and Naji Marshall have looked like themselves, and Kyrie Irving seems to be on track to be the guy he was 19 months ago.

They are in the top half of the league for offensive rating (112.0) and near the bottom of the league in pace (100.33), meaning they have been very deliberate and effective in what they want to do. The defensive flashes have been there, but, as is the case for all young teams, they are not consistent yet. They’re going to have quarters like the second in Houston, where they got boatraced 38-12. But they will also click as they did in the same period against Indiana, where they held them scoreless for nearly half the quarter and outscored them 33-16.

Despite the 1-2 start, there is reason to have hope for a good season. Dusty May will continue to figure out the lineups as the season goes on, the rookies and fresh faces will find more confidence as they play more, and Cooper Flagg alongside Kyrie Irving is awesome to watch. This next week (at Miami, at home against Oklahoma City and Houston) will be a great test for this group if they want playoff dreams.

Straight A’s: Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg made the jump we expected him to make. He came out of the gates swinging with 32 points, and followed that up with 14 points in 17 minutes before getting hurt in Indiana. He has made 14 of his 23 shots, including three of his six threes, and has two blocks and six steals. He was efficient last year, as we know, but the big jump so far in his scoring has been his ability to get to the line. Flagg took 13 free throws against the Rockets and four before exiting on Friday, making 15 of his 17 attempts. He looks like a more seasoned player, and a true number one on a winning team.  

Fail: Dusty May’s first NBA half

I have not been much more bewildered than I was watching the Mavericks’ first half to open the season. 10 guys played in the first quarter, and it seemed like every time I looked up, a new player was on the floor. There was no rhythm, no pattern, and seemingly no purpose other than to get a look at everyone for two minutes at a time. A positive spin could be that he wanted to speed-run the 20-game Jason Kidd test period, but he legitimately punted the game against Houston by doing this, given how Dallas played in the second half. Thankfully, he has not pulled this gimmick in either game since, but he does have a quick trigger on the substitutions. 

Extra Credit: Sergio de Larrea

When the Mavericks selected de Larrea 25th overall, the chances are you had no idea who he was. I had no clue, but one thing is clear about him from the get-go: the kid can play. A lot of young players are constantly trying to adjust to the pace of the NBA; de Larrea already controls it. He has incredible touch on his in-between game, a great feel for passing, and a smooth-looking jumper. He is clearly too slender, but that will change with a real NBA offseason. His 21 points against a very good Spurs defense, and specifically the ease with which he got to his spots against Stephon Castle, were impressive. I am excited to watch him develop next to Cooper Flagg. 

All right, time to dust off the old weekly recap and give it another rejuvenation as I reinvent it once again this year. I’d previously mentioned that I’d be calling this the Solar Report, and I’ve already given you my reasons why. Now I’m here to report on the overarching themes we experienced in Week 1.

Week 1 served as a reminder that there’s plenty of basketball left to be played and that overreactions and rash decisions need to be tempered, even when you feel they shouldn’t be. Because what seems logical to you as a fan isn’t necessarily as logical when you get into the intricacies of a locker room, the dynamics involved, and the egos that come with them. As we look back at Week 1, it’s clear that challenges await the Phoenix Suns if adjustments aren’t made. And we’re already beginning to wonder how long it’ll take before those adjustments occur.

The shine of hope and promise, fortified by the belief in continued development, was quickly erased within the opening minutes of the season. The reality of the Suns’ current situation, combined with the flaws in their roster construction, was on full display.

Like everything in life, it’s a process. Think back to last season. A team that ultimately became one of the most beloved Suns teams in recent memory because of the way it played and executed began the season 1-4. And then something clicked. When it did, Phoenix became a team nobody wanted to play against. So with only two games in the books, I’m tempering my words and observations when it comes to the overall assessment of a team that’s still learning where to be and how to play together.

With that being said, here’s your Solar Report for Week 1.

Week 1 Record: 1-1

@ Portland Trail Blazers, L, 124-83

I’m going to file this under “Things I wish were permanently scrubbed from the internet”…

vs. Golden State Warriors, W, 131-122

A nice win in which the offense looked functional and the defense let the C Squad feel like the A squad.

Malu-Watch

Tracking rebounds plus steals plus blocks per 36 minutes through the first week (“restocks”, if you will) gives us a potential baseline for what Khaman Maluach can become. When he’s on the court, he’s statistically productive. But visually, I think we all recognize that we’re embarking on a journey filled with bumps, bruises, mental lapses, and moments of clarity. He’s a 20-year-old center who’s suddenly being asked to start following Mark Williams’ injury and Oso Ighodaro suffering an oblique strain during the first week of the season. That developmental timeline for Maluach has accelerated substantially, and we’re all along for the ride.

Looking at his Week 1 restocks production, here’s what you get:

For context, Victor Wembanyama is averaging 17.8 restocks per 36 minutes through Week 1.

What this week showcased to us, in my opinion, isn’t necessarily reflected in the statistics. Because there were plenty of minutes when Maluach was on the court and the discombobulation was evident. His positioning was less than optimal, and at times, the ability to grab the damn rebound simply wasn’t there.

Now, you have to take all of this with some context. The Suns aren’t a great rebounding team, which I’ll get into momentarily. And when opposing teams recognize that, they have one mission: box out the one guy who can rebound and make his life a living hell. That guy is Khaman Maluach.

He’s currently leading the team with 7.5 rebounds per game through two games and possesses a defensive rebounding percentage of 16.9%. For comparison, Wembanyama sits at 15.3%. When you look at Maluach’s restocks, he’s doing a decent job of making his presence felt. But Maluach isn’t the only player responsible for securing rebounds. When opposing teams are actively boxing him out, the rest of the Suns need to step up in his stead. The attention he’s drawing should create opportunities for his teammates to slip inside and snatch some boards of their own.

Instead, it’s the opposition that’s consistently showing more activity on the glass and coming away with those rebounds. Which brings me to our next segment…

Stat Me, Dave

Back in the old Solar Panel podcast days, there was a segment in which Dave King would provide a statistic. The name of that segment, not ironically at all, was “Stat Me, Dave.” That’s what I’m here to provide every week. One statistic, or perhaps a collection of statistics, that points to a theme I’ve noticed throughout the week.

I think, without a doubt, the biggest concern surrounding the Phoenix Suns right now is rebounding.

It’s not like this was a great rebounding team a season ago. Phoenix ranked 20th in the NBA, averaging 43.1 rebounds per game, while its 49.8% rebounding percentage ranked 14th. Over the course of the season, the Suns finished with a rebound differential of minus-46 and were outrebounded in 43 games.

You could point to the advanced rebounding metrics of Miles Bridges and make the case that his addition should improve Phoenix’s overall performance on the glass. But holistically, Bridges is a slightly above-average rebounder, and his arrival hasn’t moved the needle through the first two games.

"We've all got to do a better job of rebounding, especially me. That's why they brought me here."

Miles Bridges (16 points, 7 rebounds) as Suns allowed 19 offensive rebounds (26 second-chance points in 131-122 win over Warriors.

On offense from tonight's win (58% FG, 14-of-38… pic.twitter.com/dhRDIfr2GD

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 25, 2026

He’s averaging 5.5 rebounds per game with a rebounding percentage of 7.9%. So Bridges has struggled, and the team as a whole has struggled. Which brings me to my stat: The Phoenix Suns are currently dead last in the NBA with a rebounding percentage of 41.6%. Combine that with the fact that they’re allowing 26 second-chance points per game, the most in the league, while generating only 10.5 second-chance points themselves, the fewest in the NBA.

Everything you’re seeing with your own eyes is supported by the numbers. This team has a rebounding problem.

Next Week

The competition gets increasingly difficult next week, although the Suns have only two games on the schedule. First up is the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, a team that has looked absolutely possessed to begin the season. They’re 3-0, although they’ll be playing tonight on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Los Angeles Clippers last night.

In an unfortunate turn of events, Jalen Williams suffered a horrific ankle injury near the end of that game and is most likely done for the season. So Phoenix will be facing an emotional Thunder team following the loss of a player who fought so hard to return after missing the majority of last season. But at the end of the day, they’re still the Thunder, a buzzsaw of a team loaded with depth, length, and rebounding. They’re currently ninth in the NBA in total rebounds, averaging 46.3 per game.

Following that matchup, the Suns get a nice little break. Three nights off for us to sit and stew over whatever happens Monday against Oklahoma City. And their opponent on Friday? The Denver Nuggets, who currently sit at 1–1.

Denver lost its season opener to Oklahoma City before beating the New Orleans Pelicans in overtime on Saturday. They’ll face Golden State and New Orleans this week before traveling to Phoenix for what will be the Suns’ first NBA Cup game of the season. Long pause…I think you know how I feel about that event, and I’m going to do my best to never mention those thoughts again.

The point is that this week, the Suns will face players with a combined five MVP awards. That’s never going to be easy.

Week 2 will present a challenge as the Suns test themselves against some of the Western Conference’s top teams while also continuing to battle themselves. What have they learned from their first two games that they can carry forward? And more importantly, can they actually put those lessons into action?

---

That’s it for this week, Bright Siders. Stay frosty.

After dropping a tight game against Philadelphia, the Milwaukee Bucks return to Fiserv Forum to face their regional rivals, the Indiana Pacers, who come in on the second night of a back-to-back. The Bucks have slumped to 0-3, losing to Washington, Chicago, and Philadelphia, and they’ll want at least one win as they begin a three-game home stretch. Milwaukee has important questions to answer, especially about its porous defence, which has allowed 129 PPG in the early season, the league’s most.

The Task Ahead

With floor general Tyrese Haliburton back from a torn Achilles, the Pacers have started the season solidly at 2-1 (granted, the wins came against New Orleans and Brooklyn). Notably, Ivica Zubac suffered an ankle injury last night against the Nets and, per reports, is unlikely to play tonight.

Ivica Zubac rolled his ankle after stepping on Kelly Oubre Jr., and went back to the locker room pic.twitter.com/7mCrAnWEsi

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) October 25, 2026

The key storyline of Indiana’s season so far has been Haliburton, who has picked up right where he left off, averaging 21.7 PPG on .533/.353/.917 shooting splits, plus 9.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 0.7 BPG. His superb vision, aided by a slender 6’5” build, has allowed his teammates to thrive too. Obi Toppin is averaging 16.3 PPG off the bench, while Andrew Nembhard (16.0 PPG), Aaron Nesmith (11.0 PPG), and Ivica Zubac (9.0 PPG) have all been key contributors. However, Haliburton’s most prominent co-star has been Pascal Siakam, who is posting 24.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 3.3 APG. Suffice to say, the Hali-Siakam connection is alive and well.

That said, Indiana has struggled at times early in the season, most notably in a rough first half against Dallas, who handed them their only loss so far. The Pacers turned the ball over 13 times and let the Mavs consistently penetrate the paint and bully them inside. Indy lacked urgency on offence, struggled to shoot, and grew so frustrated that a scuffle broke out at the end of the half when Aaron Nesmith made a hard foul on Cooper Flagg. The point being: Indiana has certainly looked strong at times, but they’re certainly not unbeatable. The Pacers come in tonight tired and (likely) without their starting center; the Bucks have a shot.

Injury Report

Bucks:

• Clean injury report

Pacers:

• Not yet submitted, as they played last night. But as mentioned, Ivica Zubac left on crutches after spraining his ankle and is unlikely to play.

Player to Watch

Pascal Siakam has been searingly hot for Indiana through their first three games. Siakam’s been clicking from long range, and his athleticism has translated into dominance on the glass. He also stepped into a playmaking role in Indiana’s recent win over Brooklyn, posting six assists. The veteran has looked very good with Haliburton back in the lineup, and he could very easily trouble Milwaukee’s underperforming bigs.

Projected Starters

Bucks	Position	Pacers
Ryan Rollins	PG	Tyrese Haliburton
Tyler Herro	SG	Andrew Nembhard
Jaime Jaquez Jr.	SF	Aaron Nesmith
Kyle Kuzma	PF	Pascal Siakam
Kel’el Ware	C	Jay Huff

Game Details

Who: Milwaukee Bucks (0-3) vs. Indiana Pacers (2-1).

When: 7:00 p.m. CDT

Where: Fiserv Forum—Milwaukee, WI.

Watch: MY24.

Listen: Check local listings.

Prescient Prediction

The Pacers continue to catch fire from three. Indiana shot 49% from deep against Brooklyn after two struggling games. The Bucks allowed the 76ers to catch fire in their Saturday loss, with Philly shooting 43%. Coming off a successful shooting night on Sunday and the likely addition of seven-foot sharpshooter Jay Huff into the rotation, expect the Pacers to hit their shots from the land of plenty.

Steve Kerr criticizes ‘very poor' part of Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg's game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors are 0-3 and still in search of their first win of the 2026-27 NBA season, but rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has been a major bright spot to start the campaign, averaging 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds while starting every game.

But that does not mean he can’t improve. Speaking to reporters Saturday’s loss to the Suns, Warriors coach Steve Kerr pinpointed where he needs to see Lendeborg improve his game in order to be the ideal star for the franchise.

Steve Kerr on Yaxel Lendeborg's defense:

"His weak-side awareness right now is very poor. And with his size, he should be one of our best defenders at the rim. And right now, he's unaware on the weak-side" pic.twitter.com/g5cGzAqdqS

— Oh No He Didn't 🤯 (@ohnohedidnt24) October 25, 2026

“He’s fearless and he’s huge and he’s got a great skill set,” Kerr told reporters. “He can dribble, pass, and shoot. The biggest thing is just continuing to learn the NBA, and he’s going to feel that, he’s going to do that. He had a play in the first half [against the Suns on Oct. 24] where he got free and then he launched himself into [Suns big man Khaman Maluach]. We saw that play a few times [on Oct. 23 against the Grizzlies] with Edey [Grizzlies big man Zach Edey].

“That’s got to be a pull-up jumper. That’s got to be a Euro step. That’s got to be a kick it out. In college, he could do that, but this is a different league, and he’ll learn. He’s playing a ton, and he’s going to get all these reps, and we’re going to keep showing him film, and he’ll get better and better. The defensive side is where I want to see the most improvement, though. His weak side awareness right now is very poor, and with his size, he should be one of our best defenders at the rim. Right now, he’s unaware on the weak side, and that’s an area he really has to improve.”

Lendeborg took the league by storm as soon as the Warriors selected him with the No. 11 overall pick in this year’s draft. Leading the team to a summer league title, he won MVP for both the championship game and the entire summer league after averaging 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

Lendeborg has faced tough tests early on, guarding Lakers star Luka Dončić on opening night. That game, Dončić dropped 28 points and led all players in the game in scoring. It is games like that could be good lessons to help him improve and become a defensive anchor.

The Warriors take the floor again on Monday night, when they travel to Denver to face the Nuggets. The Nuggets have a lot of scorers on their team, headlined by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, making it a crucial defensive game. Lendeborg will need to put his best foot forward if he wants to lead Golden State to its first win of the season.

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Why Draymond Green believes there's no chance Lakers' Luka Dončić wins MVP originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Draymond Green has stood witness to greatness before. Nearly a decade ago, Green was a pillar of the Warriors’ budding dynasty, spearheaded by two MVP seasons from Steph Curry.

Since Curry’s first MVP in the 2014-15 season, half of the award’s winners have been guards, including Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the last two seasons.

But one name has been around the conversation and never won it: Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić.

On Monday’s episode of “The Draymond Green Show,” Green explained why he does not envision Dončić ever taking home the trophy.

“I still don’t think there’s any chance that he’s going to win MVP, because the moment he has a few bad games or an injury that costs him a couple games, people are going to flip back on ‘Oh, same Luka,’ and that’s just my opinion,” Green said. “I think people get bored with with greatness. I think Luka’s been doing great things for a very long time now, and I think they’re going to stay bored with it.”

In his first season on the Lakers without LeBron James, who now is a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, Dončić has led the Lakers to a 3-0 start.

Dončić had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the Lakers’ 127-105 season-opening win over the Warriors, where rookie Yaxel Lendeborg said he lost respect for Dončić.

Dončić has ended up top five in the MVP race on four different occasions, with a career-high finish of third place in the 2023-24 season as a member of the Dallas Mavericks, before he was shockingly traded to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.

The Lakers superstar also is a two-time scoring champion and a five-time First-Team All-NBA selection this decade.

Green mentioned that voters are likely to look at previous MVP winners like Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, in addition to San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, and the lack of an MVP award would not be an indictment on Dončić’s production.

“He’s in Year 9, and the people who vote, they’ve already moved on,” Green added. “Hopefully, for his sake, he can go beat that out. But I stand by what I said. Voters get fatigued with seeing you be great over and over again, and if you haven’t jumped that threshold of the MVP-great, then they move on, and they’ve moved on … But not because of his play, as I said from the gate. It’s just the way it goes.”

Through three games, Dončić is second in the NBA in points (34.3), ninth in assists (8), fourth in free throws made per game (8) and first in 3-pointers made per game (5).

His seven turnovers per game also are a league-high, a number which needs to come down if he does want a shot at winning his first MVP.

But, if Dončić is able to maintain this level of play as the Lakers continue to win, Green’s prediction could be quickly proven wrong.

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