The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing their first game of the season against the Sacramento Kings. They’ll be at home tonight. Cleveland went 0-2 against the Kings last year.

Defense

After spending two weeks in the bottom-10 of defense rating, Cleveland snapped back to being elite when they held the Charlotte Hornets to just 87 points in their latest win.

I couldn’t say this was all due to the Cavaliers’ defense. The Hornets also happened to shoot well below their expected percentage. Especially on open three-point attempts. But hey, luck is part of this thing. And I thought the Cavs did a fine job of protecting the paint and leaving Charlotte with few options other than chucking threes on a night where they simply didn’t have it.

Replicating this effort against the Kings should be feasible. This is a far less dangerous offense, with SAC ranking 28th in offensive rating this season. Of course, you can’t take anything for granted in the NBA, but I’d be upset if the Cavs didn’t turn in another strong defensive performance tonight.

Taking Care of the Ball

This is becoming an issue.

Cleveland has turned the ball over at an unusual rate this season. They rank 13th in turnover percentage, which isn’t awful, but it’s a steep decline from being fourth last season. Part of this is that they don’t have as many capable ball-handlers and playmakers as before. Injuries to Darius Garland and Max Strus, combined with losing Ty Jerome and Caris LeVert, have mattered.

The Cavs had 20 turnovers in Charlotte, 21 turnovers against the OKC Thunder, and 18 turnovers in Philly. This is a trend that can’t continue if they want to stack wins.

Evan Mobley’s Usage

I’m repeating one of my points from our last preview. Mobley has to be involved for the full length of the game. I really don’t want ot keep writing about this.

We saw Mobley get to his spots effortlessly in the first half against the Hornets. For him to finish the second half with only 1 point on two field goal attempts is a crime. This is a problem the team has long neglected. It’s time we see them finally address this and put their best foot forward.

Let’s get a high-volume game from Ev.

After a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Houston Rockets head to Detroit to take on a Pistons team that can be the first to sweep Houston this season.

These teams met back in October, and even with Jalen Duren getting ejected early, the Rockets allowed the Pistons to play their own style and never let Houston get going. Now, the Pistons are leading the Eastern Conference quite comfortably and the Rockets are trying to stay out of the play-in spots in the West.

The Rockets have been terrible on the second nights of back-to-backs, they finally got a win last week against the Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota Timberwolves. Will they get win #2 tonight?

Tip-off

6pm CT on January 23, 2026

How To Watch

Space City Home Network, Prime Video

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Pistons

Cade Cunningham: GTD

Ron Holland II: GTD

Duncan Robinson: GTD

Caris LeVert: GTD

The Line (as of this post)

DET -3.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Monday night at home against the Memphis Grizzlies

On February 1, 2025, former Mavericks GM Nico Harrison changed the lives of everyone associated with the Dallas Mavericks when he traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in the most shocking trade in recent sports history.

The move sparked immediate outrage and shock from the entire league and resulted in Harrison’s firing nine months later — a swift, but necessary resolution to one of the most shocking betrayals to a fanbase from a sports executive in league history.

Now, nearly a year later, the Lakers will be coming to Dallas for the second time since the trade commenced. Los Angeles’ first trip back — a 112-97 April 9 Lakers win where Dončić dominated the Mavericks to cheers from the American Airlines Center crowd — felt like something out of a sports movie. Home fans rooting for an opposing player throughout the game is exceptionally rare, especially in modern sports, yet it happened in April and I expect it to happen again Saturday.

It’s been a year unlike any other in sports fandom. Here’s a look back at a 12-month span that forever altered the Dallas Mavericks, from the fans to the players to the front office.

February 1, 2025, 11:12 CST: The Tweet

Late in the evening of February 1, ESPN’s Shams Charania shocked the world when he announced the Dallas Mavericks were trading Dončić, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick in a three-team deal that included the Utah Jazz.

Fans across all teams immediately thought the tweet was a farce. “Has Shams been hacked?” started trending on social media and Charania told the Old Man and the Three podcast that his phone was blowing up with questions about if he’d been hacked.

“I answered five people on phone calls, texts I couldn’t, it was literally up to 300 messages,” he recalled.

But the trade was real, stunning the world. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that night that Harrison “believed defense wins championships” and that the Mavericks had “major concerns” about moving forward with Dončić due to his “constant conditioning issues.”

February 8, 2025: Davis makes debut after fans protest trade

A week later, the Mavericks hosted the Houston Rockets in Anthony Davis’ debut as a Maverick, but the headlines that day weren’t focused on the game; it was on the scene outside the arena.

Thousands of fans flooded Victory Plaza outside the arena to protest the historic trade. People held signs, chanted
“Fire Nico” and voiced their displeasure at the move. Inside the arena, Davis and the Mavericks defeated the Rockets, but the Mavericks’ new star exited the game in the third quarter with an injury.

For many, the trade was a turning point, ticket sales declined 40% that season after the trade. In November, the team’s 24-season streak of sellout games was snapped.

February 25, 2025: Dončić faces Mavericks for first time

Dallas traveled to Los Angeles to play the Lakers three weeks later with Harrison in attendance. The Lakers defeated the Mavericks, 107-99, with Dončić securing a triple double in the win. Davis missed the game with an injury.

Inside Crypto.com arena,“ Thank you, Nico!” chants erupted from the Lakers faithful. Harrison was in attendance for the game, and it was likely the last public sporting event where he’d ever receive a positive reception.

April 9, 2025: Dončić returns to Dallas

Two months after the trade, Dončić returned to American Airlines Center in one of the most surreal games I’ve ever witnessed as a fan. Purple and gold jerseys flooded AAC — which wasn’t uncommon for a Lakers road game, Los Angeles has one of the fiercest fanbases in the NBA — but most of the jerseys had one name: Dončić.

Purple and gold meshed with navy blue and white with the same name donned across the back. The Mavericks played a video tribute before the game for Dončić, who teared up on the sidelines as fans applauded the then-25 year old’s tenure in Dallas that included a 2022 Western Conference Finals run and a 2024 NBA Finals run.

Then, the game started, and if you thought Dončić would start slow due to the emotionof the game, he quickly showed the fans and the world just how big a mistake the Mavericks made.

He lit up the Mavericks, scoring 45 points on 16-28 shooting, including 7-10 from three-point range. Dallas fans erupted with every made basket, almost as if to rebel against their own team. Dončić added eight rebounds, six assists and four steals for good measure, and the Lakers clinched a playoff spot while Dallas dropped yet another game, a common theme for the post-Dončić era.

“It was little bit of both happy and angry, but it’s nice to see some familiar faces here,” Dončić said after the game. “…I really appreciate the fans.”

May 12, 2025: Mavericks win draft lottery

The Dallas Mavericks defied all odds and won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, despite having just a 1.8% chance to secure the No. 1 pick. It was the first time in franchise history Dallas had moved up in the draft lottery and it put them in position to draft Cooper Flagg.

In June, Dallas did just that, drafting Flagg with the No. 1 pick and beginning a new era of Mavericks basketball. The front office made it clear they were trying to move on and turn over a new leaf. The fans were not yet ready to do so.

November 10, 2025: Tensions boil over

Harrison had tried for nine months to outlast the fan outrage, hoping a flashy new rookie and visions of him, Davis, and Kyrie Irving would soothe fan’s rage.

It did not.

On November 10, tensions boiled over when the Mavericks faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks. Dallas blew a 13-point 4th-quarter lead, but had a chance to tie the game late after P.J. Washington, who had pleaded with fans to stop their chants during the game, stepped to the line to shoot three free throws with Dallas down 3.

“Fire Nico! Fire Nico! Fire Nico!”

Time seemed to stand still in that moment. With Davis watching from the sidelines with yet another injury, the fans staged their final stage of revolt. They no longer cared if their team won or lost. They only cared about Harrison being gone. Nothing else mattered.

That was when team governor Patrick Dumont knew enough was enough.

November 11, 2025: Harrison fired

Harrison was fired the next morning and the Mavericks named two co-GM’s, Matt Ricardi and Michael Finley, to lead the front office while they began a search for a new permanent general manager.

After four years as GM, a run that saw Dallas reach the WCF and NBA Finals, Harrison was out just nine months after the trade. Some things are too big to escape, and Harrison learned that the hard way.

January 24, 2026: Dončić returns again

A year ago, Dallas was a title contender looking to get back to the NBA Finals while the Lakers were facing questions about the direction of their franchise with two aging stars and a lack of appealing draft capital.

Now, everything has flipped.

Los Angeles, fifth in the West, now looks to establish themselves as the contender while Dallas starts a years-long rebuild. Flagg’s quick ascension will provide some comfort for Mavericks fans and gives a glimpse into what the future can hold, but the Mavericks are years away from being in the Finals, while Dončić looks to lead his second franchise to the championship series, hopefully this time with a different ending.

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard. And noticed.

The Houston Rockets need a point guard.

Although it’s not as bad as it seems.

There’s a difficult path, as it pertains to acquiring an external one. Houston is just $1.2 million under the apron.

The NBA’s hard cap is real.

We know this.

We’ve seen Rockets coach Ime Udoka deploy a hodgepodge of methods toward replacing Fred VanVleet.

Or attempting to.

No option has been perfect. Amen Thompson running point takes him away from his best offensive skills, which is attacking, cutting to the rim and slashing.

Instead, it leaves him at the top of the key, oftentimes standing around and/or taking low-percentage threes.

Kevin Durant has been relied on to handle some of the playmaking and offensive initiation, but he’s rather turnover prone. Especially when blitzed or trapped.

Reed Sheppard is a good option, save for the fact that he gets hunted defensively. He’s thrived in an off-ball role.

JD Davison is a decent fall back, but you don’t necessarily want to be relying on a two-way signee for offensive playmaking and creation.

Especially not the bulk of it. And he’s the best pick-and-roll point guard on the roster.

According to Chris Haynes of NBA on Prime, the Rockets have interest in New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado.

“Jose Alvarado.. The Houston Rockets—they have kind of did some background on Alvarado.”

Alvarado is a defensive pest. He’s also the type of player who you hate when he’s not on your team but absolutely love to have on your team.

He’s a hell of a spark off the bench and is infectious.

In 22 minutes of action, he averages 7.9 points, 3.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds one steal, 42.4 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from three (4.4 attempts) and 82.6 percent from the foul line.

He has a player option next season worth $4.5 million and has a $4.5 million number this season also, making him a realistic target, should they decide to look into making a move.

There will be competition for his services, however, as Haynes also reported the New York Knicks are interested in Alvarado’s services as well.

Before the season began, everyone had a different opinion about how the Celtics would fare.

Some people naively thought they would plummet to the bottom of the East and tank for hometown kid AJ Dybantsa. Others thought they would hang around and perhaps make a surge if, and only if, Jayson Tatum returned. Most thought they would end up right around .500 or maybe a bit better (I was in that group).

Very few genuinely believed that, more than halfway through the season, they would be 11 games above .500 and second in the East. If you did, kudos to you, but I certainly didn’t.

So, how have they done it? Well, a lot goes into it, but from my perspective, here are ten reasons they’re still contenders.

1. Jaylen Brown has gone from outstanding to unstoppable.

I think we can all officially stop debating whether or not Jaylen Brown is capable of thriving as the No. 1 option on a contender. I thought Brown would embrace this role and excel in it, but I didn’t expect this level of pure domination.

Brown has upped his scoring (22.2 to 29.8), rebounding (5.8 to 6.7) and assists (4.5 to 4.8) per game from last year, while also improving his efficiency (46.3 to 48, 32.4 to 36.4, 76.4 to 79.1). He’s taking over games, leading by example and making life easier for everyone around him. His teammates have followed suit.

2. They’ve stuck with what’s worked in the past.

When the season began, people fairly wondered if the Celtics could continue their 3-point shooting prowess without Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.

The answer is a resounding yes. They still have Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser. Add in Anfernee Simons, Luka Garza and some young guys who are improving in that area, and that’s a whole lot of offensive firepower.

Boston is second in the NBA in 3-pointers made per game (15.6), second in 3’s attempted per game (42.4) and seventh in 3-point percentage (36.8). Last year’s percentage? 36.8. How’s that for consistency?

3. Returning catalysts have expanded their roles.

While Brown has elevated his game, White, Pritchard, Hauser and Neemias Queta have embraced more opportunity as well.

Some of White’s shooting numbers are down, but he’s averaging more points (16.4 to 17.6), rebounds (4.5 to 4.6) and assists (4.8 to 5.4) than last year and is still everywhere defensively. Pritchard is posting career-highs in minutes, points, assists and rebounds as well, and Hauser hasn’t missed a shot in 2026. Queta is handling a lot of responsibility on an undersized team and making it look easy.

I’m always amazed how seamlessly NBA players can adjust to greater responsibility, but the thing about this team is that those adjustments are leading to wins.

4. Young guys are ready when their number is called.

It can be hard to play some nights and sit on the bench others, but this group hasn’t flinched in that respect. Joe Mazzulla tends to mix and match based on the opponent, and the young players on the roster deserve credit for staying ready and pouncing when they get the chance.

Jordan Walsh is playing some of the best basketball of his career and is a menace defensively. Baylor Scheierman is starting to figure it out, holding his own defensively and displaying his unique ability as a playmaker. Hugo González has a chance to be special and is just scratching the surface.

5. The new guys have fit in seamlessly.

Simons, Garza and Josh Minott have exceeded expectations and bought into the overall identity of the group. Simons is a starting-caliber player coming off the bench, Garza is often the glue for this team and Minott has been a pest and insane athlete when healthy.

6. They’ve made strides on the glass.

The Celtics are now 10th in the NBA in rebounds per game (45.1) and sixth in offensive rebounds per game (12.7). They were never going to be at the very top in that category, and that’s OK. As long as they’re holding own, and not letting teams bully them inside, they’ll be in most games. Teams like the Pistons and Rockets are tough matchups because of their size, but the Celtics are capable of finding creative ways to compensate.

7. Everyone has bought into playing defense.

Already-elite defenders like Brown, White and Queta have taken the next step. Players like Pritchard, Hauser, Simons and Garza, who are probably sick of constantly hearing about their defensive shortcomings, continue to prove people wrong. Guys like Walsh, Minott and González have provided contagious energy.

Defense was a way bigger question mark than offense, and so far, the Celtics have passed the test and then some. They’ve allowed the second-fewest points in the league (109.8), behind only the Thunder, which is extremely impressive.

8. They’ve leaned into playing at their own pace.

I expected this team to play a run-and-gun style of offense, but so far, it’s been just the opposite. The Celtics are dead last in the league in pace (96.43) and have had the third-fewest possessions (4,140) in the league. They’re dictating the action and making teams play their style. That’s generally an indicator that the ball is moving and they’re turning down good shots for great ones.

9. Joe Mazzulla is coaching at an extremely high level.

The players deserve the bulk of the credit for items 1 through 8, but Mazzulla and his staff deserve praise as well.

Mazzulla inherited one of the best situations in NBA history, but he’s proving day by day that his early success wasn’t just a product of his circumstances. He’s one of the best coaches in the NBA and has found a sustainable winning formula with this team.

10. They’re playing with joy and for one another.

Body language is important in sports. You can tell when players are sick of one another and aren’t bought in for the greater good. This team is clearly united and relentlessly pursuing a common goal. Of course, winning can lead to buy in, but without the buy in, wins can be hard to find.

This could be a season to remember, and oh yeah, that Tatum guy is making steady progress.

These are the dog days of the season. Legs get heavy. Minds wander. Teams start peeking at the calendar, counting down the days until the All-Star break like it is a lifeboat. But in Phoenix, this part of the schedule feels different. Even on nights off, you can stare at the standings and feel real hope. Other teams lose, you inch up, and that only happens because you have earned the right to care.

So yeah, like most of you, I have been scoreboard watching. Quietly rooting for Western Conference chaos. I even threw a little money on the perfect Suns scenario last night. And if you have lived this life long enough, you know how that usually ends. Something always goes sideways.

Being a Suns fan teaches you to expect turbulence. But right now, even with that history, it feels okay to look up and dream a little. And for once, the basketball gods did not pull the rug out from under Phoenix.

While the Suns rested, the rest of the league finally caught up in games played. Houston is still sitting at 42, two fewer than Phoenix, but that math always evens out. You cannot hide forever.

So we had three games circled, three little stress tests for the standings, and all three broke the Suns’ way. Houston lost in overtime to Philadelphia, a Sixers team Phoenix had already handled, even if that version was missing Joel Embiid and Paul George. I do find an odd delight in seeing their boards flooded with the “KD is so good, why do we keep losing” conversations. Hmmm. I think I have some reasons why…

Chicago then did the funniest thing imaginable and knocked off Minnesota 120-115, pushing the Timberwolves a half game behind the Suns. And then came the battle of Los Angeles. Clippers versus Lakers, in an actual home building, not that rented Crypto situation. The Clippers took care of business by winning 112-104, stayed hot, and reminded everyone why the Play-In is not a place you want to be. Because they are lurking.

So what does it all mean? It means the Suns are fifth in the Western Conference. Fifth. In late January. The last time Phoenix was sitting fifth this late was March 1, 2024. They are tied with Houston at 9.5 games back of OKC, and sit 2.5 games back of Denver.

That is real. That is earned. And for once, the night broke exactly how a Suns fan dreams it up, without the universe stepping in to ruin the ending.

None of it matters if you do not take care of your own business. The Suns have a real opportunity tonight as Houston plays Detroit. Beat Atlanta, and you move ahead of Houston and slide into fourth place in the West. Simple math. Hard reality.

The problem is the building. Atlanta has been a house of horrors for Phoenix. They have not won there since March of 2014. That is not a typo. That is a decade of weird bounces, bad vibes, and games that get away.

Scoreboard watching is fun. Tossing a little money on the perfect parlay is fun too, especially when it hits. But all of that is noise if you do not handle what is in front of you. Focus on Atlanta. Play clean. Finish the trip. Let everything else sort itself out. Tonight, that is the job.