OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - OCTOBER 26: Devin Booker #15 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 26, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
As you watch the Phoenix Suns play basketball against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that is severely undermanned, a situation that became even worse when Alex Caruso went down with an ankle injury in the first half, your natural inclination is to ask who’s to blame. Which player isn’t playing up to expectations? Is it the Miles Bridges trade and the impact it’s had on both ends of the floor? Is it Devin Booker failing to elevate his game to the level Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was playing at on the opposing side before he got into foul trouble? Is it the bench? Is it the injuries?
Surely, somebody has to be to blame. Somebody has to be the reason this team is struggling against a Thunder squad that’s quite literally limping through the game. But why does it always have to be someone? Why do we feel the need to point a finger at an individual and declare, “Yeah, that’s the reason why!” Because it gives us the justification to follow it up with, “Yeah, that’s the guy who needs to go!”?
In the case of the Phoenix Suns, it’s a collective issue. I don’t think there’s one sole culprit responsible for the poor basketball we’ve witnessed through the first three games of the season. While continuity exists in theory, connectivity is clearly missing at this extremely early stage of the season, and we witnessed it again Monday night in Oklahoma City.
The offensive sets aren’t crisp, and their execution leaves plenty to be desired. But defensively, the Suns collectively have a real problem. They allowed players like Ajay Mitchell to attack the lane at will, converting layup after layup. And don’t get me wrong, Mitchell is a skilled player. With the injuries Oklahoma City is dealing with, he could very well be someone who takes a significant leap this season. But Phoenix’s inability to contain his drives was troublesome.
Combine that with another night of ineffective rebounding (they lost that battle 48-38), and you have a team that seemingly can’t get out of its own way. Whenever the offense sputters, the defense can’t prevent the opposition from going on runs. Teams can knife into the lane for easy points while taking chances from beyond the arc, knowing that even if those shots don’t fall, there’s a good chance they’ll get another opportunity courtesy of an offensive rebound.
That’s why you can’t point the finger at one person. The problems we’re seeing aren’t isolated. They’re interconnected. Poor communication leads to defensive breakdowns. Defensive breakdowns expose rebounding deficiencies. Those extra possessions put additional pressure on an offense that’s still trying to figure itself out. And suddenly, everybody looks worse than they actually are. Three games into the season, the Suns don’t need a scapegoat. They need accountability across the roster, better execution, and a collective understanding of what winning basketball requires. Because pointing fingers won’t fix what five guys have to solve together.
Bright Side Baller Standings
There are some nights when you know early on that Devin Booker is going to take over a basketball game. Against the Warriors, that was evident from the jump. Booker poured in 43 points, the most ever scored by a Phoenix Suns player in a home opener. Another record for a guy who seems determined to rewrite the franchise record books one page at a time.
Naturally, he dominated the Bright Side Baller voting, earning 85% of the total vote. A landslide victory, and deservedly so. Shoutout to the three people who still thought Mariah Carey was better.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 3 against the Thunder. Here are your nominees:
I recently finished NBC/Peacock’s Crystal Lake series. Great watch. The premiere season follows Pamela Voorhees as she grieves the supposed loss of her son whose body was never found after he drowned at summer camp. Without spoiling too much, Pam, progressively pushes boundaries of what she’ll do to bring the boy home, or to at least avenge the loss.
It reminds me a lot of what we’re seeing with Jaylen Brown.
It’s a sad spiral to watch. A largely sympathetic character repeatedly does what they can to fumble away the benefit of the doubt.
All over someone named Ja(y)son, nonetheless.
You’d have to be living under the rock to have missed this past weekend’s exchange of words between the two former Celtics teammates and NBA champions.
In short, Jayson Tatum posted a summer docuseries episode where he claimed to have known nothing of the eventual blockbuster that sent Brown to the rival Philadelphia 76ers. Brown called “cap” (or BS) publicly in an Instagram comment.
Tatum addressed the not-so-subtle jab after Boston’s win over the New York Knicks on Friday. He insisted there was no beef. A day later, Brown agreed, but said there might be some “lamb chops and gravy” and that Tatum should “stay ready at all times.”
Then, NBC Sports Boston’s Brian Scalabrine went on his Starting Lineup show on Sirius XM and shared details from the final months of No. 7’s time with the Cs, saying that Brown had a list of demands he wanted the organization to meet and if they didn’t, he wanted to be traded.
Pretty explosive stuff here from Brian Scalabrine:
"My understanding of this thing is that (Jaylen Brown) demanded to be traded. Not through the media, but to the organization." …
"My understanding is that Jaylen Brown went to the organization and had a list of demands, and… https://t.co/GC7fpjc7qh
Nonetheless, the damage was already done and you’ll never guess how the fanbase reacted.
Those who were already only tolerating Brown while he was still wearing the green and white pounced on the opportunity to smear him and took their repsective victory laps online. I’m not going to link a bunch of tweets here, but trust me, it’s not hard to find it.
The speed in which a large majority of the fanbase has turned its back on JB is dissappointing. He’s undeniably one of the great players in the franchise’s storied history and will likely be the last to ever wear No. 7 (unless this gets brutally ugly).
It’s been less than four months since the trade and his status in the Celtics community has already plummetted. But regardless of how you feel about it, Brown won an NBA Finals MVP here. He played an undeniable role in one of the winningest eras in franchise history (in terms of winning percentage). Plus, JB embedded himself in the Boston community with his 7uice Foundation.
He also, at least partly, did this to himself.
I’m not trying to pick sides here, and frankly probably still land pro-Jaylen, but I also dont’ think Scal is just making things up. He might’ve misspoke and inadvertently suggested that there was a trade request, but there has to be some truth mixed in there.
Is that truth justified?
Maybe. It depends what the alleged demands were. If Brown wanted the organization to favor him over Tatum, really in any way but specifically in some sort of “me or him” scenario, then he was out of bounds.
We’ll probably never know what they were, but it’s safe to assume it wasn’t something small.
Then, of course, the Twitch stream following Boston’s playoff elimination didn’t sit well with anyone. Brown reitterated that he was proud of his teammates (as he should’ve been with the low expectations publicly put on the group ahead of the season), and that the 2025-26 season was his favorite of his 10-year career.
Mind you, the Celtics won a title two years ago in which he was Finals MVP.
So now, we’re looking at a formerly beloved player now playing for a rival team and a fanbase that is willing to go to war for Tatum, who still wears the uniform and is the undisputed face of the franchise. The unstoppable force will meet the immovable object on Jan. 21, when Brown makes his regular-season return to TD Garden.
When the NBA released its schedule back in August, fans circled that date imagining a celebration of a tremendous 10 years. Now it’s tough to know what to expect. For all we know, Brown’s name might be met with 18,000+ boos when it’s called along with the rest of Phildelphia’s starters.
The worst part is that it’s tough to even say what’s appropriate at this point. Brown hasn’t been shy about the bitterness he feels towards both the Celtics and Tatum. That bitterness, though, comes from one of two places: ego or betrayal (it’s probably a mix of both).
Regardless, a nasty reunion is going to be a bad look for everyone involved. Of course, JB will look foolish or egotistical for burning bridges in Boston. The fans would come across as ungrateful — not the best message for any future potential Celtics.
Who knows what the story will be by then, though. We’re still three-ish months away. There’s plenty of time for more drama and back-and-forth. For now it just feels icky.
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 26: Milwaukee Bucks huddle up after the game against the Indiana Pacers on October 26, 2026 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images). | NBAE via Getty Images
After a few false starts, the Bucks finally got their first regular-season win last night, beating the Indiana Pacers 110-102. The team had been building toward a win, but minor mistakes were costing them dearly. However, in this game, they put those lessons to good use and stayed in it long enough to outlast the weary Pacers, who were down two starters (Ivica Zubac and Andrew Nembhard) and on the second night of a back-to-back. Read our full summary of the game here.
Rollins keeps building. I loved that he never took a backwards step to the trash-talking Haliburton. Rollins had a great first half, going 4/7 and 3/4 from deep. He tailed off a bit in the second half but made key plays late to seal the Bucks’ win.
Back to regular programming for Herro, who started slow but built as the game went on, culminating in an 11-point third quarter (when the team desperately needed it). He seemed to make a point of rebounding and kickstarting the transition offence himself. Obviously, as long as Herro is aggressive, he’ll draw attention and open up shooters, but racking up those stats while only committing two turnovers was maybe the most impressive part. That said, Herro did space out a few times off the ball on some really basic actions; a simple flare screen for Aaron Nesmith had him lost.
This was Jaquez’s first bad game of the year, a real come-down-to-earth performance. Nothing seemed to be working for him, and I’m not sure there’s much more to it. Jaquez wasn’t detrimental to the team or anything; it just wasn’t his night.
Man, this was a funny game for Kuzma because, I’d say, 90% of his output was positive; he obviously made key threes to keep the team in it (plus hit the dagger at the end), and his shooting overall was very efficient. Plus, Kuz impacted in other areas of the game while keeping his turnovers to a minimum. However, there were still those 2-4 plays we seem to see every game from Kuzma that make you want to pull your hair out. Namely, him apparently being unable to throw a simple kick-ahead pass to a teammate streaking in for the layup. Or, better yet, when he ran into Jaime Jaquez as Jaquez tried to finish off Turner’s lob late in the game.
Without troubling the scoreboard much—which does need to change—Turner was impactful. Obviously, everyone will point to those back-to-back blocks in the fourth quarter, but he also had two key blocks in the first half. Turner was also huge on the boards, with three of his nine rebounds being offensive. I thought he played a good game that the stat sheet won’t fully reflect. Don’t get me wrong, Turner still had a few iffy plays, and I’d like him to let it fly more than he has been, but it was still a really solid outing for the big man.
First off, what a funny stat line for Ware: shot 13 times in just 19 minutes, LOL. Jokes aside, another great game for the big man, who, like Turner, made a major impact as a rebounder (five of his 14 rebounds of the offensive variety). Overall, he’s just looked much more engaged in the last two games, which has been great to see. I also want to mention that Ware is giving the Bucks a legit vertical spacer like they haven’t had in a few years (maybe Giannis, but even he wasn’t really a consistent lob threat, per se). Like, you can legit throw it up anywhere near the rim, and Ware will cram that sucker in. Oh, and he shoots threes. Just. Needs. To. Put. It. All. Together.
I sound like a broken record, but Jakucionis just comes in and plays solid on both ends. KJ has got great chemistry with Kel’el Ware in particular, and his ability to pass with both hands opens up so many angles. I mean, that left-handed wraparound pass to Ware was sick (see Bonus Bucks Bits).
Grade: B
Brayden Burries
16 minutes, 4 points, 2/5 FG, 0/2 3P, +6
Burries couldn’t find much offensive rhythm, but I thought he had some great defensive possessions guarding Haliburton in the pick-and-roll. More specifically, Haliburton likes to put his man “in jail” on pick-and-rolls, meaning he comes off the screen and then slows down to keep his man on his back (“in jail”). What Burries did well was pushing back, changing angles, etc., so Haliburton couldn’t get comfortable.
This wasn’t Green’s night from a shooting perspective, but he made some nice playmaking reads, most notably his dime to Ament in open court for the dunk. Green let the numbers advantage tell him who was open, then zipped it inside to the rookie.
It was a rough first stint for Ament—who looked frazzled and rushed—and when Jenkins went to Ousmane Dieng for what would have been Ament’s second-quarter minutes, I wasn’t sure he’d get back on. However, Jenkins did go back to Ament in the second half and he looked considerably more comfortable, making better reads and running the floor hard; you could almost see the weight come off his shoulders as that first field goal went down. Crucially, Ament got only one foul and had some really solid possessions guarding Pascal Siakam. As I’ve said previously, Ament has all the tools to be a solid wing defender; he just needs to figure out how to use them.
Grade: C+
Taylor Jenkins
Jenkins finally got the team to play closer to a four-quarter effort last night, and it resulted in a great win. I thought the decision to close with Turner was smart, even though his offensive contributions were limited, because they needed a sturdier presence inside. Additionally, I liked Jenkins’ choice to close with a three-guard front of Herro, Rollins, and Jakucionis, which gave them more ball-handling to attack the pressing Pacers defence. Finally, he has clearly been working behind the scenes to get his guys to limit turnovers, and it paid off against Indiana, with the team throwing it away only 11 times—we’ll see if that continues. Great game.
Grade: B+
Limited minutes: Ousmane Dieng
DNP-CD: Caris LeVert, Bogoljub Markovic, Jericho Sims, Gary Trent Jr.
Inactive: Kam Jones, Cormac Ryan, Pete Nance
What We Learnt
Jenkins has talked a lot about defensive intensity—which has become a bit of a buzz term, frankly—but the fourth quarter showed exactly what he wanted. The way the Bucks guarded the ball, talked, and helped the helper was great to see. Now that they know what it looks like, hopefully they can recreate that moving forward.
Bonus Bucks Bits
“We’ve been close,” Jenkins said. “Great execution down the stretch—timely shots, timely blocks, timely rebounds… We talked about owning the pace and owning the paint. I thought we did that in spurts in the first half, and did it way more in the second half. Still more to clean up, but really proud of the group.”
Once again, the Bucks won the paint battle (50-48); they also won bench points (37-32).
Milwaukee had seven offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter.
It was great to see Nate and Brayden get a long stretch on the court from late in the third to the middle of the fourth. Both stayed in the game and contributed to the decisive 17-4 run during that span.
Minor note on Nate Ament: less is more at this stage of his career. Not sure whether it was because he wanted to get his first basket out of the way, but he was very focused on getting his own in the first half. In the second half, everything flowed more easily because, by and large, Ament let the game come to him.
As Terrapin Revisited noted in the Rapid Recap comments, Fiserv did look pretty empty. I hope that was mostly because the Brewers were playing.
The aforementioned wraparound pass from Jakucionis:
The 24-year-old rookie leads the team in minutes and rebounds per game, while ranking second in points and assists per game.
On Monday, Lendeborg led Golden State to its first win of the season in a 134-114 blowout against the Denver Nuggets.
His team-high 31 points set a new personal bar in his short NBA career, and he added 12 rebounds and six assists on the night.
After the game, Lendeborg was interviewed by a trio of NBA legends enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony.
While talking to the former NBA stars, Lendeborg was keen to ask for advice on how to improve his game.
“Lean on your vets, bro,” McGrady said. “You got two great Hall of Fame vets that (are) very intellectual in the game of basketball. So I would say lean on them as much as possible, man. Every day, just ask questions. You can never ask a dumb question, bro. Just lean on them two guys, and you’ll get a lot of information.”
Carter, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024, told Lendeborg to use his age to his advantage.
“Utilize your youth,” Carter said. “You have a motor. Continue to play with joy, and ask those questions. Like you said, you don’t get comfortable in the game without asking questions. When you get the answers to the questions, you go out there; it’s easier to take the test, meaning play the game.”
Anthony emphasized leaning on the Warriors’ experienced vets to make an immediate impact.
“Get ahead of the film game,” Anthony said. “Stay in the film. Watch that film. Be a student of film and you have two guys on your team, in Draymond (Green) and Steph (Curry), who’ve been through this for so long, and they’ve been winning … so now you have an opportunity to just learn the in-between game and little nuances of the game that’s going to help you and help the Warriors.”
Lendeborg is one of only six players in the NBA to average at least 20 points (21.8), nine rebounds (9.3) and four assists per game (4.5), in company with three former MVPs and two All-Stars.
The Michigan alumnus also leads the Warriors with 7.8 free-throw attempts per game, an area where Golden State struggled last season, ranking 27th in the NBA as a team.
Before letting Lendeborg go, McGrady invoked a message from legendary San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
“He always said he wants to see some nasty,” McGrady said. “You’re coming in the league with that nasty. I love it. Do not lose that edge, bro.”
If the Warriors are to stay afloat until Jimmy Butler returns, they sure hope Lendeborg’s “nasty” will carry through the entirety of his rookie season.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 26: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics celebrates after scoring against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at TD Garden on October 26, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
BOSTON — Payton Pritchard was glad the Celtics beat the New York Knicks for their first win of the season on Friday night. But he couldn’t stop thinking about his own lackluster performance — 4 points on 1-for-5 shooting in 30 minutes off the bench.
He wasn’t as aggressive as usual, and he didn’t attack the paint as decisively. It didn’t matter; thanks in large part to a masterful 36-point performance from Jayson Tatum, the Celtics came out on top.
Still, it didn’t feel great to know he didn’t play his best.
“But it’s a long season,” he said. “I try to give myself forgiveness of it, even though it ate away at me.”
On Monday night, in a 134-99 win against the Chicago Bulls, Pritchard bounced back, exploding for 28 points on 10-16 shooting. He did most of the damage in a 39-point Celtics third quarter, shooting 7-for-8 from the field, including 5-for-5 from three.
“It just feels good to catch the rhythm again, and just bounce back from the other night,” he said.
Payton Pritchard 28 PTS (10-16 FG, 7-10 3P), 4 AST, 1 REB, 2 STL, +22 in 22 minutes vs. Bulls
In Year 7, however, Pritchard doesn’t get rattled after a lackluster start to the year. Pritchard signed a 2-year, $44.2 million extension right before the season started, and he now knows he routinely recovers from slow starts.
Still, Payton Pritchard early-season struggles are an interesting phenomenon
In 22 career October games, Payton Pritchard has shot 38.7% from the field and 31% from three. It’s his least efficient month of the season, by far, and he’s not exactly sure why.
“I really couldn’t put my finger on it, but I think you could look at the last couple of years— like, I just have games where it’s very non-aggressive, just out of rhythm,” he said.
The difference between Pritchard’s efficiency in October and the rest of the year is stark; the 28-year-old shoots at least 44% from the field and 38% from three every other month. November typically brings a dramatic bounceback; after struggling to start the year, Pritchard has shot 45.3% from the field and 40.3% from three over 66 career November games.
At the start of the year, it looked like he could get off to a strong start; he poured in 17 points on 4-for-9 shooting in the opener against the Detroit Pistons.
But Pritchard’s individual performance against the Knicks nonetheless left a sour taste.
“We got the W, but I want to perform better and be better for our team,” he said. “So, tonight was me coming out with just an aggressive mindset — just kind of play free and just attack the paint.”
So why does it happen? Why does it seem like sometimes, the 6’1 guard just fades into the background?
Pritchard attributes nights when he creates fewer offensive advantages to his own approach — not to anything his teammates or opposing defenses are doing.
“It’s 100% my aggression,” Pritchard said. “And it’s not about just taking shots to me. Like, I’m fine with any amount of shots. It’s about, like: how do I attack, and am I touching the paint? Am I pushing the pace? Stuff like that — controllables.”
Sometimes, like on Friday, when Pritchard reviews the tape, he feels underwhelmed by his own approach. He’s eager to fix it immediately.
“When I don’t do it, I feel very disappointed in myself, and I feel like I’m hurting the team in that area,” he said. “So, I feel like it’s the main thing I can bring to the team — a sense of pace and attacking the paint and kicking out and just making plays.”
After a career season, opposing teams are no doubt paying extra attention to Pritchard’s offense. He acknowledged he might face extra defensive pressure on the heels of a career-best 17-points-per-game season, but wouldn’t concede that’s a justifiable reason for his early-season struggles.
“Honestly, that shouldn’t affect me,” Pritchard said. “You have reads for any way they defend you, and if it’s gonna be ball pressure, I don’t mind dribbling on any type of pressure. So, if they’re gonna pick me up, I should be able to attack the paint, make a play.”
On Monday, however, his October struggles appeared to be in the rearview.
“He’s another guy that impacts winning in different ways,” Joe Mazzulla said. “Tonight, you saw the scoreboard, which is obviously something that’s really important for us. But he’s been making plays defensively, his assists, his ability to make plays on both ends of the floor. So even if he’s not scoring, he still impacts winning at a high level. When he does what he does tonight, it makes us a better team.”
NBA Games don’t typically boil down to just one possession. But one possession can often tell the story of a game. This is “One Possession,” a recurring series where we highlight one notable sequence from every Celtics game during the 2026-27 season.
Payton Pritchard’s third-quarter outburst had TD Garden rocking on Monday night, but our favorite part was when our NBC Sports Boston cameras cut to the crowd and there, amid all the green-clad Celtics revelers, was a Bulls fans in a Zach LaVine jersey clapping his hands in appreciation, too.
Allen Iverson proved you don’t need to be a Celtics fan to marvel at how Pritchard can take over a game. And the “coldest white boy” certainly got red hot as part of a 19-point third-quarter outburst in Monday’s 134-99 thrashing of the Bulls.
Pritchard’s night crescendoed in the final two minutes of the third quarter. Neemias Queta and Sam Hauser fought to keep a possession alive and Pritchard walked into a 30-foot straightaway 3-pointer that put Boston up 98-73 with 1:48 to play in the frame.
The NBA’s tracking gave Pritchard a 37.6 percent expected field goal percentage on the deep attempt. We’re thinking that there’s only a select few like Pritchard and Steph Curry that can be pegged to shoot better than league average on a 30-foot bomb with a defender rushing out to contest.
But Pritchard sent the Garden into full delirium the next trip down. Everyone in the building knew the heat check was coming and Pritchard put Buddy Hield in the blender before stepping back on a 26-foot triple. The expected field goal percentage dipped to 31.7 percent on that attempt but it felt like 100 percent chance of going in with how hot Pritchard was at that point.
Pritchard finished 10-of-16 shooting overall, while connecting on 7 of 10 3-pointers. His expected field goal percentage overall pegged him at 40.5 percent, but he finished at 62.5 percent. It’s even more jarring when you look at expected effective field goal percentage, which jumped 32.7 percent from 51.7 expected to 84.4 percent actual.
Pritchard, fresh off inking a 2-year, $44.2 million extension before the start of the regular season, continued a familiar trend of being a little slow out of the gates to start the new campaign. Pritchard was quiet against two of the more physical teams in the league in Detroit and New York but got himself activated against the Bulls.
Therein lies the challenge for Pritchard this season. While he’s most certainly left his imprint on the biggest stages, especially all those buzzer-beating heaves during Boston’s 2024 title run, he needs to be a more consistent presence against the best teams in the league. The departure of Jaylen Brown insists that Boston’s supporting cast elevate in those moments, and everyone from Pritchard to Paul George to Derrick White need to be secondary scoring options if the NBA’s best teams put much of their energy into slowing Jayson Tatum.
Pritchard, who averaged just two drives per game in Boston’s first two outings of the season, was much more aggressive against Chicago. Good things happen when he touches the paint. Three of Pritchard’s four assists on the night led to 3-pointers, and his 11 assist points generated were second on the team behind only Tatum (14 points generated on 6 total assists).
Boston’s bench unit can be a differentiator for the team throughout the season. Pritchard was a plus-22 in his 21 minutes on Monday. Hauser (team-best plus-36), Hugo Gonzalez (plus-34), and Queta (plus-32) were all super impactful in their floor time as well.
And even opposing fanbases clearly appreciate how Pritchard can impact winning.
The Wizards couldn’t keep Moussa Diabate from getting offensive rebounds or Brandon Miller from scoring from everywhere, so they lost to the Hornets in Charlotte despite solid games from Anthony Davis and Trae Young.
Diabate grabbed eight offensive boards in the first half and finished with 11 for the game — a new career high. After a few bad possessions early with Bilal Coulibaly on him, Miller torched the Wizards from all over the floor — at-rim, mid-range, and threes. He finished with 39 points — a new career high.
As for the Wizards, Davis was pretty good, notching 29 points and 10 rebounds on solid efficiency. He had trouble containing Diabate, and communicated effectively on defense.
Young was crafty and effective for the most part, though he turned down a few threes he’d normally take. His passing threat was significant — looking at a teammate had Charlotte defenders jumping out of his way and leaving him open for layups.
One highly annoying development: going for a rebound, Justin Champagnie landed on Naz Reid’s foot, and suffered what appeared to be a significant ankle or foot injury.
From the notebook
It’s only four games, but I’m not sold on the Wizards shot selection.
One play annoyed me — Davis turned down an open three with a late closeout. Instead of side-stepping into a truly wide open three (which is a fundamental in today’s game), Davis took a dribble and stepped in for a long two, which he missed.
I have no data to back this up, but my impression from watching Bub Carrington for two full seasons and the start of his third is that he’s terrible at throwing lobs. He tried one to Coulibaly in the fourth quarter that would have been a simple turnover with any other teammate. Coulibaly skied to deflect the pass off the backboard, grabbed the carom, and threw it off a Charlotte player while falling out of bounds.
The coaching staff’s decision to start doubling Miller in the final minutes of the game, helped stall Charlotte’s offensive attack and get Washington back in the game. The Hornets countered with Reid hitting an open three, and then countering by bring Grayson Allen one pass away. The Wizards couldn’t help off Allen (a superb three-point shooter), and Miller immediately scored.
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
WIZARDS
HORNETS
LGAVG
eFG%
53.5%
49.5%
52.9%
OREB%
22.7%
39.2%
27.7%
TOV%
14.9%
11.7%
14.3%
FTM/FGA
0.141
0.144
0.230
PACE
94
101.6
ORTG
110
117
112.2
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.
DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 24: Devin Vassell #24 of the San Antonio Spurs smiles during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on October 24, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Spurs are always out and about giving back to the community, and the latest example comes from Devin Vassell, who visited Harlandale High School yesterday to donate shoes to both the boys and girls basketball teams, specifically A’ja Wilsons for the girls and Devin Booker’s for the boys. He also included a $10,000 donation.
#Spurs’ Devin Vassell made a surprise appearance at Harlandale High today to surprise their varsity basketball teams with shoes ahead of their seasons.
He’s handing out A’ja Wilson’s for the girls and Devin Booker’s for the boys. Says he wears Books all the time. #PorVidapic.twitter.com/YfMeyESam7
The kiddos were certainly excited to see one of their favorite Spurs! Afterwards, Vassell said, “The fans are amazing. The biggest thing is to be able to give back to them. It’s not just playing on the court and winning games. It’s them being able to see that we’re people just like them.”
#Spurs forward Devin Vassell presented the Harlandale High School Athletics program with a $10,000 donation to conclude the afternoon. Kids were definitely excited. #PorVidapic.twitter.com/KY7BlbgUc9
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 26: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics drives towards the basket against Leonard Miller #11 of the Chicago Bulls during the first quarter at TD Garden on October 26, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pick your idiom. The Celtics took the Bulls by their horns. Boston was a bull in Chicago’s china shop. Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard bull-ied their visitors. Regardless, Boston enjoyed their first Gino Time win against Chicago on Monday night in a 134-99 running of the Bulls.
Why the Celtics won
Let’s be honest. Chicago is a rebuilding team trying to establish an identity under new head coach Tiago Splitter. With players like triple-double machine Josh Giddey and pogosticks rookie Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis, they want to fly up and down the court and get up a ton of shots. The Bulls press. The Bulls play zone defense and disrupt passing lanes. The more possessions, the more opportunities to see what they have with the sixth youngest roster.
Heading in last night’s game, the Bulls were first in pace and fourth in the league at three-point attempts at 41.3 a night at a 22.6% clip (worst in the NBA). Those are the telltale signs of a team in flux.
The Celtics, however, are the OG volume three-point shooting team and the rest of the league has now started to catch up.
Both teams got up the same number of triples in the blowout: 44. But as the 134-99 score suggests, the Celtics went old school with their possession maxxing. They grabbed more offensive rebounds (19-14) and turned 24 turnovers into a whopping 39 points, but it was Boston’s 27-point edge behind the arc that made the difference.
Nobody emulated that more than Payton Pritchard, the “coldest white boy,” against the Bulls. He scored 19 of 28 in the third quarter that included hitting 5-of-5 from three.
Numbers game: +34
Through the first two games of the season, Hugo Gonzalez only played fourteen minutes against the Pistons and Knicks, a disappointment development after, well, an offseason of promising development.
“I think he’s played well even in those two games, whether it’s two-and-a-half minutes or three minutes, he’s had a couple of offensive rebounds and done things that impacted winning,” Joe Mazzulla said of the young 20-year-old in this young season. “Tonight was louder. Tonight was the best version of him getting better, but those guys have a hard job, bringing it everyday. A lot of what they’re great at doesn’t show up on a score sheet, but tonight you did.”
After missing his only two shots and being a -17 to start, Gonzalez joined the rotation in a big way against the Bulls, posting 13 points, 5 rebounds, and two assists in nearly 24 minutes of play for a +34 on the night.
At halftime, Gonzalez told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin that “everybody is ready. Everybody is meeting the challenge of the game.” That certainly applied to the second-year Spaniard who led his rookie class in plus-minus for the year.
In a game muddled by 28 fouls apiece and 60 total free throws, there was little flow to the game, especially for two teams looking to ramp up activity on both sides of the ball.
But how’s that for a little flow? The Celtics outscored the Bulls 17-9 in fast break points that included that Derek White strip steal and coast-to-coast drive for a layup on the other end. Boston is a hair behind the Lakers for points off turnovers (26.3) and 4th at limiting them (15.3) — that’s an 11-point margin. Last season, it was only +1.2.
Who said what
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 23: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics and Baylor Scheierman #55 of the Boston Celtics high five during the game against the New York Knicks on October 23, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
“I don’t like it. He knows I don’t like it, but he’s got a little swagger with that. I also tried it the other day and it didn’t fit…that’s not for me. I’m not from Nebraska.” — Hugo Gonzalez on Baylor Scheierman’s headband
We’ll see Chicago again on Friday when the Bulls return for our first NBA Cup game. Tonight, the Celtics complete their first back-to-back hosting the visiting Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 pm EST. No word yet if it’s a headband night.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 26: Cameron Boozer #27 of the Memphis Grizzlies drives into Josh Okogie #21 of the Utah Jazz during the second half of a game at Delta Center on October 26, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Like most Duke fans, we’re guessing, we’ve been excited to see how Cameron Boozer’s rookie season turns out.
Well, so far, so good.
Memphis is currently 4-0, which is even more impressive when you consider they’ve had to replace Ja Morant, and that Zach Edey is still on restricted minutes due to his ankle issue.
Somewhat surprisingly, Ty Jerome has emerged as an offensive force. In his first four games, he’s scored 45, 28, 31, and 15 points Monday night against the Utah Jazz.
This from a guy starting his eighth season and whose career scoring average is 9.7 points. Kind of wild.
But Boozer is a big part of the Grizzlies’ success. He’s being lauded by a lot of players as being advanced beyond his years, including Jerome. It’s probably not a coincidence that Jerome’s playing at an insane level. A journeyman guard, Jerome was leading the league in scoring at 34.7 points per game going into Monday night (his average is down to 29.8 now).
Boozer probably is making a lot of that possible since he’s drawing a lot of attention from defenses.
Against Utah, he finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Most importantly, he finished with a win.
“So very impressed with Cam Boozer to start the season, but also just to go up against him for the first time, very strong, you know, doesn’t back down from a challenge. He talks out there on the floor. Like, I was very, very, very impressed with Cam Boozer. And so it’ll be interesting to see, you know, watch his progress as the season goes on to see how his career starts to play out, but I’m very impressed with Cam Boozer. Just, like I said, the thing that stood out most is he moves extremely well. He can handle the ball like he... that piece was shocking to me.”
“I thought he’d be a 20-10 guy anyway. I didn’t think it’d be like this though, like this type of 20-10, where it’s threes, it’s off the bounce, it’s off the post, offensive boards. Like I didn’t know it’d be all that. And so, yeah, very impressed with young Cam Boozer.”
Yaxel Lendeborg’s NBA career is off to a historic start.
The Warriors rookie has been the team’s biggest bright spot early on in the 2026-27 NBA season, and he turned heads with a monster performance in Golden State’s 134-114 win over the Denver Nuggets on Monday at Ball Arena.
Lendeborg scored a career-high 31 points with 12 rebounds and six assists on 9-of-19 shooting from the field and 12 of 13 on free throws, becoming just the fourth player in NBA history (in the draft lottery era) to score 85-plus points with 35-plus rebounds in their first four games, per OptaSTATS, joining three Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers.
NBA players with 85+ points & 35+ rebounds in their first 4 career games in the draft lottery era (since 1985-86):
Lendeborg, through his first four games, also is outpacing Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Luka Dončić through the first four games of his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks.
Although the sample size is small, it’s clear the Warriors potentially have found something special in Lendeborg, who only will continue to make NBA history if he maintains his current trajectory.
His next test will be Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 26: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics dribbles the ball during the game against the Chicago Bulls on October 26, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
On Monday morning, ESPN’s Hallie Grossman profiled Payton Pritchard in a piece entitled, “How Payton Pritchard became Boston’s unlikely iso king.” In the introduction, Grossman recounted a story during Pritchard’s 15-point performance in Game 3 of the Celtics first round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. He turned to the sideline to see 76ers legend Allen Iverson sitting courtside where AI uttered a sentence that was not only a reaction to the moment, but maybe just a proclamation of the future.
“You’re the coldest white boy I’ve ever seen,” Iverson said, high praise coming from one of the best undersized guards in NBA history.
It feels like divine intervention that this incredible quote dropped before Boston’s game against the Bulls because Pritchard made AI look like Nostradamus with his play. The “coldest white boy” finished with 28 points, 4 assists, and two steals on 10-16 shooting from the field and 7-10 shooting from three.
Payton Pritchard says that when the Celtics played the 76ers last season, Allen Iverson tapped him on the shoulder and delivered this message:
When asked about Payton Pritchard’s “heat checks” when he has things rolling, Joe Mazzulla decided to highlight his all-around game instead. “I don’t really consider those heat checks for him because he’s that good of an offensive player,” Mazzulla said. “He’s another guy that impacts winning in different ways. Tonight, you saw the scoreboard…But he’s been making plays defensively, his assists, his ability to make plays on both ends of the floor, so even if he’s not scoring, he’s still impacting winning at a high level.”
Pritchard was asked about Mazzulla’s reactions to his “heat checks” by saying, “I work on those shots, so it doesn’t really feel like a bad shot, and obviously it’s not if it goes in.” We know Pritchard practices these shots based on his offseason training routine, where he starts his day at 6:45 am at a local high school gym in Cape Cod with no air conditioning.
Payton Pritchard on Joe Mazzulla saying “heat checks” aren’t actually heat checks for him:
“I work on those shots, so it doesn’t really feel like a bad shot. And obviously it’s not if it goes in.” pic.twitter.com/DcZ9NLBQPF
“There’s just something about a humid gym,” Pritchard said, as he talked about the gym he used to work out in back in West Linn, Oregon that could reach up to 120 degrees in the summer. Pritchard said he loved the muck and that includes his competition. He recruited Division 2 and Division 3 college basketball players, international players, and hometown friends to play against. He would pay for them to drive down or fly across the country to the gym because he wants them to be hungry and give him their best one-on-one defense.
For two hours three times a week, Pritchard and his practice squad will go at it during the summer. Pritchard allows them to take breaks, but he doesn’t and will even buy them all Chipotle if he shoots under 60% on the day. That is the level of training that gets him ready to put up big-time performances like he did on Monday against the Bulls.
Pritchard’s third quarter was an electric sight to behold as he took over as the Celtics number one option after Jayson Tatum picked up his fourth foul of the game. At the 7:15 mark of the third quarter when Tatum checked out, Pritchard led the Celtics on a 31-11 scoring run over the Bulls to end the quarter. His biggest highlight was an isolation step-back three over Buddy Hield, who he crossed out of his shoes. The Bulls called a timeout, the Boston bench was going crazy, the TD Garden crowd was alive.
Payton Pritchard reminded everyone that he is that guy. Pritchard finished the third quarter with 19 points on 7-8 shooting from the field and 5-5 from three before subbing out for the rest of the game.
Pritchard’s big third quarter gave us a chance to see new free agent signing Mike Conley make his Celtics debut to start the fourth quarter. Ever since Media Day, it feels like Mike Conley and Payton Pritchard have been linked together at the hip. Pritchard has spoken in the past about what it was like working with Conley this offseason. In the ESPN article, Conley was asked about his thoughts on Pritchard who he called “a menace.”
“He’s an absolute crazy person when it comes to trying to improve his game,” Conley said.
In his first minutes in green, Conley finishing with 6 points and 2 steals on 2-2 shooting from three in 7 minutes of play. When asked about Conley postgame, Pritchard joked by saying, “I was telling him, like one of the back taps he had, I’m like he looked like a DB still. He’s just a freak.” He also praised Conley for being a great veteran presence, saying, “Such a good vet to be around, and somebody I am always pulling for regardless…for me to have somebody like that in my corner, it’s big.”
Payton Pritchard on Mike Conley making his Celtics debut:
“Just an unbelievable person, obviously still in unbelievable shape for his age. And I was telling him, like one of the back taps he had, I'm like he looked like a DB still. He’s just a freak.” pic.twitter.com/p0GSszscQR
The ESPN article finished with a quote from Pritchard that is a testament to all of the hard work that he has put in, “I can’t wake up and be Wemby.” It’s a simple quote but it’s a real quote. Pritchard is listed at 6’1” and has had to deal with a lot of different circumstances with the Celtics over his seven years in Boston.
He has gone from a reserve guy, to asking for a trade out of Boston, to NBA Finals buzzer beaters, to winning Sixth Man of the Year and to having a career season in 2025. Pritchard’s ability to outwork everyone else on the court at his size has led him to becoming the elite player that he is today and he is in store for what could be the best season of his NBA career.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 02: Head coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics talks with Derrick White #9 during the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on March 02, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Monday, the White Noise Podcast hosted by Derrick White and Alex Welsh had Joe Mazzulla on the pod for the first time.
“My point guard knocks, I open the door so happy to be here” is how Mazzulla opened the podcast. He kicked off the podcast by saying how much he doesn’t like to be called “Coach” and Walsh recounted the time he called Mazzulla “Coach” and how Joe got upset.
They started off the conversation about how Joe spent his summer traveling around the world to spend time with the players and how Mazzulla went to Colorado to visit White last summer. He talked about how smart Derrick’s son Hendrix is, which got into how the team learns from different sports and how they can learn from it.
CLEVELAND, OHIO – MARCH 08: Derrick White #9 talks with head coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on March 08, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 109-98. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
They then got into when White and Walsh went to the J. Cole concert and Joe told White to learn Cole’s breathing techniques from it.
“[J. Cole] said that he doesn’t have a breathing route, just being conscious of finding the time to take the breath,” White said. “As [Mazzulla] was talking about, sometimes we forgot to take the breath… Just finding the time to take that deep breath.”
They then got into their Division 2 beginnings and all the wild stories behind that— for example, how they used to share the bus with the women’s team and how they would fly out to games on game day, no matter how far it was.
Joe then proceeded to point out that on days he doesn’t want to practice, White won’t wear his leggings or tie his shoes in warmups. “We can’t get anything accomplished today cause this guy doesn’t want to tie his shoes. He’s too lazy to put his leggings on so we can’t go live cause you need your leggings.”
When he was asked for stories about D-White, Mazzulla jokingly said that Derrick has “zero self-control at team events” and “brings it no matter where he is.” Joe then talked about how Derrick lights up and room and helps him keep perspective during games.
They then talked about Joe’s Joker tattoo and Mazzulla had an interesting perspective on it: “I don’t think he was as bad as people made him out to be. I don’t think Batman was as good as we made him out to be.”
They then finished up with a game of ‘Are you smarter than at 5th grader’ and the results were very funny.
You can listen to the whole podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 26: Yaxel Lendeborg #1 of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket during the game against the Denver Nuggets on October 26, 2026 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors collected their first win of the 2026-27 NBA season on Monday, and it wasn’t a cheap one. Playing on the road, against a team with championship aspirations, the Dubs dismantled the Denver Nuggets, winning 134-114, and looking excellent along the way.
Through three games, the red pen had gotten some serious wear and tear, so I’m pleased to announce that it can get a rest day today. Load management! Grades will be mostly positive, because that’s what is deserved with such an impressive win.
As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that individual.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. League-average TS was 58.1% last year.
Let me repeat that line really quickly: 31 points and 12 rebounds on 62.7% true shooting. And now let me remind you of something really quickly: this was his fourth career game.
It is abundantly clear that Lendeborg is a good player; a really good player, even. How good he can become is a different question for a different day, because the reality is, that right now, he’s a really good NBA player.
Lendeborg became just the fifth Warriors rookie since the turn of the century to have 30 points and 10 rebounds in a game (joining Steph Curry, Eric Paschall, Anthony Morrow, and Marc Jackson), and the history doesn’t stop there.
Again: this was his fourth game. It’s not like he’s figuring things out in March. He just got here.
Lendeborg was the team’s go-to option when Curry was on the bench … and often when Curry was on the court, too. He broke down the defense repeatedly, and got to the rim with ease, where he finished with absurd efficiency: he shot 8-for-11 from inside the arc, with 13 free throws. Occasionally he opted not to score after penetrating the defense, and instead dished to an open teammate en route to six dimes.
He has an uncanny combination of aggression and patience. You don’t see many rookies (let alone ones in their first week) who have the ability to score 30 points but still make the right reads and decisions, and play within the system (just ask Draymond Green about Darius Acuff Jr. for further proof of this!).
And my goodness can the dude rebound. Remember when Andrew Wiggins had a great rebounding series in the NBA Finals and claimed it was because he realized that rebounding was as simple as just deciding to get rebounds? Well, Lendeborg decides to get rebounds. He’s snagged 37 boards in four games, and is almost single-handedly making people forget that the Warriors are hilariously short on centers.
He’s the real deal, folks.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Led the team in points and rebounds.
It’s been an up and down start to the season for Santos, but this game was far and away his best. Even if Santos hadn’t done much else, you’re going to always look good scoring 13 points on just seven shooting possessions; that’s elite efficiency, and in a high-octane offensive game like this one, a player scoring like that can make the difference.
But Santos also did a lot more. His defense is a little inconsistent, which isn’t surprising for a player of his age and experience level, but this was definitely a strong game on that end of the court. We’ve seen the potential he has on D, and he really materialized it in this contest. He also had a lot of hustle plays — the three rebounds in the box score don’t do justice to the impact he had on 50-50 balls.
It sure makes it easier to start Green at the five when Lendeborg punches so much above his weight. Yaxel grabbing 12 rebounds, and even successfully taking some turn defending Nikola Jokić, gave Steve Kerr the luxury of playing small, with Green at center.
It certainly worked at times, and Green was the primary reason why Jokić had a relatively quiet night by his superstar standards (19 points on 8-for-18 shooting).
Dray didn’t play well on offense. He was a non-factor scoring (though he wasn’t forcing anything), and had a lot of turnovers, though he had some dimes as well. He’s still rounding into form, but his defense was big in this one.
Grade: B- Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.
We heard all camp that Podziemski was better than ever before. We had to wait to see it, given that he missed Wednesday’s and Saturday’s games with back soreness. But this was a data point. And this was a strong data point.
Setting aside the stats and the impact for a second, Podz looked, to me, more athletic than ever before. He was flying all over the court, which we’ve come to expect of him, but he looked stronger and more explosive. He’s always had great defensive instincts, but now he looks more prepared for the contact on any given play. He’s ripping rebounds out of the air, colliding with players for blocks and coming out on top, and working through contact easily. He just looks like a better athlete than he used to be.
More importantly, he just played a fantastic game. He was creative on offense, both in getting his own shot and in setting up his teammates. The fourth-year guard was a menace on the glass and on defense, in the half court and in transition.
The Warriors are a confusing team. I have no idea how good or how bad they might be. But if Podziemski and Lendeborg play like this, and Curry stays healthy, well … I’m excited to see just how good they can be.
Grade: A Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.
For just the second time in his storied career, Chef Curry went an entire game without missing a shot. And if you want to know how rare his feat was, there were only three instances all last year where a player scored at least 20 points without missing a field goal or a free threw … and none of the players who did it were guards.
It was also a masterclass in picking your spots. Curry took just one shot in the first half, happy to defer as his younger teammates took over (Lendeborg led both teams with 15 points at the break). And then, when the team needed him, he took over, scoring 17 of his points in the third quarter before taking his regularly-scheduled break.
Just a brilliant display of offensive wizardry from one of the best to ever do it. And hopefully Podz and Lendeborg can keep playing big enough roles that Curry can pace himself like this.
Payton’s just kind of been hanging around to start the season. He hasn’t been doing too much notable, but he hasn’t been playing poorly, either. His athleticism was firmly on display in this game, and it’s nice seeing him share the court with Lendeborg … suddenly the Dubs don’t look so unathletic! He didn’t have a very efficient scoring game, but good things happened because he cut to the rim repeatedly.
Niang’s strong three-point shooting showed up for the first time this year, and it was very timely: he drained back-to-back triples in the first minute of the second quarter, giving Golden State the lead and a whole bunch of momentum that they would not relinquish.
He fits the system well, and makes smart plays on both ends of the court. When he’s making his shots, it all comes together oh so nicely … not unlike with Al Horford.
Grade: B+ Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
Not the best offensive game for Melton (though three assists and no turnovers is always a great ratio), but I loved what he did on defense. This was a game where he made things happen through sheer effort. Even the national broadcasters mentioned how there were multiple plays where Melton disrupted Denver simply by wanting the ball more than any of the Nuggets did.
That’s a critical mentality to be getting from one of your veterans. And it makes the ship run very nicely. There will be days where the Warriors will need more out of his offensive game — which he showed on Saturday he’s capable of — but in this game they needed quarterbacking, leadership, and defense, and he brought all three.
Like I said when I compared Niang to Horford … when the threes fall, the total package looks damn nice, doesn’t it?
Horford was awesome in this game. His floor-stretching ability was critical, and a huge part of why the Warriors scored 134 points. And his defense on both Jokić and the other Nuggets players was massive. There’s a reason that Kerr trusts Horford so much that Graham Ike and Charles Bassey only got garbage time; and that trust was rewarded.
One funny thing: Niang, Horford, and Melton all finished with playing time totals within 22 seconds of each other. It seems like Kerr has found the sweet spot for his trusted vets!
This was kind of a rookie game for Williams who, it goes without saying, is not a rookie. He showed off his immense potential, but it also looked fairly raw. He really just did such a great job breaking down the defense and making things happen for the offense, especially at the end of the third quarter, when the Dubs were in the midst of turning a close game into a blowout. But at the same time, given Golden State’s history with ball security, you just cannot turn the ball over four times in 15 minutes of action.
One thing to monitor: Williams said that he dedicated much of his offseason to working on his jump shot, after shooting just 28.0% from three-point range in his first four seasons. So far this year he’s 5-for-11 … a very small sample, but an encouraging trend worth keeping an eye on.
Just a little dose of garbage time for Cryer, but my goodness did he make the most of it. Six points and two assists in less than three minutes of action? That’s fun, and had to be a nice tonic for the youngster after struggling on Saturday.
Grade: Incomplete
Malevy Leons
3 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 foul, -1
A few minutes of garbage time for Leons, who hasn’t seen the court much so far this year.
I thought there was a chance Ike would get some run tonight, after starting on Friday and Saturday and playing fairly well. But instead, he just got some garbage time. He made another triple though, and the center is now a perfect 4-for-4 from deep to open his career!
Grade: Incomplete
Will Richard
3 minutes, 0 points, -1
It seems like Richard is, for now, out of the rotation. But there will be plenty of opportunities when other players aren’t available.
I was a little surprised that Bassey wasn’t part of the rotation in this game, but with Lendeborg playing as well as he is, and able to play up a size, there just might not be too many minutes for Bassey on the games that Horford plays.
Grade: Incomplete
Monday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, Kristaps Porziņģis
SAN ANTONIO, TX -OCTOBER 16: De'Aaron Fox #4 of the San Antonio Spurs goes for a loose bal against Sacramento Kings in the first half of a preseason game at Frost Bank Center on October 16, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Following a disconcerting pair of opening losses, the Spurs are getting a couple of ‘get right’ games thrown at them on their way back to .500 and beyond.
After pulling themselves out of the winless column against the already banged-up Dallas Mavericks, the basketball gods are serving them up another meatball of a matchup in the Sacramento Kings.
In the recent past, the Kings were briefly getting the better of San Antonio teams for the first time since the turn of the millennium, kept at the edges of the postseason picture by a point-happy offense that made up for defensive flaws.
They were a playoff/play-in team, free from the shackles of the lengthy playoff drought they’d finally quenched.
Not so any longer.
Tired of a slowly and steadily declining win total, the Kings have opted to tear it all down. Or, at least, that’s what I think they’re doing. It’s just so hard to tell sometimes.
Either way (sample size disclaimers attached), the Kings are looking *really* bad.
Through three games, the Kings are: last in Player Impact Estimate, Blocks, and Assists, 29th in +/- and Net Rating, 28th in Points Scored and Points Allowed, 27th in Defensive Rating, and 26th in Opponent Field Goals Made.
Yeah, it’s just three games. But the teams that torched them were the Trailblazers (understandable) and the recently gutted Clippers and Grizzlies (uh-oh).
My guess is that if the Kings and Spurs had swapped schedules, the Spurs would be undefeated, and the Kings would be last in every category.
So, if you’re hoping for a competitive spectacle, you should probably watch something else. In fact, if there’s a game you’d like to be able to skip out on, I highly recommend this one.
If, on the other hand, you’ve had a rough week already and you could really use a blowout win, this will probably serve as a spectacular little sweet treat.
Especially if De’Aaron Fox goes off on his former team — which seems likely against a Sacramento backcourt that is very thin on guard talent for the first time in years.
In any case, here’s hoping that this game ends up being the ‘closer to .500’ treat that we all hope it is, as opposed to the ‘Spurs didn’t take them seriously’ trick that it very well could be, on the first leg of San Antonio’s 2nd back-to-back of the season.
Enjoy as approved by responsible adults, and don’t forget to check for needles in your apples! (I’ve really got to chill with the metaphors)
