Category: Sports News

Two former teammates sized each other up. Luka Doncic waved off the screen. He wanted the matchup with Rui Hachimura. The crowd at Crypto.com Arena buzzed in anticipation.

Doncic smiled wide.

After four years in which he became a staple in the Lakers’ lineup, Hachimura returned to face his former team for the first time as a Clipper on Friday at Crypto.com Arena. The forward got a warm greeting from the fans, who welcomed him in the starting lineup with a loud roar. The Lakers played a video tribute during the first timeout to honor Hachimura’s four years with the franchise.

But as he started piling up his 16 points in the Lakers’ 125-117 win over their crosstown rival, the crowd started to turn on the sharp-shooting Hachimura.

“Traitor!” one fan yelled when he hit a shot during a tight first half before the Lakers pulled away by outscoring the Clippers 39-26 in the third quarter.

Read more:Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler lead Lakers past the Clippers

Hachimura, who left the Lakers in free agency, made his love for the team clear. He signed a relatively conservative two-year, $28-million deal with the Clippers, turning down other offers in part because he wanted to stay in L.A.

“It was amazing,” Hachimura said of his time with the Lakers. “I had a great time with them. The organization, yeah, of course I miss them, but it was time to move on. It was special, my four years, four seasons with them. I’m happy with the Clippers right now, and I gotta keep growing my career.”

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said playing the first game back in an old arena can be disorienting. He experienced it after leaving the Lakers, who drafted him in 1998, and returning with the Washington Wizards in 2002. He had never seen the other locker room in his former home arena.

“Just being on the other side, the other bench, in the other locker room, it was just really weird,” Lue said. “And then playing against guys that kind of taught you the game, kind of molded you as a player, and just sitting across from it, it was really weird for me.”

Hachimura jokingly walked toward the Lakers locker room before the game. Before beginning his pregame shooting routine, Hachimura hugged Lakers assistant Beau Levesque, who was Hachimura’s player development coach, and Lakers guard Austin Reaves, one of his closest friends.

When Hachimura was traded to the Lakers in January 2023, Reaves was in his second season with the Lakers. While they became close, Reaves initially spent weeks thinking Hachimura didn’t speak English.

“I’d sit by him on the plane and he didn’t speak to me,” Reaves said this week. “After that, I couldn’t get him to shut up. Great guy, great player and I miss him.”

Hachimura developed into one of the Lakers’ most dependable shooters. A 35.6% three-point shooter while with Washington, where he was drafted ninth overall in 2019, Hachimura shot 44.3% from three during his last season with the Lakers. Lakers coach JJ Redick marveled at Hachimura’s reliable mid-range game that he once compared to “prime Michael Jordan.”

During the playoffs, when the injury-riddled Lakers stunned the Houston Rockets in the first round before losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, Hachimura shot a sizzling 56.9% (15 for 31) from three. His career 51.6% postseason three-point shooting percentage is the highest in NBA history.

Hachimura filled a supporting role with the Lakers, where he was overshadowed by Reaves, Doncic and LeBron James. But with the Clippers, he has a leading opportunity. Hachimura had the second-most shot attempts among Clippers players Friday, going five for 14 from the field and three for six from three.

Facing different defenses than he saw while being the Lakers’ fourth offensive option, Hachimura’s efficiency has dipped. He is shooting 29.6% from the field and 38.5% from three while averaging 13 points and seven rebounds for the Clippers (0-2).

“I think understanding some of the actions we’re trying to run from him, like being quicker, being faster, not allowing guys to get back to his body so he can come off open, and just timing things,” Lue said of how Hachimura can adjust to being a focal point of an opposing team’s scouting report. “Little timing things here and there. We know when it’s post up, teams are doubling. So he has to find a way in transition, playing faster, attacking early, attacking faster in transition, but we’ll get him shots.”

Read more:Luka Doncic's trash-talking antics sharpen his edge. Lakers fans need to embrace it

During pregame warmups, Doncic sprinted out of the Lakers tunnel and straight to Hachimura, who was warming up in the corner. Doncic wrapped his former teammate in a hug. They laughed and joked all the way to midcourt before Hachimura resumed his shooting.

When the game started, Hachimura hit his first three over Doncic, who was late to close out. The Lakers star waved his hand in mock disgust toward Hachimura.

“I don’t like Rui,” Doncic said after the game.

A wide smile spread across his face.

“Nah, it was just great to see him. He’s my guy.”

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

What a way to start the season. With so much hype and expectation building for the 2026-27 Sixers, a strong opening to the year was needed to meet it. After beating the Knicks in the season opener and pulling off a 29-point comeback to defeat the Cavaliers (the biggest comeback of LeBron James’s career), the Sixers have done just that.

To turn the tide in Thursday’s home opener, the Sixers dialled everything up in the second half. After a sloppy first half with weaker defense, cool shooting and only seven assists to 15 turnovers, the second half was a different story entirely. In the final two quarters, they locked in with far more cohesive and intense defense, tallied 17 assists to a mere two turnovers, and put together a highly balanced attack led by their big four to secure the win. And to pull that off in today’s NBA while shooting just 7-of-28 from three for the game? That’s almost even more impressive.

It was an early look at what this team can be capable of. Let alone in a few months once they’ve really started strengthening their chemistry.

Next up, on Saturday night, the Sixers are going against a team further down the Eastern Conference picture as they take on the Bucks.

Dominick Barlow (back) and Tacko Fall (quad) are both still out, and Dean Wade remains questionable with an ankle sprain. LeBron, however, has been added to the injury report as questionable with back management.

Milwaukee don’t exactly have such an exciting outlook for the new season. Giannis Antetokounmpo is gone. After plenty of rumors and debate over where he may end up if he wanted to leave Milwaukee, the Bucks traded Giannis to the Heat for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nate Ament, Kasparas Jakucionis, Kel’el Ware and a host of picks.

Herro has improved his scoring efficiency by a fair margin over the previous two seasons (recording a true shooting percentage over 60 in each, way above his previous career-high of 56.6) and can be a microwave scorer at his best. He’s also coming off a 34-point outing against the Bulls. Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Jaquez Jr. is a quality do-a-bit-of-everything player, but it’s still not the most exciting return in talent for a player of Giannis’s caliber. They’re two of the main threats for the Sixers to worry about on Saturday, though. It’ll be fun to see if Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe can continue their strong defensive start to the season by covering Herro’s driving and three-point creation effectively. Meanwhile, the Sixers’ forwards main tasks will be to cover Jaquez and Kyle Kuzma. If Wade, a terrific defender when available, does play, it’ll be a big help to have his defensive versatility at the 4 in the likely absence of James.

Myles Turner presents some challenges at center with his size, decent pick-and-pop play and talent as a rim protector. But if Joel Embiid continues the form and mobility he’s shown so far, he should more than be up for the task. Especially as he doesn’t need to come close to carrying the offense now.

As the Bucks opened their season with a loss to the Wizards and followed it up with a 132-125 loss to the Bulls on Friday, it’s felt like a sign of things to come. Giannis anchored the team at both ends of the floor and that obviously can’t be replaced. They already dropped off to a 32-50 record last season as Giannis only played in 36 games, and now they’re in for an even harder time. Watching their former MVP drop 35 points in his debut with the Heats had to rub some salt in the wound, too.

For Saturday night, this should be a win for the Sixers. The massive edge in talent alone should be enough to make this contest manageable and a good opportunity to continue building chemistry, even if LeBron gets some rest. While there have been cooler stretches (mainly the rough first half against Cleveland), the Sixers’ offense has looked brilliant at times.

They’ve utilised the strengths of each player, used the pull of Maxey and Jaylen Brown’s three-point shooting to free up space inside for cutters and rollers, showed fluid ball movement, scary transition potential, and dynamic new pick-and-roll combos already. They’ve been sharing the wealth effectively, too. Maxey is leading the way at an impressive 30.0 points per game, while LeBron (15.5 points), Brown (20.0 points) and Embiid (18.5 points) are all averaging a solid amount as well.

With the Bucks also playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Sixers really have an upper hand. If Embiid is going to take his turn to rest at the end of Philly’s upcoming back-to-back, when they face a much harder test against Detroit on Sunday, the Sixers could do with taking advantage of that upper hand against Milwaukee.

Game Details

When: Saturday, October 24, 7:30 pm ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC, NBA TV
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

You don’t like Luka Doncic’s attitude.

I love it.

You think the Lakers star whines too much. All the complaining to officials kills you. If there was a suggestion box, you’d follow Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg and lodge a complaint.

You do whatever you want; I’m not offended by any of it.

You are not entertained. You don’t like the demonstrative way he waves off calls. You hate how he’ll belabor a point for possessions at a time — as he did, per usual, in Friday’s not-particularly-pretty 125-117 victory over the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers improved to 2-0 and Doncic had 23 points, six rebounds, seven assists and, if you’re looking to complain, a career high-tying 11 turnovers.

But me? I am entertained — endlessly. As long as Luka’s list of grievances is long.

Read more:Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler lead Lakers past the Clippers

Because Doncic is a maniac. Not a mad man, a madman. And a reminder that these millionaires are playing a child’s game, because no one relishes it with quite the joy and verve and passion and emotion and occasional tantrum like Doncic does.

He’s someone who arrived onstage, talented beyond his years. He’s also a toddler.

He couldn’t change if he wanted to, but would you really want him to?

There’s no slicing and dicing without a sufficiently sharp edge.

And I get it. Opposing fans — and their teams’ general managers, whose preseason survey answers about this season’s prospective MVP candidates excluded Doncic in favor of Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokić, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum — are not supposed to appreciate Luka’s lip.

But if you’re a Lakers fan, you have to know you can’t take out the trash talk from Doncic’s game. You can’t ask him nicely to clean up his mess, man. Petty isn’t going to be pretty. And everyone can get it — including, once, the reporters on press row covering Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks. “You can’t guard me!” he screamed at us, ridiculously.

You have to let him cook, your very own basketball anarchist.

“He’s always going to play with an edge,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “As long as he’s not causing the other team to have a five-on-four transition opportunity, it doesn’t bother me.”

And if he’s not toeing the line on a late-season suspension triggered by a 16th technical foul, his antics probably wouldn’t bother Lakers fans, either.

“This season, I’m trying to not get techs,” Doncic said after Wednesday’s season-opening victory against the Warriors, when he and Lendeborg mixed it up. “It was the first time that was not a double tech, ’cause I didn’t say nothing. So I’m working on it.”

It isn’t that Doncic busies himself with the refs because he’s lazy and doesn’t want to get back on defense — do you know how much stamina it takes to keep up a marathon-length running dialogue? How exhausting it has to be to litigate every little thing, to be so constantly aggrieved?

Read more:How the Lakers' Luka Doncic went from 'Wonder Boy' to 'The Man'

It’s a special part of his special skillset; put him in the top 1% in the world of complainers. If he wasn’t one of the world’s top 1% of hoopers, imagine him in court instead of on the court; he’d be a bulldog: Objection! Objection! Objection!

The man is a rascal, but he’s not a villain. Everything he does is with a wink-wink twinkle in his eye.

He never shuts up on the court, but he’s a man of few words off of it, low-key and community-minded and in the top 1% of patient autograph-givers. A generous teammate to whom good vibes matter much.

But he’s an absolute menace to compete against and, yes, to officiate.

So, kids, don’t try this at home. At least not during a basketball game. Don’t show that energy to the refs, who deserve your respect. As do your teachers and your coaches and your parents or guardians.

But do keep that energy. You’re not going to get what you want in life unless you advocate — agitate — for it. Put pressure on powers that be. Ask for explanations — demand them. Because it’s true, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Read more:Walker Kessler's Lakers debut couldn't have gone much better

Being pushy works, even if it won’t win you popularity contests. The GMs left Doncic off their predictive MVP list for a reason. He finished fourth in MVP voting last season and has never been higher than third in his eight NBA seasons.

That’s largely a reflection of where the Lakers placed last season — fourth. And where they’re expected to finish this season; there are 12 teams with better odds to win the title, according to DraftKings.

But it probably has more to do with voters’ appetite for discussion, the type of heated debate that offends the sensibilities of so many — even though that mayhem is a crucial ingredient of Luka’s magic. Just sit back and relax. Enjoy the show.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

With this being the second night of a back-to-back, you know the drill. This preview is being written before tip-off between the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. It’s also being written before the Atlanta Hawks take on the Charlotte Bobcats in North Carolina. So if anything weird happens in those games and I’m not mentioning it, well you know the reason now.

So as previously stated, both teams will be playing the SEGABABA. Then they will both fly to Houston to play each other again on Monday night at the Toyota Center.

Generally these home-and-away series are split. The team that loses the first game comes out more motivated to win the second one. It’s only when the talent gap is large or it’s late in the season and one team needs both games that you usually see the 2-0 sweep. That’s not the case here. Both the Rockets and Hawks have dreams about making deep playoff runs. Atlanta gave the eventual champion New York Knicks their toughest test last season. They added Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort from Oklahoma City, and they drafted UH guard Kingston Flemings.

Atlanta is still a nightmare to deal with defensively. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu each had defensive win shares over 2.5. That helps to make up for C.J. McCollum, who is their closer and undisputed alpha dog in the clutch.

The Hawks are sort of the platonic ideal of what Ime Udoka wants: rangy wings, solid rim protection, and an alpha on offense who can create shots for themselves when the nonexistent offense continues…not existing. The Hawks don’t have a true point guard, which is maybe the only thing Ime would demand. Well, that and Magic City Night, potentially.

Tip-off

7:30pm CT

How To Watch

Space City Home Network

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: GTD

Reed Sheppard: GTD

Fred VanVleet: probably out?

Hawks

Mo Gueye: OUT

The Line (as of this post)

N/A

Check here for updates

Schedule Advantage Counter

Rockets: 0

Opponents: 1

Looking ahead because we can

Monday night in Houston against the Hawks

If Steph Curry being out was a huge blow to the Golden State Warriors’ chances of notching their first win of the season, the announcement of Brandin Podziemski also being out on the second night of a back-to-back slate against the Phoenix Suns may have been the final nail in the proverbial coffin.

Brandin Podziemski said he will not play tomorrow in Phoenix. So it sounds like the already depleted Warriors will also be without Steph Curry and Podziemski against the Suns. He missed the opener with a tweaked back.

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 24, 2026

Podziemski missed the season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a lower back strain. This move is most likely precautionary in order to prevent him from re-straining his back.

Podziemski arguably was the best player against the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring 18 points and being at the center of a couple of key plays on offense and defense. However, it wasn’t enough to stave off a furious rally from a 12-point deficit with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

It hasn’t been the easiest start of the season for the Spurs. They opened with a loss against the Thunder and faced the Rockets in their second matchup in Austin, where the atmosphere wasn’t the same as a typical home game against a Texas-based rival. Houston was ahead for most of the night, but it came down to the wire, with Amen Thompson meeting Victor Wembanyama at the rim and erasing the layup that would have sent the game to overtime.

The Silver and Black are now 0-2, but fortunately, the schedule gets a little easier for them over the next few days. On Saturday, they are slated to face a solid but shorthanded Mavericks team that destroyed the Pacers on Friday but will likely be without Cooper Flagg, who suffered a shoulder injury. Coach Dusty May said Flagg would be evaluated “in the next couple of days,” so it’s safe to assume that he will not be able to suit up for the second game of a back-to-back.

Even if Flagg had not gotten hurt, the Spurs would have been considered the favorites, despite their slow start. The losses have not been pretty, for different reasons, but the quality of the opponents has to be taken into account. While Dallas could absolutely make the playoffs in the crowded West if things go right, they are not a contender and have some weak points that San Antonio could take advantage of, with the right game plan.

The Spurs need the win and should come out looking to put the Mavs away quickly on their second game in as many nights. If the urgency and the execution are there, they should get the first W of the year.

San Antonio Spurs (0-2) at Dallas Mavericks (1-1)

October 24, 2026 | 8p.m. CT
Watch: DAZN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: (subject to change because of the back-to-back) Tobias Harris, calf (OUT), Jayden Quaintance, (OUT).

Mavericks Injuries: (subject to change because of the back-to-back) Santi Aldama (knee) OUT, Tarik Biberović (foot) OUT, Dereck Lively II (foot) OUT, Caleb Martin (thumb), Cooper Flagg (shoulder) OUT.

What to watch for

Stop Kyrie Irving and the win should be in the bag. With Flagg almost certainly out, the Mavericks will have to rely on Irving to do most of the scoring. The veteran guard was up to the task against Indiana, dropping 24 points in 25 minutes in a blowout win. The Pacers, however, don’t have as many great perimeter defenders to throw at him as San Antonio does, or a 7’4” monster waiting under the rim. On paper, the Silver and Black should be able to keep Irving from going off and forcing others to step up.

The problem is, Irving tends to go big against the Spurs. He averages over 22 points and five assists when facing San Antonio for his career, according to StatMuse, and once dropped 57 points against them, the second-highest mark of his career. Granted, it has been over a decade since that nuclear performance, but no one should doubt Kyrie’s ability to have big nights. It will be on his defenders to keep him in check while not overhelping and leaving role players open.

The table is set for an MVP-level performance from Wembanyama. The Mavericks are not pushovers, as they have the length to be disruptive on defense and a few strong offensive players. They are, however, missing Dereck Lively, which leaves them a little thin at center. Daniel Gafford is a solid starter and Morez Johnson was a great defender in college, but those two should have their hands full trying to stop The Alien. The Mavs will surely send help or might play Naji Marshall or P.J. Washington on Wemby, but he could still shine.

And he needs that. Wembanyama doesn’t have to prove he’s a superstar, but after struggling from the field in the season opener and having the would-be game-tying layup blocked in the matchup against the Rockets, he might want to have one of those completely dominant nights he’s proved able to have to stop any silly narratives before they spread. Expecting a repeat of last season’s opener in Dallas, in which he dropped 40 points and 15 rebounds, might be too optimistic, but he doesn’t have to get those numbers to get his first statement game of the year and lead the Spurs to their first win.

If you’d like to, you may follow along with the game on our Twitter profile (@poundingtherock) or visit our Game Thread!

Well, the Golden State Warriors wasted no time disappointing us all. After getting blown out in their season opener on Wednesday, the Dubs had their home opener on Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies … and blew a 12-point lead with less than four minutes remaining, as they ceded a 17-0 run late in the fourth quarter en route to a 111-108 loss.

Ugly. No other word for it. Except maybe “inexcusable.”

And so, for the second time this year, it’s time to break out the red pen … and with it, a whole lot of negativity. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Last year, league-average TS was 58.1%.

Yaxel Lendeborg

38 minutes, 18 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 6 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4-for-11 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 9-for-12 free throws, 55.3% TS, -9

At this point in a rookie season, performance is more about providing optimism for the future than judging one’s value provided in the present. Which plays in Lendeborg’s favor, because this was an extremely encouraging game for June’s No. 11 pick … but an up-and-down game in terms of current value.

You can see why Draymond Green anointed Lendeborg the next face of the franchise. It was an extremely Draymondian game: Yaxel played strong defense, dished out assists, violently attacked the glass, played with swagger and attitude, and attacked the hoop when the defense allowed it.

He also picked up another technical foul, giving him two in as many games to start his career. If Dray could design a player in the lab, it just might be Lendeborg.

This game was a sign of what to watch for this year. Are the Warriors going to be good? Unlikely. Are they going to be worth watching? Well, Lendeborg played 38 minutes, and he was a joy to watch. So there’s one reason to turn on the TV.

The turnovers and fouls were, I don’t want to say concerning, but a reminder of the learning curve that Lendeborg has to work with. But the rebounds and the craftiness with which he scored? Reasons to love the rookie already.

Grade: B+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds, tied for the team lead in assists.

Draymond Green

31 minutes, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 5 turnovers, 5 fouls, 2-for-4 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 62.5% TS, -5

Green played well in the early going. He looked for his shot early and scored a few times, and did a phenomenal job initiating the offense.

But as the game wore on, it got ugly. After such a careful preseason, he was a turnover and foul machine in this game. The two-man game with Steph Curry was shocking ineffective. He picked up a technical foul in the second quarter, and then spent the rest of the game daring the officials to give him a second — and an accompanying ejection — and was beyond lucky that they didn’t follow through with it. And in the final seconds, with the ball in Curry’s hand and a chance to tie or take the lead, Green got called for a moving screen, effectively ending the game. And while Steve Kerr went ballistic over the call — and picked up a tech himself, which really did end any chances of winning the game — it was pretty clearly the right whistle.

Just an undisciplined game from someone who the Warriors rely on to be much better.

Grade: D+
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in assists.

Graham Ike

12 minutes, 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 fouls, 4-for-7 shooting, 2-for-2 threes, 71.4% TS, -16

In just his second career game, Ike — an undrafted rookie — got the start. He played pretty impressively, I thought. He wasn’t quick to shoot, as he was looking to set up teammates and run the system, but when he was left open he shot, and more often than not his shots went in. His passing was really impressive for a young center, and while he picked up a lot of fouls, as rookies are inclined to do, I liked what I saw from him on the defensive end.

It sure looks like Ike is going to end up playing a big role this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets converted to a standard contract at some point.

Grade: A-

Brandin Podziemski

33 minutes, 18 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, 7-for-17 shooting, 2-for-8 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 50.3% TS, 0 +/-

After playing all 82 games a year ago, Podziemski had to wait until the second game of the season to see the court. And while it was far from a flawless game, I thought he was a lot better than the box score suggests. It really looks to me like Podziemski is primed for a fourth-year breakout. He looked so balanced and patient on offense, as he waited for plays to develop. It really seems as though the game has slowed down for him.

Extra props to Podz for taking a huge hit to the face, heading to the locker room, and still returning to play the rest of the game.

Grade: B+

Steph Curry

30 minutes, 24 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 fouls, 5-for-15 shooting, 3-for-10 threes, 11-for-11 free throws, 60.5% TS, -4

Well … kind of just a game, for Curry. He’s one of the greatest players in NBA history, so his “just a games” are still pretty good. 24 points on above-average efficiency? Good! Four assists with no turnovers? Good!

But it still didn’t really feel like a true Curry game out there. He had a slow start, and while he exploded in the third quarter, he had nothing to offer in the fourth when the game was on the line. The Dubs did a lot to turn a deficit into a lead while Curry was on the pine, and then they did a lot to throw it all away when he came back in the game.

Was that his fault? No, but it wasn’t something he was able to stop, either. The Warriors were held scoreless for nearly four minutes to end the game — save for a pair of Lendeborg free throws with less than a second remaining, and the game decided — and they simply need more from Curry in those moments.

Grade: C+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.

Will Richard

3 minutes, 0 points, 1 steal, 0-for-1 shooting, 0.0% TS, +5

It appears that, for the time being, Richard is out of the rotation. He only played during the brief period where Podziemski had to be removed from the game due to injury. He played well in those minutes, but it was a short stint.

Grade: Incomplete

Georges Niang

13 minutes,4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 2-for-5 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, 40.0% TS, +5

All I’ll say is that Niang deserves a better team than this. He can’t carry a bad team and make them good, but he makes the type of winning plays that show up huge for winning squads. So many little plays that just help the team. I loved what I saw from him out there in all phases of the game, even if the stats are pedestrian.

Grade: B+

Gary Payton II

11 minutes, 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 3-for-6 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 58.3% TS, +6

Pretty solid minutes from GPII. Kind of similar to what I said about Niang: he makes winning plays that don’t necessarily get highlighted on a team struggling to win games, but really show up when on a quality team. He did a good job as the stopper on the red-hot Ty Jerome, which is a … a sentence.

Grade: B

Gui Santos

20 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 fouls, 1-for-3 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 64.4% TS, +14

Kerr has been pretty open to the idea of Santos being a starter, but it sure feels like this is the role for him: coming off the bench, giving the team a boost of energy, and helping out all over the court, especially against the opposing team’s second unit. This was just a really good game for Gui: he played strong defense, made hustle plays throughout, kept the offense humming with passes and shots, and attacked the glass. Good stuff.

Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team

De’Anthony Melton

20 minutes, 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 fouls, 4-for-6 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, 83.3% TS, -17

Melton played so much better in the second game of the season than he did in the first, but there were still some holes in his performance. His defense looks really rough right now, and he’s not really setting people up the way we’ve come to expect. His offense was a much-needed boost, and the Dubs will have to rely on that all year long, but the rest of his game still looks a little bit like it’s in preseason mode.

Grade: B-
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team

Brandon Williams

9 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 1-for-5 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 34.0% TS, +8

Williams didn’t play well, but I’m still a little confused as to why he played fewer than 10 minutes. He can be an offensive spark plug, though he’s not a good enough shooter to rely so heavily on his outside shot. He needs to be attacking the rim relentlessly.

Grade: C-

Al Horford

19 minutes, 3 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1-for-3 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 50.0% TS, -2

A solid, if not particularly noteworthy game for Horford. He protected the paint, with a nice amount of blocks and rebounds for his minutes total, while not making any mistakes, and dropping in a three. Just played solid basketball.

Grade: B-

Friday’s DNP-CDs: LJ Cryer, Malevy Leons

Friday’s inactives: Charles Bassey, Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, Kristaps Porziņģis