Category: Basketball

It’s a small sample size, but the Minnesota Timberwolves lead the league in rebounding after the first three games this season.

The Wolves hauled in 52 boards against the Miami Heat, 61 against the Orlando Magic, and 49 against the Toronto Raptors. In all three contests, the Wolves dominated the glass, and it led to three blowout victories. Wolves head coach Chris Finch explained why there has been a shift in the team’s approach to rebounding over the weekend.

“It starts with Jaden (McDaniels) and Anthony (Edwards) and JK (Jonathan Kuminga). Those guys just getting back in the play and rebounding the ball in the air. We’ve been harping on it,” Finch said.

“Obviously, it’s easier to rebound when you play really good kind of first-shot defense, and you can force them into shots where you’re not in rotations and stuff like that, so that’s been key to it as well – being able to be in good help spots and then go pursue the ball. That’s really what it is. It’s the pursuit of the ball on both ends of the floor. We were one of the worst teams in terms of watching rebounds and not actually pursuing the ball, and this year we’ve been able to switch our mentality to be more of a pursuit team.”

Crashing the glass on the offensive side of the ball has increased the number of possessions Minnesota gets. The more shots they’re taking, the more are falling. If the Wolves can continue this mindset across the course of the season, they should be one of the biggest threats in the Western Conference.

Many thought that the loss of Naz Reid and Julius Randle would hurt the team’s rebounding efforts, but going smaller in the lineup has forced everybody to prioritize rebounding when they are on the court.

The Timberwolves lead the NBA in net rebounding.

So much for the losing Julius Randle size bit pic.twitter.com/J1WWZxLHMn

— Bull Run (@run_bull_) October 24, 2026

Wolves center Rudy Gobert emphasized the importance of all five players contributing to the rebounding efforts and how much of a difference it is making.

“I think just compete, and just having the mindset of doing something… whatever is happening on the floor, finding a body, contesting the shots and I think it goes from one to five,” Gobert said. “Having five guys doing something… being active, and when we do that, it makes it easy for me, and it makes it easy for us as a team.”

It’s going to be difficult to keep up this trend, but this could be what sets the Wolves apart from their competitors.

Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Dončić’s 52-point performance against the Utah Jazz on Sunday night was made even sweeter, given the trash talk he dealing with from a former teammate.

Jaxson Hayes spent the past three seasons with the Lakers before signing a two-year, $12 million deal with the Utah Jazz this past offseason. Hayes also spent much of the Lakers’ 132-123 win talking trash to Dončić.

At one point, Hayes was sitting on the bench and said something that sounded like advice on guarding Dončić while the Lakers star was dribbling down the court.

Dončić then pulled up and drained a three-pointer moments later. He immediately turned around and pointed to Hayes on the Jazz bench.

A few moments later, he turned back to the bench and said, “You know better than that, Jax!”

A video of this entire exchange has gained a ton of interest on social media, given Dončić’s immediate response to his ex-teammates’s trash talk.

Jaxson Hayes tries to talk smack to Luka, who promptly nails a step back jumper without passing it to anyone, then says to Hayes: "You know better than that, Jax!" [Sound UP] pic.twitter.com/UJoLQn4CPn

— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) October 26, 2026

This wasn’t the only time Hayes tried to trash-talk Dončić during the game. He also called him a “flopper” at one point, which also got a lot of social media attention.

But Dončić didn’t appear too disturbed by these comments, as proven by his 52-point outburst.

Jaxson Hayes called Luka a flopper pic.twitter.com/yU0EaK7ncg

— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) October 25, 2026

Dončić and Hayes still appear to be friendly with each other, given that much of this trash-talk appeared to be lighthearted.

Regardless, Dončić absolutely got the last laugh.

In fitting fashion, last year’s scoring champ, Luka Dončić, dropped the first 50-piece of the 2026-27 season with a 52-point, 10-assist, eight-rebound performance Sunday against the Utah Jazz. It was his fourth career game with at least 50 points, 10 assists and five rebounds to give him sole possession of the second-most such games in NBA history.

He was particularly sensational in crunch time as the Los Angeles Lakers looked to secure an 18-point comeback and win their third straight contest to open the year. Over the final seven minutes of the game, Dončić tallied 13 points and two assists. He directly contributed to 19 of the Lakers’ last 24 points with plays like these:

LUKA'S GOT 42 PTS 🔥

He sinks his 6th TRIPLE!

The Lakers and Jazz are TIED in Q4 on NBA League Pass 🍿 pic.twitter.com/yAsT6gxWXl

— NBA (@NBA) October 25, 2026

“I think, for him in particular, when he’s in the flow state, he gets into like showman mode,” head coach JJ Redick said. “He’s on stage performing and it’s always really fun to watch,”

Aside from a Collin Sexton triple midway through the fourth quarter, the only other non-Dončić player to score across the final seven minutes was Austin Reaves, whose six crunch-time points, including a late clock three to seal the win, helped keep Utah at bay.

Reaves himself was pretty excellent Sunday to maintain his sterling play out of the gates this season. He scored 29 points on 81.8% true shooting while chipping in four assists, two blocks and one steal. Despite his own superlatives, however, he sounds completely content to let Dončić cook when the Slovenian is in the sort of groove he found against the Jazz.

“Once he gets in the mode he gets in, it’s just give him the ball and he’s either going to put the ball in basket or he’s going to make the right [play],” Reaves said. “I just happened to be open and he threw it to me, was open, shot it with confidence and made it.

“He’s always in showman mode. I think he’s always ready to get a bucket. Knowing that as a teammate, you just let him do him and we’re going to benefit from it as a team.”

You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.

With a game Saturday night, then all Sunday and all of today between the game tonight, we didn’t have a ton in the hopper to publish. So I gave a simple prompt: please overreact to the first three games of Dallas Mavericks basketball.

Sudarshan: Cooper Flagg will make 1 of the All-NBA teams (I predict All-NBA 3rd team), and depending on how much game time he gets, Sergio De Larrea will make the All-Rookie 1st team. Flagg has come out of the blocks all guns blazing to start the season, and Larry was so good against San Antonio that Mavs internet is already squinting and trying to make Luka Doncic comparisons. ¡Viva la youth revolución!

Also, Aaron Nesmith needs to hire a bodyguard to protect himself from Bryan when he comes to play in Dallas.

Bryan: The individual player skill development most important to long-term winning for the Mavs is no longer Cooper’s shooting: it’s now Sergio’s ball handling. If Larry becomes a good enough ball handler to take on a primary role even off the bench by midway through next year, that will more than mitigate not having our own 2027 first-round pick because he’s already an NBA player in every other skill that matters.

If he continues to progress as he’s shown from summer league to now, we are going to look at the 2027 draft class and be able to count on one hand the number of players that we’re sure are better than him.

Gracie: I will go further than Sudarshan, Cooper Flagg will be in MVP talks. He took over for the Mavericks in their loss to Houston, showing that he has taken another step offensively after a strong rookie year. Before he was hurt against Indiana, he was on pace for a 30-point triple-double. His two-way skills set the tone for Dallas. He has emerged as a leader for the Mavericks, and the team is significantly better when he’s on the floor. His willingness to grow as a player and a leader will have him getting nods for MVP of the Mavericks can make the postseason.

Eric: Sergio deLarrea might be the draft-night steal of 2026. Twenty-one points, five rebounds, and four assists against San Antonio. He looked comfortable running the offense against one of the league’s toughest young defensive backcourts.

Joe: I don’t know how this isn’t EVERYONE’S overreaction, but PJ looks back to PJ. Now that doesn’t mean he looks like this all-world role player who is gonna be the difference in us winning X amount of games compared to Y amount of games, but also the team isn’t really good enough for him to be that piece anyway. But PJ has looked really surprisingly competent and has been really impactful through 3 games. He’s been hitting shots, getting to the rim at will, playing solid defense and rebounding, and has been the best player for the Mavs when Kyrie and/or Cooper aren’t out there. He’s averaging 14 points and has knocked down 40% combined from 3 in the second and third games.

Tyler: Let’s dive into some small sample size theater, shall we? The PJ Washington, Naji Marshall and Max Christie minutes need to GO. Per Cleaning the Glass, in 87 possessions together, those lineups are -42.5 points per 100 possessions, with an offensive rating of 82.8. The vets have been good soldiers over the last couple of turbulent seasons, but we can officially close the book on them now. Conversely, the two-man unit of Cooper Flagg and Zaccharie Risacher are +81.5 points per 100 possessions in 54 total possessions. The youth movement is here, so let’s lean in to it!

Michael: My overreaction to the first three games is that Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz are much better at maximizing limited assets than anyone gave them credit for. Sergio de Larrea looked like a seasoned player against one of the best teams in the West. His first two games weren’t the prettiest, but I chalk that up to getting acclimated. Meaning, I think what we saw from him against San Antonio is more the true version of him than not. Marcus Sasser is another one. A forgotten man in Detroit, he comes home to Dallas and fits in immediately, playing within himself and able to score off the bench and hit the long ball with consistency. All to say my overreaction is that the front office is equipped to make good things happen even with limited resources.

Kirk: This isn’t an overreaction in so much as something I need more of: the three guard line up. Play a mix of Kyrie, Sergio, Sasser, and Walter, please.

Matt M.: Well, you asked for overreaction, so here we go. The Mavs have turned over a few rocks, and the guard play they have found stuck to the bottom of those rocks has been intriguing enough so that I am now more curious what Dallas can get in a trade for Kyrie Irving than I am about what wisdom he can impart to a squad of youngsters. I like what I’ve seen from Marcus Sasser, Sergio de Larrea, and even Walter Clayton Jr. (yes, I know he’s not full-time but there are solutions for everything) to such a degree that I am beginning to wonder if the best use of Irving this year is not a salute and an expression of heartfelt gratitude while ushering him out the door in exchange for a tasty first-round pick and a usable younger guard. Full-on youth movement now, please.

Trink: My overreaction is this team is one point guard away from being a legit playoff team. If they can have someone relieve Kyrie of ball handling in the starting five, they have a legit chance to be a 6 seed or higher. Cooper Flagg refuses to lose, and the team will come with him.

It became clear it was so bad – even in the first seconds after it happened – that a trainer rushed over to throw a towel over the ankle, hiding it from view.

Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams, a 2024-25 All-Star and one of the bright young players in the NBA, suffered a seemingly devastating lower leg injury Sunday, Oct. 25. And though the Thunder haven’t issued a formal diagnosis, the way Williams’ left ankle dangled sideways off his foot strongly suggests that Williams’ season is over just three games after it started.

So now the Thunder, who entered the season as favorites to win NBA Finals, must regroup, because this injury – assuming it’s as bad as it looked – changes the pathway for Oklahoma City moving forward. Because the overwhelming notion for this Thunder team was that it was a strong favorite because Williams was finally healthy.

Williams, the team’s second best player, missed significant chunks last season as he recovered from offseason wrist surgery. Then, late in the year and into the playoffs, it was multiple soft-tissue hamstring injuries.

So now, two-time reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, once again, will have bear more of a burden. Williams can handle the ball and initiate offense. He can slash to the basket and has a dependable perimeter jumper. He’s a plus defender and is often the anchor through which the Thunder run their offense when Gilgeous-Alexander is catching a breath on the bench. When available, he is a staple, having started 238 of his 251 career regular season games. The loss is massive.

"These are tough, man," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after the game. "We’re not doing great. That’s tough on the guys. Everyone empathizes, I think both teams, in those situations. We’re not doing great."

Yet, if there is any team in the NBA built to weather the loss of a player like Williams, it’s the Thunder. No team has been better at identifying and developing young players through the draft, and Oklahoma City is the deepest team in the entire association. They have options.

Thunder's depth provides options after Jalen Williams injury

In fact, the Thunder are so deep that they can alter whom they start at small forward in place of Williams, depending on the matchup.

The first indication of how the Thunder plan to make up for the loss of Williams comes fewer than 24 hours after he suffered the injury; Oklahoma City hosts the Phoenix Suns Monday, Oct. 26 on the second leg of their back-to-back.

The cleanest move is for Daigneault to replace Williams in the starting lineup with Alex Caruso, a veteran guard who specializes on defense. Caruso is nowhere near as talented as Williams on offense, though his perimeter shot has been a spark off the bench; Caruso is shooting a blistering 45.5% from 3-point range this season.

Each of starting guard Cason Wallace, who also suffered an injury Sunday night, one to his shoulder, and reserve guards Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain will likely see increased minutes and responsibility.

Daigneault likes to have a serviceable ball-handling creator on the floor when Gilgeous-Alexander heads to the bench, so it makes sense on some level for both Mitchell and McCain to come off the bench. Rookie guard Bennett Stirtz will also be called up for spot minutes.

Thunder's injury history prepared SGA, team to weather long season

This, unfortunately for the Thunder, is a familiar spot. They pushed the San Antonio Spurs to seven games in the 2026 Western Conference Finals despite injuries to Williams and Mitchell. Because the pair are Oklahoma City’s best offensive engines not named Gilgeous-Alexander, the team’s offense stagnated under San Antonio’s defense.

In previous seasons, it was Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein who were knocked out for extensive stretches because of injury.

This is all to say that, in many ways, the Thunder are used to this.

But as much as Oklahoma City is built to mitigate the loss of a star like Williams, one devastating fact is clear, and it’s a fact the team must contend with the rest of the season, assuming the injury ends Williams’ campaign.

The Thunder today are not as strong as they were yesterday, and that’s indisputable.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Jalen Williams’ gruesome leg injury could alter Thunder’s title hopes

Welcome to Week in Review: a Monday feature that looks back at the week that was for the San Antonio Spurs, takes a look at the week ahead, and more. Enjoy!

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Week 1: 1-2 (1-2, 9th in West)

104-116 loss vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

It wasn’t the season opener the Spurs had hoped for. With the Thunder out for revenge for the Western Conference Finals and red hot from three in the first half, the lethargic Spurs went ice cold in the second quarter to fall behind by 26 points and, despite an admirable effort in the second half, couldn’t rally all the way back.

On a side note, keep Jalen Williams in your thoughts after he suffered a brutal looking leg injury last night (I don’t recommend making the same mistake as me and watching it). Assuming it’s as bad as it looks, he’s more than likely out for the season and faces an even harder road back.

110-114 loss vs. Houston Rockets (in Austin)

The Spurs looked better in their second game as they continued to shake off the rust and find some rhythm, but it still wasn’t enough against a healthy Rockets squad that finally has a true point guard. Alperen Sengun was unstoppable down low no matter who guarded him, and Amen Thompson blocked Victor Wembanyama’s game tying attempt for the heart-breaking loss.

106-122 win at Dallas Mavericks

The Spurs finally got their first win of the season against a depleted Mavs team that was missing Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, among others. While nothing special, the Spurs’ starters did their jobs and put the opponent away with a few timely runs, and we even got to see what Tarris Reed could bring to the table in rotation minutes.

Power Rankings

John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 6 (last week: 1)

OffRtg: 110.5 (14) DefRtg: 111.3 (14) NetRtg: -0.7 (14)

A season with big expectations got off to a rough start for Victor Wembanyama (1-for-13 against the Thunder) and the Spurs. After losing to Oklahoma City and Houston, they trailed the shorthanded Mavs (no Kyrie Irving or Cooper Flagg) late in the third quarter on Saturday before pulling away in the final 13 minutes.

Two takeaways

1. The Spurs’ new starting lineup played limited minutes (just 9.4 per game) and the results were mixed. It outscored the Thunder by 10 points on Tuesday, but scored an anemic 30 points on 45 offensive possessions (67 per 100) against the Rockets and Mavs over the weekend. The offense was at its best with last season’s starter (Julian Champagnie) on the floor.

2. Victor Wembanyama has struggled with his jump shot. Combining preseason and Week 1, he’s shot 2-for-11 from mid-range and 5-for-28 from beyond the arc. But the Spurs have allowed less than a point per possession with him on the floor, while allowing 133 per 100 with him on the bench.

Coming up: The Spurs’ win in Dallas over the weekend was the start of what seems like a pretty soft, 12-game stretch of schedule that should have them at or near the top of the West in mid-November. Minnesota is the toughest opponent on that stretch, but the Spurs will have a rest advantage when they host the Wolves on Saturday.

Law Murray, The Athletic — 12 (last week: 5)

Opening week question: Do De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle complement one another well enough?

Defensively, the trio has been fine — it helps to have Victor Wembanyama back there. But these three are only starting together because that’s the team Mitch Johnson has to manage this year. Last year, Johnson could bring the second pick of the draft (Harper) off the bench, have Fox minimize his touches and play primarily through Castle while Wembanyama enjoyed his ascent to MVP finalist. This year, the Spurs are letting their guard trio dominate the ball. San Antonio is shooting only 41.5 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from 3.

Kurt Helin, NBC Sports — 8 (last week: 2)

Through three games, the jury is still out on starting the three guards together — De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper — with the group posting a +1.4 net rating when on the court together. With that trio, the defense has been spectacular, but the offense has struggled (granted, on an exceedingly small sample). One issue with starting the three-guard lineup is that the Spurs now lack the bench punch Harper brought last season. It’s wild to say it, but the bigger problem for the Spurs — especially against the Thunder on opening night — was Victor Wembanyama. Against OKC, he held the ball too long, which disrupted the three-guard offense’s flow. Wemby shot 1-of-13 in the opener, partly because the Thunder are an elite defensive team, collapsed on him, and have three seven-footers to throw at him. In the Spurs’ second game against Houston, Wemby had a much better first half but struggled after halftime, then against Dallas he looked more like himself. The Spurs need that version of Wemby.

Brett Siegel, Clutch Points — 9 (last week: 4)

This was an unprecedented start for the defending Western Conference champions. While falling to the Thunder in the first game of the season wasn’t all that shocking, losing to the Rockets in a game they never really controlled was.

Not only is Victor Wembanyama struggling to find his shot early on, but the Spurs are still trying to figure out what their three-guard approach looks like on a nightly basis with De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper.

Getting Tobias Harris back on the floor from his calf injury will be important for this team, especially since he brings extra rebounding and secondary scoring. Nonetheless, this team’s success revolves around Wembanyama’s production, which was lackluster during the first week of the season.

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Coming up

• Tues. 10/27 vs. Sacramento Kings (7:00 PM CT)
• Wed. 10/28 at Utah Jazz (8:00 PM CT)
• Sat. 10/31 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (7:00 PM CT)

When people said they wouldn’t care if the Knicks went 0-82 this season, I don’t think that they meant it as an invitation.

The first three games have gone from disappointing to annoying to bewildering as the Knicks sit at the bottom of the standings with a 0-3 record after three close losses to Eastern Conference rivals, all of which were winnable with better execution. It’s the first 0-3 start since David Fizdale was coach in 2019-20 (yikes).

In these games, the Knicks have scored 103 or fewer points in all of them. Raw point totals aren’t everything with this team’s preferred slow pace, but that doesn’t work in the modern NBA. This is early-Thibsian-level offense.

Is it process-based or just shoddy shooting? It could be both.

On Opening Night, the Knicks fell to the Sixers not only due to inconsistent shooting at the perimeter, but also startlingly bad finishing at the rim. As a team last year, they shot 66.3% in the restricted area and 58.3% on shots in the paint. On Opening Night? 58.6% and 42%.

These shots make up half the team’s shot diet, so shooting 16% worse at it can decide games. That’s especially concerning against a team with incredibly little rim protection, even if it were the freshest Joel Embiid you’ll ever see.

The jarringly bad shooting continued through Boston and Orlando. They’re 26th in FG% at the restricted area (63%) and dead last in total FG% in the paint (50%).

The main culprits? Andre Drummond (8-for-15 at the rim, 8-for-18 in the paint), Jalen Brunson (4-for-18 outside the restricted area), and Josh Hart (4-for-8 at the rim, 7-for-13 in the paint).

Those last two are the ones we can directly compare to last season. Brunson shot 47.9% on incredible volume outside the restricted area last season, while Hart shot 67.4% at the rim and 60.4% in the entire paint. The sample is small, but important in three close losses.

The perimeter shooting has been pretty bad, too. Outside of Deuce McBride’s Boston heater, nobody has had the touch to start the season. Four players have attempted at least 14 threes so far, and all of them are below league average (Brunson 26.7%, Anunoby 28.6%, Hart 33.3%, Shamet 35.7%). Mikal Bridges is also doing his best October 2024 impression, starting the year 0-for-10 from deep.

On Sunday night against the Magic, the Knicks shot 32 open and wide open threes and made only nine of them. There were some bad looks in there, but a lot of them were clean looks that you’re used to them making. Last season, they only averaged 30.5 of those attempts per game, but shot 37.3%. That’s equivalent to three extra made threes last night, which could’ve swung the game.

Really, they lost on Sunday because the Magic, an extremely poor shooting team, shot 43.6% on those looks and had just their third game in the last two years where they shot 40 threes and made at least 40% of them, but you could’ve also made shots yourself.

As if their shooting at the rim and behind the arc wasn’t bad enough, they’ve also been ghastly at the foul line.

As a team, they’re shooting 70.8%, which in prior years you’d think would be dragged down by the Hack-a-Mitch, but there’s no excuse this year. Even if you remove the only poor free-throw shooter on the roster, Drummond, they’re at an unacceptable 72%. If you removed Mitch last year, the team shot 81.6% from the line.

It added up against Philly; it didn’t help against Boston; and it directly hampered their chances at a late comeback against Orlando.

Anunoby is at 81.8%, but after him? Brunson is 14-for-20, and Towns is 12-for-17, both around 70%. For two guys who are career 85% free-throw shooters, it’s a back-breaker.

Looking at the splits (and turnovers, which are also a small problem) through three games, the Knicks aren’t close to where they need to be as a team:

vs PHI: 37/33/70, 14 TO
@ BOS: 44/40/71, 16 TO
vs ORL: 41/24/68, 14 TO
–
25-26: 48/37/79, 12.9 TO

The only game they shot adequately was against Boston, but they committed a season high in turnovers and still didn’t make their free throws. In the other two games, it was poor play at all three levels.

In the modern NBA, three-point shooting is everything. For the Knicks under Mike Brown, they are as reliant as a team can be without being Joe Mazzulla-esque.

2025-26 Knicks, including playoffs:
22-0 when shooting 44% or better
0-7 when shooting 25% or worse

Last season, when the Knicks shot worse than 33.3% from downtown, they went 11-19.

When they shot 33.3% or better, a mark that is not even league average, they went 58-13.

It’s a cheat code for their success, and considering they returned every shooter from last season’s roster, it’s one that needs to show up to right the ship.

By first quarter’s end on Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers looked a bit of a mess and trailed the Utah Jazz, 47-29. By halftime, they had righted the ship and already stormed all the way back to enter the break with a 74-71 lead. For much of the second half, the two sides engaged in a back-and-forth affair before Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves made a handful of key plays down the stretch to propel Los Angeles to a 132-123 victory and a 3-o start to the year.

After the win, head coach JJ Redick emphasized the importance of a game like that so early in the season for a team still growing together with so many new rotation players. Of course, doing so in a win is preferable but Redick made clear it would’ve provided valuable information regardless of the outcome.

“I talked about this earlier in the year last year. For, particularly, a new group of guys and this feels like a newer team, right, because of all the new faces, you need to build reference,” Redick told reporters. “Really, whether we had responded to the adversity of that first quarter, not being ready to play and not doing any of the stuff that we had talked about pregame, it still would be a reference point. Because we ended up coming back and winning, now it becomes a positive reference point and it’s a reference point for resiliency, right?”

Once Utah had built an 18-point advantage to close the first quarter, Redick saw his team quickly respond in the second quarter to extinguish the deficit and, ultimately, nab a road victory — something that shouldn’t be discounted, especially against a team that’s given the Lakers trouble in recent years.

“Winning on the road is hard in the NBA. These guys always play us tough, particularly here, at least since I’ve been here,” Redick said. “So I wasn’t surprised with how they came out and played offensively. But our guys were, we talked to them at the beginning of the second quarter and there was an immediate response and then we had to gut out a win. We had to gut out a win and I’m just proud of the group for that.”

You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.

The Phoenix Suns’ first two games of the season couldn’t have gone more differently. A historic beatdown from the Portland Trail Blazers commenced their season, which they followed up three days later with a solid victory over a Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors team in their home opener. Nonetheless, it was a 1-1 week despite losing by 41 in their first game. The beauty of a singular game only being worth one loss, no matter the outcome.

Now having our first glimpse of the 2026-27 regular season Suns, here’s what we want your responses on:

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Thoughts on the new guys

Luke Kennard and Miles Bridges are in Phoenix and contributing early. While Kennard didn’t play in the season opener and Bridges scored just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, both were impactful in the team’s first win of the season. Kennard hit three three-pointers, including a few late, and Bridges showed his inside-out game, scoring in the paint and hitting a few triples against the Warriors.

How do you think the two have fit in so far, and how do you expect their roles to evolve as the season goes on?

Starting guard drama looming?

Early returns on the Jalen Green and Devin Booker starting backcourt have not been promising. The first game of the season saw the Suns go down 21-0 en route to getting blown out, and in 13 minutes against the Warriors, the starting lineup had a -21.6 net rating.

In comparison, when Collin Gillespie was replaced by Green, the rest of the starting lineup had a +85.7 net rating.

Two games into a season is no time for seismic changes, and the Suns as a whole mightily struggled in their first game of the season especially, but how concerned are you about Jalen Green’s fit next to Devin Booker in the starting lineup?

Early returns on Khaman Maluach as the starter?

There’s a new starting center in Phoenix, and his name is Khaman Maluach, and he’s been quite passive on the offensive end so far. In 44 minutes in his first two games, the Duke product has taken just five shots and six free throws, averaging 5.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and two assists per game.

As the team continues to play without a traditional point guard in the starting lineup, it might take Maluach some time to find his role on the offensive end, and his 136.4 defensive rating leaves a lot to be desired on defense, but the team has been significantly better on the glass when he’s in the game.

It was well-known that the big man was going to take some time to get comfortable in his new role, but have early returns given you more or less confidence in his future as a starter?

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On the Suns’ Plate This Week

Another two-game slate this week starting on the road and ending at home against the Western Conference for the Suns.

Phoenix will face the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at 5 PM AZ time in a rematch of the first round of the 2026 Western Conference Playoffs that saw the Suns go down in four games. Then on Friday, they’ll host the Denver Nuggets at 7 PM AZ time for their first game of NBA Cup play. The Thunder and Nuggets were the West’s first and third seeds a season ago and once again project to be some of the conference’s best teams.

To quote new Timberwolves commentator Kevin Calabro, “Nothing but cord.” Fresh off another hot shooting night where Minnesota was 15 for 31 from deep (48%) they prepare for their first back-to-back of the season. Coach Chris Finch rewarded the effort of his squad with frequent breathers and deployed 11 players in non-garbage minutes. Some of this was due to LaMelo Ball foul trouble. Or was that Melo’s strategy all along for saving his legs for the next day?

Minnesota’s opponent the Cleveland Cavaliers are struggling to find their Eastern Conference Finalist form in the early goings of the season. They will have the advantages of rest and home court as they host the undefeated Wolves.

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Game Info

• Who:Minnesota Timberwolves (3-0) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1)
• When: Monday, October 26 at 6:00 PM CT
• Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH
• Local TV: DAZN-MIN
• Radio: 830 WCCO

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Some Numbers

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Playing for Each Other

Maybe it was something in the Parisian water. Maybe it was the iron sharpening iron team organized practices before training camp. Maybe it was the trade for LaMelo Ball and the full court press to get Jonathan Kuminga to sign in Minnesota. Whatever it was, this Wolves team is knit tighter and more defined than a Norwegian sweater.

No matter the lineup that Finch runs out, every player knows what is expected of them. In the Raptors game, every player bought in on relentless defense regardless of assignment as seen most prominently in Bones Hyland posting as many points as he did blocks and rebounds (three of each). The early efforts have taken some of the load off the regular rotation and allowed the deep bench to get some run. Rookie Isaiah Evans has played in each of the first three wins.

These Wolves are not playing with their food. When they build a lead they add to it. They have only lost three quarters thus far and two of those were in the fourth quarter of 20+ point victories. Even the players “sitting” on the bench understand what is expected of them.

Target the Bad Defenders

The Cavaliers deploy two bigs in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley who will roam the paint looking to swat shots. Cleveland has averaged eight and a half blocks in their two games, good enough for first in the league. They outbid the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade for Peyton Watson to defend on the wing, and that’s where the strength of their defense trails off. James Harden presents some effort when he can guard in the post, but when asked to move his feet, he runs into problems.

As the Wolves did against the Miami Heat’s Klay Thompson, they should hunt the Harden and Donovan Mitchell on the perimeter. The rest of the Cavs rely on the shot creation of those two players to get their offense going, so pulling them into a recurrent defensive stance will wear them out. Off the bench, Cleveland relies on the scoring of wings Jaylon Tyson, Sam Merrill, and former Trey Lyles Real Madrid teammate Mario Hezonja, none of whom offer much more defensive resistance than who they replace.

Rebounds and Turnovers

The Raptors won the offensive rebounding and turnover battle against the Wolves allowing them to hang around until early in the third quarter. I’d imagine Finch and the coaching staff will be in the player’s ears on the flight to Ohio about ways to clean that up. This will be a unique test for the Wolves playing on the second night of a back-to-back. They rank number one in the league in rebounding, predicated on effort and gang rebounding. They will need to summon that same sweat equity to nullify Cleveland’s bigs.

The Cavaliers have choked away one game against the Philadelphia 76ers and barely hung on against the Brooklyn Nets with fourth quarter turnovers. They have coughed up the ball over 20+ times in each of their first two games with Mitchell and Harden among the biggest culprits. Perhaps a student of the Shaquille O’Neal school of taking the season to play into shape, Harden has shown limited burst to get to the cup. Staying in front of him should allow for off-ball defenders to swarm passing lanes and juice the score in transition.

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Prediction

The Wolves have momentum, a clear thesis of what they want to do, and the spirit of youth. The Cavs guards will look to put Minnesota into compromising positions and if the Wolves play clean, they’ll run out to an early lead. Off of tired legs, less Wolves three-balls will drop, but second efforts on the glass will sap the confidence of their opponent. Cleveland will try to get back into the game launching errant three-point shots and Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson will assure the media that by every number but the final score, they won the game. Isaiah Evans will record his first regular season point.

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Our blogging buddies are over at Fear the Sword. Be respectful of our sword swinging brethren!

Maxey named East Player of the Week for standout start to season  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

True to form, All-NBA Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey earned another award at the very start of the 2026-27 season. 

Maxey was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday. The Grizzlies’ Ty Jerome won the award in the Western Conference. 

Maxey averaged 28.8 points, 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds for the new-look, 3-1 Sixers. He posted at least 26 points in all four games and ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring average. 

The 25-year-old also impressed on defense. He’s already racked up eight steals and his full-court pressure on former teammate James Harden helped fuel the Sixers’ home-opening comeback win last Thursday over the Cavs. 

“He totally changed the game,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “He’s out there doing that and the rest of the guys are in the back watching. And all of a sudden, they start saying, ‘I’ll be in on this, too.’

“He provides not only the physical effort to start it, but also kind of a spark that got everyone emotionally going.”

Maxey has won five East Player of the Week awards in his career. His first also came in Week 1. Maxey took home the honor in late October of 2023 right before the Sixers traded Harden to the Clippers.

After averaging 24 points (84.6% shooting), 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 1.5 steals through the first two games of the season, Walker Kessler struggled mightily during the Los Angeles Lakers’ comeback win Sunday against the Utah Jazz. In 28 minutes, he had two points (1-of-2 shooting) and seven rebounds, and committed four fouls.

The matchup marked Kessler’s return to Utah, where he spent the first four years of his career before joining Los Angeles this summer. Afterward, Kessler admitted emotions may have played a role in his poor performance.

“Obviously Utah was the first four years of my career. It’s a special place for me. Kind of jump started my career,” Kessler told reporters. “A lot of good memories, but definitely just let 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 of blocks I usually just [get to]. One of those nights, but, fortunately, basketball is not a one-man sport. I’ve got really good teammates and I’m very thankful.”

As Kessler labored through a lackluster outing, the Lakers’ star backcourt pairing led the charge. Luka Dončić dazzled with 52 points (17-of-30 shooting), 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals while Austin Reaves continued his strong start to the year, dropping 29 points (7-of-12 shooting), four assists, two blocks and one steal. Matisse Thybulle added 11 points (3-of-7 beyond the arc), three steals and one block.

“I think going to the game, I definitely let my emotions get the best of me. But you got to learn in those moments and move on,” Kessler told reporters. “But, yeah, I’m glad we got the win tonight. I’ve got a lot of thanks to give to my teammates. 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.”

Kessler will have a chance to bounce back Tuesday night at 8 p.m. when Los Angeles hosts the Portland Trail Blazers in a clash between undefeated teams.

You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.