Intrigue has deepened into Marnus Labuschagne’s hold on an Australian Test spot with the under-fire No.3 not in his usual batting rotation in the main nets training session at Newlands on Sunday.
Around the Empire: Three-year extension confirmed for pitching coach Matt Blake
MLB Trade Rumors | Charlie Wright: As my colleague Madison covered in detail yesterday, the Yankees finalized a three-year extension for pitching coach Matt Blake, keeping probably the most important member of their coaching staff in the fold. The Yankees pitching staff boasted the best ERA in the league (3.23), and that has as much to do with Blake’s work with star and presumptive AL Cy Young Cam Schlittler as it has to do with his well-known talent for converting pitchers they acquire into impact relievers, Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn the foremost examples this season. With Blake continuing in his role and last year’s reunion with assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel, the Yankees’ pitching development factory looks to be in good hands for the near future.
The Big Lead | J.P Hoornstra: The Yankees may have succeeded in retaining Blake, but they lost another influential voice in their pitching room. Spencer Medick, pitching coach for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, has agreed to join the Astros as their new major league director of pitching. It’s a huge promotion for a minor league pitching coach and one that is well deserved given how well Yankees prospects at that level pitched in 2026. Medick helped implement the organization-wide pitching philosophy at the level closest to the majors, and it is no surprise that the Yankees minor league affiliates lapped the field when it came to K-BB%, one of the best publicly available predictive stats for future performance.
SNY | Phillip Martinez: The Yankees’ infield is in need of a major revamp this offseason, though it remains to be seen whether that renovation is forthcoming. We’ve spent the last few days wondering about second base and Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s future, and today we shift our attention to third. The Yankees have been among the worst teams in the league at third base over the last decade, the platoon of Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario the latest to disappoint at the hot corner. The most likely course in 2027 would be a platoon between McMahon and Caballero given they are both still under contract, though they could consider shifting Anthony Volpe after he took reps there leading into the postseason. Looking outside the organization, the author considers trade proposals for Eugenio Suárez and Isaac Paredes while also examining the free agent cases of Alec Bohm and Bo Bichette should he opt out of his deal with the Mets.
MLB.com | Sweeny Murti: Almost 70 years after attending the last World Series win in Milwaukee, Joe Torre is back in the city that gave him his shot in baseball watching another Fall Classic. Torre was just a teenager when the Milwaukee Braves defeated the Yankees in seven games in 1957, his older brother a backup first baseman on the winning team. Torre played the first six seasons of his career in Milwaukee for the Braves before the franchise moved to Atlanta, and you can bet the Hall of Fame player and manager is rooting for the home team.
Knicks won’t have to face All-Star Paolo Banchero in battle vs. Magic
The Knicks are catching an injury break.BOSTON — The Knicks are catching an injury break.
Paolo Banchero, the leading scorer for the Magic, will miss Sunday’s game at MSG after being diagnosed with a high ankle sprain.
Banchero, an All-Star power forward, sustained the injury in the fourth quarter of Friday’s loss to the Timberwolves.
In an opening-night loss to the Hawks earlier in the week, Banchero dropped 35 points on an efficient 10-for-12 shooting.
The Magic, like the Knicks, are 0-2.
In fact, the Knicks, who fell to the Celtics on Friday, are the first defending champs to lose their first two games since the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
“We break the season into five-game segments,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said before New York’s comeback fell short in Boston. “There are marks that we like to hit in those five games and it kind of gives us a good feel of where you were, in a fair amount of games, and to see if you can make progress in the next five.
“Obviously you want to go 5-0, you’ll take 4-1, and then maybe you have to take 3-2. But if you’re doing anything less than that, you know that nobody is reaching their potential.”
Ringgate prompted another statement.
A day after the Knicks announced they were handing out 275 championship rings to employees at the cost of $3.7 million, an MSG spokesperson clarified Saturday that it was always the plan and not a response to the backlash of a report in The Athletic about empty ring boxes and callous cybersecurity tests.
As The Post reported Friday, the Knicks were always going to give out the rings — including to the entire assistant coaching staff.
“There is a great deal of misinformation regarding the championship rings,” Saturday’s statement read. “The plan has always been to distribute more than 275 rings and jewelry to the people in the organization who were part of last season’s success. As is common with many teams, the players were always supposed to get their rings as part of the opening-night ceremony and then everyone else will receive theirs in about four to six weeks.
“Regarding the phishing email, the process of securing and reminding our employees to protect our IP was not a mistake but the choice to use the ring to do so was a mistake and we apologize to our employees and the fans. Winning the championship was a great moment for all New Yorkers. Those who choose to focus on the negative are missing the joy that comes with the team’s accomplishment.”
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Mark Butcher is touching the surface now.
Looks a road. But what do I know? The last time England played here they failed to defend 352 against Australia.
Continue reading...The last time Nets made run for Julius Randle before this season
CLEVELAND — This isn’t the first time the Nets looked to Julius Randle to be a floor raiser.
With their overt tanking over, Brooklyn traded for the soon-to-be-32-year-old forward this summer in hopes of being more competitive.
But sources told The Post that the Nets nearly brought Randle in years earlier, back in 2019.
Armed with an ocean of cap space that summer and intent on big-game hunting, general manager Sean Marks landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
But had Durant not been sold on becoming Brooklyn’s franchise player, sources told The Post that they would have invested in a still up-and-coming Randle.
In the end, Randle got traded from New Orleans to the Knicks, where he actually hit his prime. He spent five years in the Garden and making all three of his All-Star berths, turning them from a lottery team into a playoff contender.
Now years later, he’s trying to do the same thing on the Brooklyn side of the East River as a grizzled veteran instead of a young riser.
Randle had 23 points, six rebounds and five assists in Saturday’s nail-biting loss at Cleveland. He joined James Harden as the only Nets with 20-5-5 in consecutive games to start the season.
“We just got to stay positive and connected as a group. Adversities are going to happen, there’s going to be bumps and bruises. But the last thing we can do as a team is separate,” Randle said. “So we just got stay connected, positive as a group. Find the positives in the game of how we can build on that. And just continue to go from there.”
Egor Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr. finally got on the floor together, logging four minutes in the fourth quarter. They were a plus-5 and sparked a 14-2 run.
Brown is on a minutes limit that has kept him from starting.
Asked if he had seen enough to at least deploy the together within the constraints of that minutes limit, coach Jordi Fernández was noncommittal.
“If you’re coaching thinking you want to play certain guys together, it’s when usually you’re doing it for the wrong reasons,” Fernández said. “A lot of times you have to coach the game feeling the game. Obviously you have a preparation — you look at their matchups, their sub patterns, yours, your lineups — and you have an ideal way of how you want the game to go. But then when the game goes, there’s fouls, there’s guys that play better or worse. Then you have to start coaching the game, and see who can guard this guy or all these things. Then the game flows.”
“Mikel had a good moment of making a couple of shots. He was vocal. He felt like he was giving his energy. I had the starting group on the bench, then that’s when I felt like it was a good moment to play together. Did I plan it? No. But a lot of times it’s how basketball is, right? We have all this preparation, the coaches do a great job putting all these pages and film and so forth. But then at the end of the day, you have to react to a lot of things that are not controllable in the game.”
World Series winners and losers: Amazing Ashby, manager misfires, check-swing drama
MILWAUKEE – This World Series is set to move on from Dairyland, but not before a chicken-or-the-egg question is settled:
Are the Tampa Bay Raysblowing it on the big stage, or are the Milwaukee Brewers forcing them to act like imposters and not the 98-win American League champions?
The answer is relatively immaterial, since only one thing matters: The Brewers are up 2-0 in this World Series after a 5-4 Game 2 victory, their second one-run conquest and a most unlikely one given that the club trailed 4-0 after a half-inning.
Or maybe it was totally predictable.
The Brewers are now 9-1 in this postseason and, stunningly, have won seven of eight games in which they have trailed. Relentless. Demoralizing.
Two wins from a World Series championship.
Let’s break down the winners and losers of Game 2 from American Family Field as the Series shifts to the Gulf Coast:
Winner: Brewers bullpen
This is getting ridiculous.
The Rays ran a blitz on Brewers starter Logan Henderson, posting a 4-0 lead after a half-inning, catcher Liam Hicks achieving a career highlight with a two-run World Series home run.
Predictably, Henderson was out after three innings. Perhaps even more easily anticipated: Milwaukee’s bullpen did not give up a single run in six innings, striking out six and walking one.
The Brewers bullpen is now 8-1 with a 1.24 ERA in 50 ⅔ innings this season. Lefty Aaron Ashby recorded the last five outs for the save, running his postseason line to 15 ⅔ innings, zero runs.
"I’ll take this quote from Freddie Freeman: They all throw 100," says Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca. "That usually is pretty tough and they all got pretty good stuff. They’re just good pitchers."
Ashby is one out shy of equaling Andrew Miller’s record 16-inning scoreless streak to begin the 2016 postseason.
“What he's doing right now is pretty special,” says first baseman Jake Bauers. “There's just such a calm presence on the mound with him right now that I don't remember seeing very often.
“And you know, we wouldn't be here without him.”
There tend to be diminishing returns with relievers in long postseasons; Miller hit the wall badly in the final three games of that 2016 World Series, and conventional wisdom says opponents fare better when they see a reliever multiple times.
Well, Ashby faced the San Diego Padres three times. Same with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. And now the Tampa Bay Rays got two looks at him in World Series Games 1 and 2.
Ashby has yet to give up a run. The window to sully him is almost closed.
Sal Frelick: Winner
Say this for Brewers manager Pat Murphy: He can certainly call his shot.
Murphy was asked pregame about Frelick and couldn’t stop gushing, dropping comparisons to Joe Montana and Larry Bird.
“He’s got the it factor,” says Murphy, leaving the observer to use their own imagination.
In the sixth inning, Frelick made it crystal clear. His epic nine-pitch at-bat ended in a 408-foot bullet over the wall in right center field, tying the game 4-4 in the sixth inning. It was his first homer this postseason and perhaps will be remembered as the most impactful longball whenever this Brewers run concludes.
“Sort of this blackout feeling,” says Frelick of his trip around the bases.
And almost lights out for Tampa Bay.
Kevin Cash: Loser
Tough gig, this postseason managing. And losing a pair of World Series games by one run can leave a winter worth of soul-searching.
Not that Cash blatantly pushed the wrong buttons. He just keeps ending up in tight situations and trying to leverage his way out of them.
In Game 2, it was ace Drew Rasmussen suddenly becoming an avatar of inefficiency, the Brewers hen-pecking him by fouling off 22 pitches and forcing him from the game in the fourth inning.
Top lefty reliever Cam Booser had to be summoned then to douse a bases-loaded situaoitn and pitched a scoreless fifth. But Ian Seymour’s fusillade of fastballs backfired when Frelick took him deep.
And lifting Tyler Wells for Kevin Kelly yielded a somewhat predictable result in the seventh inning: Kelly averaged less than a strikeout per inning this season. And Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt, well, he put the ball in play, dropping a 90-mph sinker into right field to drive in Brice Turang with the go-ahead run.
“Cooper Pratt did a heck of a job staying on the ball, not trying to do too much, and shoot it the other way,” says Cash.
Stolen bases: Winner
The Brewers tallied five, the Rays two. Not to say the Go-Go Era is back in baseball; it was mostly pitcher malfeasance/indifference to keeping runners close.
Nonetheless, the Brewers’ five steals matched the 2024 Yankees in Game 4; the last time a club stole five bases in a World Series game minus today’s freewheeling pickoff rules was 1992, when Atlanta did it thanks to two swipes from none other than Deion Sanders.
The mystery of the check swing: Loser
Yeah, that automated check-swing replay thing is probably a foregone conclusion now, given how this game ended with Yandy Díaz’s arms spread wide in protest after crew chief James Hoye rang him up.
Cash thought Díaz swung, and Yandy generally agreed, though he did drop a couple “It is what it is,” a phrase that drops like a brick in any language.
Still, the call wasn’t nearly as questionable as, say, Wilmer Flores’ NLDS-ending strikeout against Max Scherzer and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yet in our societal thirst for optimization, we will probably leave those calls up to robots soon enough, too.
Tampa Bay ticket brokers: Loser
Nothing quite like a team coming home in a 2-0 deficit to goose enthusiasm when the club has struggled to sell all tickets, anyway. Seats were still available on the Rays web site - running $675 apiece for the second level.
Suffice to say, the Rays likely won't come near the $2,300 get-in record Milwaukee set for Game 1. But there could be a nice boost in Games 4 and 5 - what with Milwaukeeans wanting to see their team clinch.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Series winners and losers: Amazing Ashby, manager misfires, check-swing drama
Jaylen Brown confirms ‘no beef’ with Jayson Tatum, but adds, ‘he should stay ready’
Former Boston Celtics teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both in agreement: there’s no beef, bad blood, or resentment to address.
On Friday night, most of Tatum’s nearly 13-minute-long postgame press conference was dedicated to responding to Brown’s “cap” emoji under an Instagram video clip from Tatum’s ‘Summer of Jayson’ docuseries — where he claimed he was caught off guard by Brown’s trade to the Philadelphia 76ers in July. He denied any existence of beef with Brown, noting several times it was beneath them.
Brown revealed he had heard all of Tatum’s comments after Philadelphia’s 127-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I didn’t see the full thing, but I saw that he said there’s no beef, and he’s right,” Brown told reporters on Saturday night, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. “There’s no beef. Jayson comes from a wonderful family. We’ve accomplished some great things. He’s a hell of a basketball player. He’s got a great PR team. There’s no beef, but it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy. He should stay ready at all times.”
Unlike Tatum’s approach at the podium, Brown seemed much more subliminal, which isn’t new.
For years, Brown would use similar messaging to vent whether it’d be directed at the NBA, officials, or ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. But this time it’s not a referee with a whistle or a loudmouth media figure. Tatum was Brown’s right-hand man for nearly a decade, going through 121 playoff games, five trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and two to the NBA Finals. They won a championship in 2024, raising Boston’s long-awaited 18th banner and were poised to ride their careers into the sunset together as one of the Celtics’ all-time duos.
That all changed over the summer.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens tried to use Brown to bring Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee to Boston, and when that failed, it became time for a backup plan. So instead, Stevens shipped Brown to the rival Sixers in exchange for 36-year-old Paul George plus four future draft selections, officially bringing the Tatum-Brown era to an end.
“Like I said, it’s no beef,” Brown reiterated. “The PR and all that type stuff, it is what it is, but I think we’re both focused on what’s in front of us.”
Rather than getting to follow up on his career-best season — a year in which he finished sixth in MVP voting — Brown was forced to take his talents to the City of Brotherly Love to join forces with LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Coughing up a 3-1 series lead in Game 7 at TD Garden was Brown’s final game in a Celtics uniform.
Tatum sat on the bench with left knee discomfort, and the thousands of Celtics fans in attendance fled TD Garden both disappointed and under the assumption the team would run in back with both Tatum and Brown in 2026-27. And based on Tatum’s reaction in his offseason YouTube docuseries, the 28-year-old foresaw that too.
During the preseason, Brown and Tatum didn’t greet each other during warmups. They went about their pregame routines on opposite sides of the court and didn’t acknowledge one another before going back into the players’ tunnels.
If Brown does accept Tatum’s open invitation for a conversation, he’ll have plenty of opportunities, including four upcoming Celtics-Sixers matchups scheduled this season. The first is set for Nov. 10 in Philadelphia.
“At the end of the day, we gotta do what you gotta do for his team,” Brown said. “I gotta do what I do for my team.”
These Milwaukee Brewers are two games from immortality in World Series
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers were doing everything in their power Saturday night, no matter how much they were asked by the horde of media in their clubhouse, not to think about it.
They were certainly not saying anything about it.
But, my God, after their latest miraculous comeback, winning 5-4 over the Tampa Bay Rays at frenzied American Family Field, how can they not start dreaming?
They are up 2 games to 0 over the Rays, halfway to their first World Series championship in franchise history.
“Your brain really wants to go there, but you can’t let it," said Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff, their longest-tenured player, who has been with the organization since 2014. “You know what I mean? It’s like Kobe Bryant used to say, 'The job is not finished.’ We still got a lot of baseball lot to play.
“But come on, we’re human, how can you not think about it?"
Really, it’s impossible for anyone in the entire state of Wisconsin after what we're witnessing these days.
It happened again Saturday. They were down 4-0 just five batters in the game. They were facing the hottest pitcher in baseball in Drew Rasmussen. And yet, somehow, some way, they’re sitting in their clubhouse, almost laughing that everyone is completely shocked but themselves by what they’re accomplishing.
It sounds completely absurd, but the Brewers have now had seven postseason victories in which they trailed by a combined score of 20-5, only to shut out the opposition the rest of the way by a combined score of 28-0.
Not a single run.
And now, for the second time in their last three postseason games, the Brewers overcame a 4-0 deficit to win, outscoring the Dodgers and Rays, 11-0 in those games.
What in the world is the win probability of that?
“I never look at that," Brewers third baseman David Hamilton said. “I feel like our win probability is 100% every game. I always feel like we’re going to win the game somehow, someway, and we keep doing it."
They way the Brewers look at it, they’ve done it all year, so why stop now?
“I think for us," Brewers second baseman Brice Turang said, “we want to win so badly that it’s never a shock when we win. That’s why we’re here, believing we can win every game, no matter what."
The Brewers became the first team in postseason history to win seven of their first eight games that they’ve trailed.
Is it a miracle?
“No, I just see the Brewers,’’ Woodruff said. “I’ve seen it all year. That’s why we had 103 wins."
Still, it’s almost impossible to explain what’s happening right now in America’s heartland..
The Brewers bullpen is unconscious, yielding a 1.24 ERA this postseason.
Reliever Aaron Ashby has not permitted a run in 15 ⅔ innings, and is the first pitcher in postseason history to get at least five outs in six consecutive appearances without allowing a run.
“He’s a stud, an absolute stud," Woodruff said, “who’s just excelling at the right time."
And outfielder Sal Frelick, who had not hit a home run off a left-handed pitcher since opening day, hits a 403-foot homer over the center-field fence off lefty Ian Seymour to tie the game in the sixth inning, with 43,245 fans at American Family Field screaming so loud that you can hear it in Green Bay.
“I had this weird feeling he was going to do it right there," Woodruff said. “That dude right there personifies our team and the way we play baseball. He never gives in, and neither do we."
Still, a home run, to center field, off a left-handed pitcher, in a World Series game?
Are you kidding?
“Dude, that was sick," Hamilton said. “I had a feeling something good was going to happen."
Frelick only hit four home runs in the regular season, and 21 in his four-year career.
“I’ve never seen him hit a dead-center homer even in BP," Brewers said baseman Jake Bauers said. “I can't be happier for the guy. He deserves that moment. Just talking about it, it’s going to make me cry man.’’
So, has he really never hit a homer to dead center, even in batting practice?
“I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt," said Brewers hitting coach Daniel Vogelbach: “I think he’s done it. He’s got a little manpower. But it was impressive."
Said Turang: "He’s stronger than people think he is. He’s strong. I think it was everyone’s favorite swing of the season."
If Frelick had done it before, he certainly didn’t realize it was happening this night, running so fast during his home-run trot that he crossed home in just 22 seconds, almost half the time it took Rays third baseman Junior Caminero during his last homer.
“It was sort of this blackout feeling," said Frelick, who actually faced Seymour in college when he played at Boston College with Seymour at Virginia Tech.
Did he think it was gone?
“I've never hit a homer that I thought was gone," said Frelick, “So, no, I didn't.’’
When reminded that it was not only the Brewers’ first home run of the postseason, but the first time their mascot, Bernie Brewer, was able to slide down the chalet in front of the home crowd in World Series history, Frelick was almost speechless.
“No way,’’ he said. “Is that true?"
Yep.
“Wow, that's really cool," Frelick said. “I only made him go down four times this whole year. Cool stat there."
Really, everything the Brewers are doing these days is pretty darn cool, epitomizing a relentlessness that no analytic spreadsheet can define.
Every time you want to count them out, they’re back.
They’re down one minute, and back atop the next.
They have now knocked off three Cy Young winners this postseason with Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Robbie Ray, World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and now Rasmussen, who had been unbeatable since August. He yielded a 1.05 ERA in September and a 1.29 ERA in October. He lasted just 3 ⅔ innings, his shortest outing since July 9 against the Yankees.
“Our offense is built to kind of chip away and wear on pitchers," Frelick said, “which I think can be good when you're trying to come back. …I think just having an offense built like that is really good for when you're down. Today, we go down four, we know how good that guy is over there, let's just wear on him, see if we can get him out of the game, get to their bullpen and really break the thing open."
Mission accomplished. Once again.
“We’ve been though this before,’’ Woodruff said. “There’s no panic, you know what I mean. We know we’re going to score runs. And we know we’re going to grind out at-bats. And we know the pitchers are going to put a stop to it.’’
Said Brewers manager Pat Murphy: “Guys, they don't give up. They believe, and they don't give up. They just keep going."
Just ask the Rays about it, whose heads are spinning after these two games.
“They grind every AB, every pitch," Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson said. “They’ve got a lot of fight. They scrap away all nine innings."
Said Rays reliever Liam Hicks: “They don’t give in. They foul off a ton of pitches. They’re not going to chase us out of the zone so you got to stay in the zone. They’re going to spoil pitches until they get theirs. Credit to their hitters. Tough lineup.’’
And perhaps an unbeatable team that may not be stopped until the World Series parade in downtown Milwaukee.
“The confidence we have right now, I’ve never seen anything like it," Bauers said. “Not even close. These guys are relentless, man. We’ve played every single game since he season started just like this one. Relentless. Focused. And nothing more.’’
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: These Milwaukee Brewers are two games from immortality in World Series
Player grades: Warriors vs. Suns
The Golden State Warriors fell to 0-3 on Saturday, after losing 131-122 to the Phoenix Suns in the second game of a back-to-back. Despite the result, you can easily make the case that it was Golden State’s most impressive game of the short season, given that they kept it close despite playing without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski, and Al Horford.
But it was still a loss, and it still needs to be graded. 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
36 minutes, 26 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 9-for-19 shooting, 6-for-11 threes, 2-for-3 free throws, 64.0% TS, +5
Was Lendeborg perfect? No. But should you be extremely excited that Golden State’s rookie dropped 26-9-5 with excellent efficiency in just his third career game? Absolutely.
With Curry and Podziemski out, Lendeborg was the team’s first option, and he handled the role brilliantly. He was both patient and aggressive on offense, and didn’t let the heavier workload on that end of the court impact his effort levels on defense or on the glass.
He’s really good. I think, after three games, we can conclude that. The question with Lendeborg — who, as has been discussed ad nauseam over the last few months, is already 24 — is how much better can he get?
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points, tied for the team lead in assists.
Gui Santos
23 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 1-for-4 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 4-for-8 free throws, 46.5% TS, -13
Not the best Gui performance. His energy and hustle are always welcome in these sort of shorthanded games, where outworking the opponent is the lone path to victory. But he was struggling to score, and often got caught out of position on defense.
Grade: C
Graham Ike
26 minutes, 12 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 5-for-13 shooting, 2-for-2 free throws, 43.2% TS, -6
Ike had an exciting preseason, and it’s clear the Warriors are high on me. But had you told me that the undrafted rookie, who is signed to a two-way contract, would register a double-double in just his third career game, I’m still not sure I would have believed you.
He wasn’t nearly as efficient as you’d like a center to be, but that was really the only thing you can criticize with his game. He led both teams in rebounding, and played solid defense. He fits within the system so well, and makes quick decisions with and without the ball. It’s pretty clear that he’s going to be a big part of the rotation this year.
Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.
Will Richard
31 minutes, 11 points, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4-for-9 shooting, 3-for-6 threes, 61.1% TS, 0 +/-
Devin Booker had a true superstar game, scoring 43 points on 17-for-25 shooting. But he got off to a fairly slow start, in large part because of the great defense that Richard was playing on him. Eventually Booker found his rhythm and there was nothing that Richard — or anyone — could do to stop him, but still. Those early minutes were nice!
Richard also did some quality things on offense, with his usual great cutting, and it was nice to see him knock in some threes.
Grade: B
Brandon Williams
24 minutes, 20 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 5-for-10 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, 8-for-11 free throws, 67.4% TS, +5
Williams’ third game in a Golden State jersey was far and away his best. And while he was a starter in this game due to Curry and Podziemski not playing, it was the type of performance that showed you exactly why the Warriors brought him in to be a core member of the bench unit.
He can score. My goodness can he score. And he can score in a variety of ways, with a level of quickness and burst that is fairly foreign to the Dubs.
That was all on display in this game, as was a jump shot that he says he put a lot of work into this offseason; he entered this year having shot just 28.0% from deep in his career, so that’s been the one hole in his offensive game.
They’re gonna need this version of him in games they’re more equipped to win.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in assists.
Georges Niang
23 minutes, 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-for-9 shooting, 0-for-5 threes, 22.2% TS, +6
Some solid veteran winning plays by Niang in this one, and I liked what he did on defense. But, for the role that he plays on this team, it’s hard to be productive when you shoot 0-for-5 from deep and turn the ball over three times.
Grade: C
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.
De’Anthony Melton
27 minutes, 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls, 8-for-13 shooting, 4-for-8 threes, 5-for-5 free throws, 82.2% TS, -8
Melton was awful in the season opener and mediocre in the home opener. But he was absolutely magnificent in this game. He did a phenomenal job replacing the scoring that was lost in Curry’s absence, and while we shouldn’t expect that every time Steph sits, it’s certainly good to know it’s a possibility. Melton had struggled defensively in the first two games of the season, but looked much more like the defender we know in this one, and he controlled the offense with his quarterbacking. Just an awesome game from the veteran.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in assists.
Charles Bassey
13 minutes, 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 4-for-4 shooting, 2-for-3 free throws, 94.0% TS, +3
Bassey made his season debut and was absolutely excellent. I’m not sure what the Warriors would have done in this game had he not been able to play, because he was everything they needed. He patrolled the paint with rebounds and rim protection, used craftiness and strength to score, and made countless little winning plays. The first quarter completely shifted when Bassey entered the game, and it seemed to stay that way whenever he was on the court.
He’s going to play a big role this season.
Grade: A+
Gary Payton II
17 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1-for-3 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 33.3% TS, -14
Just an entirely nondescript game from GPII. I can’t remember a single thing he did on the court, for better or for worse.
Grade: C-
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
LJ Cryer
14 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 1-for-5 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 30.0% TS, -13
Not the best game for Cryer, though it’s always nice to see him get some extended non-garbage time run. He always looks better when his shot is falling, which it wasn’t in this game, and his defense wasn’t too sharp either.
Grade: C
Malevy Leons
4 minutes, 2 points, 1 steal, 1 foul, 1-for-2 shooting, 50.0% TS, -10
Despite all the maladies of his teammates, Malevy was only able to get a little bit of run in this game. He’s a nice player to have around, but right now he’s pretty clearly behind the other two players on two-way contracts (Ike and Cryer) on the depth chart.
Grade: Incomplete
Saturday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Kristaps Porziņģis
Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers Preview: The return of Walker Kessler
The Utah Jazz had one of the most eventful offseasons, with twists and turns including winning the lottery, drafting Darryn Peterson, and trading Walker Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was one of the more surprising moves considering how often we heard the Jazz were going to re-sign him. Looking back, it makes you wonder how much of that was to create leverage for an eventual trade. Based on what we know now, it seemed pretty clear Kessler didn’t want to be in Utah long term.
At this point, it’s all spilled milk, and it’s time to see who comes out on top. This matchup is the Jazz’s first chance to face their former center since the trade, and there’s no doubt the atmosphere in the arena will be interesting. With Luka Doncic, it could get contentious. One thing is for sure, Doncic and Kessler look like they’ve found some good chemistry. Will that chemistry hold up against the Jazz? For both the Jazz and the Lakers, this might be both teams’ toughest matchup of the season so far. Utah lost badly to the Grizzlies and turned it around against the Pelicans. The Lakers have beaten the Warriors and the Clippers. It’s a good test for both teams to see just how good they both are.
It’s also a chance for Utah to solidify their rotation. Utah has had two starting lineups this season, and we’ll see if they change again. Ace Bailey had his first start in the home opener for the Jazz and showed the flashes that make him so interesting, especially his defense and athleticism. The question for Bailey is whether he can consistently shoot and score. Once that happens, it’s not likely Bailey leaves the starting lineup for a long time.
Utah can also gain an advantage by starting Jaren Jackson Jr. at center again, because it can pull Walker Kessler out of the paint. Utah’s five-out lineup has huge potential; they just need more chemistry and consistency. We’ll see if they can find more of that against a Laker team with a pretty clear identity around Luka Doncic.
How to watch Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers
Who: Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers
When: 3:00 MT – 10/25/26
Where: Delta Center – Salt Lake City, Utah
How to watch: KJZZ, Jazz+
'I Feel Like I'm Sleeping Right Now': Dmitri Simashev Scores First Two NHL Goals to Give Mammoth a 5-4 Overtime Win Over Lightning
Utah Mammoth fans might be feeling the same way Dmitri Simashev felt after scoring the overtime winner on Saturday. Feeling like they were sleeping.
A dramatic 5-4 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, who had recently crushed the Vegas Golden Knights and were reeling after a bad loss to the Colorado Avalanche, sent an electric Delta Center crowd home happy. However, don’t forget it didn’t look like it was going to end that way in the first period.
The very first goal went to Jake Guentzel, but he wasn’t the last player to touch the puck before it went into the back of the net. It was Nate Schmidt who put the puck in his own net. The Lightning scored two more goals going into the last couple of minutes of the first period to put the Mammoth in a hole.
The third goal by the Lightning, scored by Brayden Point, ended up being assisted on by Nikita Kucherov, giving him the point needed to pass Steven Stamkos to become the Lightning’s all-time leader in points.
Luckily, Dylan Guenther scored off his iconic one-timer on the power play right before the period ended, setting up a massive second period. The power play for the Mammoth keeps producing well, scoring on one of their three opportunities. The penalty kill did give up one goal on three opportunities, not an offensive number like in prior games.
🗣️Gunner goes top shelf on the power play! pic.twitter.com/UsrnTOsyi0
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 25, 2026
Ironically, the Mikhail Sergachev trade played a big role in this game. The defenseman got his first-ever point against his former team, assisting on Guenther’s goal. On the flip side, Conor Geekie scored to start the second period, once again putting the Mammoth in a hole.
That’s where the tide started to turn. A shot from MacKenzie Weegar bounced off Anthony Cirelli and then off Anders Lee’s stick to get the Mammoth within one.
“When we scored that goal, we felt that we were alive. It's coming,” head coach André Tourigny said. “Obviously, the fourth goal was a tying goal, a big goal. But from there, I felt we got this. You will never be perfect, but we were a really good team at that point.”
We have to talk about the third line of Lee, Barrett Hayton, and future NHL 2027 All-Star Kailer Yamamoto. Once again, this line was the best line of the game for the Mammoth. Every time they were on the ice, they had some sort of impact.
Each member of the line had a point on Saturday. Lee got his goal, and Hayton got an assist on the overtime winner. Meanwhile, Yamamoto retained his point-per-game pace by scoring the first goal on a great individual effort to race up the ice and put the puck into the back of the net. There is no debate at this point that Yamamoto should be in the lineup every game from this point on.
Hot. Yam. 🍠🔥 pic.twitter.com/P8abctWxVH
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 25, 2026
“We go to work,” Lee said. “We put the puck in, we're smart with it, and we got a little bite. I think we won a lot of battles tonight. Hayts and Yamo were great, up and down the ice and in the corners. We were able to create a lot from that, and that's kind of been our identity as a line, and I think we played to that very well tonight.”
Let’s talk about Karel Vejmelka. There’s been a lot of talk surrounding the Mammoth’s goaltending and how questionable it’s been. That talk has only picked up with the recent Connor Hellebuyck deal. Vejmelka’s stats have been awful, and his play wasn’t great on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken.
To start this one, that play wasn’t much better. He gave up some goals that he can’t give up, looking at the Pontus Holmberg one in particular. However, as the game continued, he settled in. Vejmelka made some good saves in the third period and a massive one in overtime as Sergachev gave up the puck in the middle of the ice. The goalie finished with a .906 save percentage. While improvements still need to be made, you saw the player who has been big for the Mammoth the past two seasons in the second half of this game.
“Veg had a tough stretch, and you start the game that way, and then they score three goals in the first period,” Tourigny said. “He showed a lot of character bouncing back and coming up big like he did at the end of the game and making big saves in overtime and in the third. Really proud of him, really proud for him. I think we all know how much he cares and how much the team means to him, so to see him bounce back and come up big in key moments and help us to get the two points was huge.”
However, the biggest story of Saturday night was Simashev. The defenseman has had a really strong start to the season and it continued against the Lightning as he scored his first goal of his NHL career off a shot from the top of the faceoff circle.
First @NHL goal for Sima!!! 👏
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 25, 2026
Simashev ties the game. pic.twitter.com/1oHa5qhYFr
Simashev didn’t have to wait long for NHL career goal number two. He was deployed in overtime and on a two-on-one opportunity with Hayton; the defenseman put the puck home for the game-winner.
“I feel amazing,” Simashev said. “I scored in overtime in the KHL, and it was kind of the same thing. I scored my first goal the game before and then the second in overtime. But I mean, I didn’t expect to play in overtime, to be honest. I was just so happy when we scored the goal; that’s all my feelings right now.”
HAVE A NIGHT, SIMA! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ymqUa4IQGa
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 25, 2026
In both of those goals, you saw the Simashev who played with the Tucson Roadrunners last season. He was jumping forward towards the net to make offensive plays, something he hesitated to do at times in the NHL. If he has truly found that same game he had last season in the American Hockey League, the rest of the NHL needs to watch out.
Just like their game on Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, this wasn’t a pretty win. The first half of the game saw some bad play from a variety of players on the team. However, as time went on, the Mammoth, just like their goaltender, settled in and played like the team we saw earlier this season.
The defenseman who scored his first two NHL goals on Saturday has won a pro championship before. He knows sometimes good teams can play badly. However, it’s about the way that team can bounce back in intermissions and after games and leave the worst in the past.
“I think that starts from the locker room, from the energy you have before the game and between the periods,” Simashev said. “I think obviously the character in the third period and overtime. That’s the main thing. I played in the KHL and won the championship, and I just want to say character is the most important thing.”
There are still issues with the Mammoth. A 5-4 overtime win won’t fix that. However, this is a great way to start winning back the confidence of fans the team might’ve lost over the past couple of games, and it’s a great way to give the locker room motivation to finish out October with two more wins and continue those winning ways into November.
“We stuck to our plan and got to our game, and we really got to it in the third,” Lee said. “We put ourselves in a great position by clawing back before that. Just proud of the group that we settled in and didn't get away from what we needed to do tonight. At the end of the day, when you do that overtime, it gives you an opportunity to win a game.”
The Mammoth will play the Minnesota Wild next on Tuesday. The Wild are 7-3-2 this season and are coming off a 5-1 win over the Kraken. They’ll play the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday before heading to Salt Lake City.
Shorthanded Warriors put up a fight in entertaining loss to Suns
The Golden State Warriors were facing quite an uphill battle on Saturday against the Phoenix Suns. Not only were they playing on the road, but it was the second game of a back-to-back, and their third game in four nights in three cities. And worst of all? They were comically shorthanded. In addition to the expected absent trio (Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, and Kristaps Porziņģis), the Dubs were playing without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski, and Al Horford.
And so the result of the game — a loss — was not at all surprising. But the manner in which it transpired — close for most of it, with the final score single digits (131-122) — was quite surprising, in addition to being encouraging and, if we’re being honest, very entertaining, especially relative to the first two games of the season.
Golden State was heavily outmatched on paper. Playing against a healthy team starring Devin Booker, the Warriors rolled out a starting lineup featuring two rookies (Yaxel Lendeborg and Graham Ike) and one second-year pro (Will Richard), alongside Gui Santos and Brandon Williams.
What followed was some inspired play. The Dubs had lockdown defense early (Richard was doing a stellar job on Booker), while the rookies scored Golden State’s first eight points. A Williams three gave Golden State an early 11-4 lead, and it was clear that it brought the team a whole lot of confidence. While they were playing very team-oriented basketball, it was clear that everyone on the court saw the game as an individual challenge, and a chance to prove that they deserve a large role on this team, even when the other players are healthy.
After their slow start, Phoenix started to figure things out, and went on a 12-4 run to take a 16-15 lead. Order was restored a bit when Charles Bassey entered the game for his season debut, and made so many little winning plays. Golden State was, quite obviously, lacking in the talent department, but they were using excellent hustle to turn broken plays into points, and staying afloat. They were narrowly escaping some ugly sequences — including to end the quarter — and managed to lead 25-22 after the first.
The second quarter started off very scattered for both teams. It somewhat resembled a preseason game, with both squads spinning their wheels and trying to make something happen. The Warriors struck first in the big play department, when Williams — who worked very hard on improving his long-distance jump shot this offseason — sunk a three, drew the contact, and complete the four-point play. But after that, the Dubs offense went stagnant, while Booker — who had a fairly quiet first quarter — started to heat up. Phoenix took the lead but couldn’t run away with it, and led 57-54 at the break. Booker led all scorers with 19 points at halftime, while Lendeborg, who was showing impressive patience on offense, had 13.
It was a very impressive first half considering the talent discrepancy and the differences on the injury report. And it was fair to wonder if the clock would strike midnight and the Warriors — despite not being the team wearing orange — would turn into a pumpkin in the third quarter.
The answer, unfortunately, was yes. And then it was no, and then it was yes again.
While energy and hustle had been enough to result in offense in the first half, it wasn’t the case in the second, They had a long offensive drought in the third quarter, and as they did, Phoenix pushed the lead to double digits. It seemed as though Golden State would not be able to recover from the first real blow of the night.
But they did! Behind easily the best stretch of the young season for De’Anthony Melton, and some stellar play in the paint by Ike and Bassey, the Warriors not only mounted a rally, and not only erased the deficit, but took the lead.
It was very short lived, however. Collin Gillespie sparked a run for the Suns and then Booker, who finished with 17 points in the quarter, took over. The Warriors kept responding, but it was never really enough; finally, Gillespie drained a corner three with 0.5 seconds remaining to cap a stellar third quarter, and Phoenix took a 102-92 lead into the fourth after what proved to quite a high-octane quarter (the Suns outscored the Dubs 45-38 in the third).
By that point, Golden State’s offense was running on empty. The defensive effort remained very admirable, but they couldn’t find offense anywhere. While the Warriors would end up scoring 30 points in the quarter, they couldn’t find offense when it mattered most, and trailed by 15 at the halfway mark. Behind a handful of threes, the Warriors managed to stay kind of in the game, but they were never able to get too close, and lost 131-122.
The biggest difference in the game ultimately was Phoenix’s ability to capitalize on opportunities. The Suns only forced one more turnover than the Warriors did (16-15), but more than doubled the Warriors in points scored off of turnovers (26-12).
Lendeborg was given the keys to the offense for the Warriors with Curry and Podziemski out, and it was a joy to watch. There are obviously still some growing pains, but the first-rounder finished with a team-high 26 points on 9-for-19 shooting (including 6-for-11 on threes), while also grabbing nine rebounds, dishing out five assists, and only turning the ball over twice.
Melton and Williams provided much of the rest of the offense, as they each had their best games of the year: Melton finished with 25 points on 8-for-13 shooting, with five rebounds, five assists, and three steals, while Williams netted 20 on 5-for-10 shooting, with three rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Ike, an undrafted free agent on a two-way contract, grabbed his first double-double, with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Bassey shot a perfect 4-for-4 en route to 10 points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots.
But they were no match for Booker, who had a true superstar showing: the five-time All-Star shot 17-for-25 from the field, and finished with 43 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
The Warriors are now 0-3, and life doesn’t get easier anytime soon. They have two more games left on their current road trip: on Monday against the Denver Nuggets, and on Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rockets Zoom Past Hawks 121-114
It was the best of games, it was the relation, perhaps a 1st cousin, of the worst of games. It was a game of wisdom, it was a game of foolishness. It was part of a season of light (this season?), it called back to a season of darkness (last season). It was the spring of hope, and it was a win that was harder than it needed to be and brought to mind memories of a certain despair, but memories they remained.
In short, it was a Rockets game. But not as we have known them! It was definitely not the sort they won often last season. I will take the win on a SEGBABA after a tough game in Austin (very much Spurs Country) where the team didn’t make their Atlanta hotel until about 5am. They didn’t really salt away both games of road back to back games much at all last season. In fact, they were bad in that department.
You might say, well, Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet are back, plus the Rockets have Ime’s Spirit Animal: Marcus Smart. Ah, my friend, they did not have those players. All were out. If you know much about Marcus Smart, you know that frequent and nagging injuries have been hallmark of his career. Expect more of the same. As for Fred, he might play in B2Bs later in the season, or he might not. Fred was cagey about it in a post game interview last night, and Fred Jr stayed schtum. Steven Adams simply won’t.
So that left the Rockets starting Reed “Tough 1970s Cop Who Lives By His Own Code of Rough Justice, But Who Is Definitely Not A PG” Sheppard. This may seem a risky move to some, given the team’s 18-4 record in Reed’s starts, but it was a risk the Rockets were forced to take. A risk taken on a loose cannon detective guard who plays by his own set of rules, but gets results, even if they aren’t “By the book.”.
It left Amen Thompson, who had a season highlight block last night in San Antonio. The Rockets had Alperen Sengun, who broke down the Spurs big men late, to win it, including Weepy. It left us with Kevin Durant who just seems to be able to play 36ish minutes whenever, wherever, and even if he’s been shitposting on his burner all night (Who’s to say? Not me.). Finally there was Jabari “I’m Playing Like NBA 1st Team All Defense” Smith.
Would it be enough to match Atlanta, off to an undefeated start, also on a B2B, but at home, and having just summarily dispatched nearby Charlotte?
Reader, it would.
I’m thrilled with the start the team has had to the season. They’ve built leads, held leads, beaten a key rival on the road, and won a tough B2B against what I think is a good to very good Hawks team. Atlanta has players like Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and also CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, that mirror the Rockets in certain ways, and pose problems. They shoot the three well (even if they didn’t tonight, despite a period of just not missing in the third quarter). The Hawks, like the Rockets, also have a good bench, and played the Rockets even in the rebounding battle. In short, not an easy opponent but the Rockets beat them, short handed, on the road in a B2B after a tough game in Austin.
I think we’re seeing the most talented Rockets team in nearly a decade. I’m happy for this win, but the specter of problems that plagued the team last season, if not loomed, definitely floated around the gym and moaned a bit in this game, especially late. Early days, but keep an eye on it.
The game started with both teams looking flat, and to an extent, uninterested. The Rockets went down 7-0 early, but after a time out took a lead they would not relinquish, despite some foolish, and all too familiar faffing around and losing much of their at one time 20pt lead late. It felt like Atlanta made a zillion threes, but that’s because they took 49 of them. Due to good defense from the Rockets (and possibly tired legs) they only made 13 threes to the Rockets 14, on 14 fewer attempts.
Atlanta rallied late, and made it tighter than it should have been. It was a familiar sinking sensation that diehards will remember, but the Rockets did not, in fact, sink into the loss column. That is something to celebrate.
Tonight saw some great play from the following Rockets: Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith, Kevin Durant and Reed Sheppard.
Amen and Reed and Alpie seemed to alternate in the primary initiator spot, and you could see growth on the part of each.
Amen Thompson finished with a stat line 17pts on 4-12 shooting, but 9-9 free throws, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 turnovers, and a steal. He played 39 minutes, and at times even the super human Amen seemed to struggle to find energy. One sign of this was missing close in shots he normally makes.
One thing I saw, as the Rockets have begun running recognizable offensive sets, is that Amen has an idea where to look for the pass, or the drive. If a player knows a play, he knows who will likely be open given what the action is meant to do, how the defense might react. This is how a structured offense with varied sets greatly benefits an inexperienced point guard. Fred VanVleet has played 17,000 minutes, almost all as a PG. Amen has played 6600, with probably 2400 as a PG. Fred doesn’t need the structure Amen does.
Alperen Sengun seems stronger, lighter and fitter this season. He threw down two monster dunks, and made several great moves down the lane, one that just rolled out, or it would have been a big time highlight. You could see that his legs were tired but he fought through, and dominated the Hawks inside. Alpie finished with 17pts on 6-12 shooting, 1-2 from 3pt range (hello 67% 3pt% in a teensy sample), had 10 rebounds, 7 assists to 3 turnovers, and a steal. It was a balanced effort, and his passing was generally solid.
Kevin Durant has been fairly deferential this season, but of course vital. Plugging in around 26 pointss every night is a great thing to have. That said, it could be even more helpful. The Rockets really could, and I think should, have some set actions for Kevin Durant late in games. Yes, he can get his own shot, but it’s often a very difficult one, and the fact that he often makes them still doesn’t make it an optimal approach. A few pet KD plays, that get the greatest all-around shooter who ever lived some easier looks, seems like a good plan. Durant went 22pts on 8-15FG, 3-7 3pt, 3-3FT, 4rbs, 2ast, 2to, 1blk in 37 minutes. Yes, KD played 37 minutes in a B2B, but who is going to tell him not to? You? Me? Ime? Maybe his mom.
Jabari Smith Jr continues to threaten a break out season in my view. The Rockets don’t really have anyone with high usage on offense, so it can be hard to see on offense, but on defense he’s simply been outstanding. He’s the player people imagined on defense when he was drafted. He can guard outside, and inside, he can stay with wings, and even some guards and centers. He’s become superb at difficult shot blocks. Not easy swats gained by targeting smaller guys, and striking. No, he’s been getting blocks close to the basket where it’s unclear how he did it at all. And he’s been doing it without much fouling.
Maybe his reputation will one day be such that refs won’t call anticipatory fouls on him, but actually look at the play more. Jabari had 14 points on 5-12 shooting, with tiredness showing in some of his shots, as well, particularly from 3pt range where he was 2-6. He added 4rbs, 2ast, 2to (late) and had one block. This doesn’t really do his game against big, mobile, Atlanta players justice though. He’s been quietly outstanding so far, in my view.
Reed Sheppard just wins when he starts. Tonight he had 19pts on 7-13FG, 5-113pt, 6rbs, 7ast, 3to, 1stl and was tied with Durant for team high +/- at 19. On a Rockets team where no one player dominates usage, what more do you want? I truly cannot comprehend anyone who can see this game and not think Reed is a point guard and capable of successful starters’ minutes. Some of his dimes were immaculate tonight, beyond what anyone but Alpie can do. He also caused havoc with his hands on defense. I’m honestly surprised he only had one official steal recorded.
The Rockets got into trouble late when Ime Udoka pulled Reed from the game late in favor of Bogdan Bogdanovich. I hope I’ll be believed when I say that the bad defender some of you think Reed Sheppard is, Bogdan actually is. This period provided much of Atlanta’s comeback impetus, and the absence of Sheppard was felt keenly. The Rockets still have problems with late game execution, team wide, and Reed was a part of that, but he was still much better than Bogdanovich despite being younger, and somewhat shorter.
Reed played 30 minutes, and Bogdanovich played 20. I think things would have looked far more solid late if Reed had played 36 minutes, and BogBog 14. Perhaps this was due to Sheppard having a bone bruise on his knee, but he did come back in to close the game.
Also, I’ll say again that I think Reed is miscast as a bench flamethrower. He’s not Jamal Crawford. I think the more he plays, the better he plays. His career stats bear this out (not including tonight). Usage is roughly the same, but percentages are all better. I’m not sure what is to be done about that right now, but I’m fairly sure it’s true.
Tari Eason was his usual Chaos Goblin self. He dropped in 19pts off the bench on 8-15 shooting, had some Dribblin’ Adventures, but also attacked the rim with force. On my favorite Tari play he finished with an NFL style drive through Lu “The Butcher” Dort, and knocked him down. Tari still makes baffling decisions, and sometimes gets tunnel vision with the ball, but this is mitigated by him actually making more close in shot. Sadly, he still hasn’t made at 3pt shot this season, as he seemed to make one, but then it was changed to 2pts.
Clint Capela had decent minutes off the bench, and probably could have played more in my estimation, except that Atlanta plays pretty small. He looks much quicker and more fluid this season, having clearly lost a considerable amount of weight. I hope we see more of him as the season progresses.
BogBog is a good catch and shoot guy, and not especially great at the rest of offense. He does surprise defenders that expect him to shoot immediately, enough to dribble past them. He was 4-8 overall and 3-5 from 3pt range. He’s still clearly getting used to playing with the team, and I think they’ll find him in better spots as the season rolls on. I would have thought he was no one’s idea of a crunch time defender, but I would have thought wrong.
This was a good win in what might have been a schedule loss. There are some things to keep an eye on, but there are also positive changes afoot, and it’s clear that the roster is deep and talented. Winning is fun! Not blowing leads is fun! This team, dare I say it, might be back to being…fun?
Calgary Flames Take Down Red Wings 4-1 for Third Straight Win
The Calgary Flames extended their winning streak to three games with a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Wearing their 2004 tribute jerseys, the Flames delivered a performance that fit the occasion, earning their first win over Detroit since 2022 while continuing to build some momentum.
Calgary opened the scoring late in the first period when Adam Klapka worked the puck out of the corner and found Joel Farabee in front. Farabee made no mistake, one-timing the pass past Detroit goaltender John Gibson to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.
Detroit responded early in the second period. Following an offensive-zone faceoff, Andrew Copp found a loose puck in the scramble and swatted it through Devin Cooley’s legs to tie the game at one.
The Flames regained the lead on the power play, with rookie defenceman Zayne Parekh making his mark. Parekh fired a wrist shot from the blue line that found its way past Gibson off a deflection off the goaltender’s pad, giving Calgary a 2-1 advantage with his first goal of the season.
Ryan Strome extended the lead shortly afterward. Morgan Frost found Strome in the middle of the ice, and the veteran forward snapped a shot past Gibson to make it 3-1.
Calgary wasn’t finished. Late in the second period, Matvei Gridin capped off another successful power play by one-timing a pass from Farabee into the net. The goal gave the Flames a three-goal cushion heading into the third period.
With the special teams delivering and Cooley continuing to find ways to win, Calgary took care of business in the final frame to secure its third consecutive victory.
Three Takeaways
1. The power play delivered when it mattered
Calgary went 2-for-2 with the man advantage, getting goals from two of its young players in Parekh and Gridin. Both goals helped swing the momentum in the Flames’ favour, and the ability to capitalize on special teams continues to be an encouraging sign. If Calgary can consistently get this kind of production from its power play, it will give the team another reliable way to win games.
2. Cooley keeps stacking wins
Devin Cooley picked up his third consecutive victory between the pipes. He wasn’t overly tested against Detroit, but he remained composed and gave the Flames a steady presence in net. Goaltending isn’t always about making highlight-reel saves. Sometimes, it’s about keeping things simple, making the stops you’re supposed to make and allowing the team in front of you to play with confidence. Cooley continues to do that.
3. Farabee leads the offensive charge
Farabee finished with a goal and two assists for a three-point night, providing one of his strongest offensive performances in a Flames uniform. He opened the scoring, set up Gridin’s power-play goal and played a key role in Calgary’s offensive attack. His ability to contribute as both a finisher and a playmaker gives the Flames another valuable option as they look to keep their momentum going.
Red Wings Burned By Flames, Lose 4-1 In Final Appearance At Scotiabank Saddledome
This wasn't how the Detroit Red Wings wanted to remember their final trip to the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.
Coming into the contest with a six-game point streak on the line, the Red Wings saw it come to a close with a 4-1 setback against the Flames, who had lost six of their first seven games of the season.
Road trip wraps up Monday in Edmonton. pic.twitter.com/KChnZBzTRS
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 25, 2026
With the setback, the Red Wings fell to 4-4-3 on the campaign, and 1-1-1 through the first three games of their four-game Western Conference road swing.
Special teams did the Red Wings no favors, as they were unable to convert on either of their power play chances, while allowing the Flames to score twice with the man advantage.
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It was the Flames who struck first late in the opening 20 minutes of play, as Joel Farabee was left wide open at the side of the net and one-timed a feed from Adam Klapka past a sprawling John Gibson, giving Calgary the advantage.
The Red Wings appeared to gain some momentum early in the middle frame when Andrew Copp knotted the score with his second goal of the season, only to lose it when the Flames struck on the power play as Zayne Parekh scored his first goal of 2026-27.
Detroit nearly tied the score shortly afterward when Alex DeBrincat, who took the penalty that lead to Parekh's go-ahead goal, partially broke in alone on Flames goaltender Devin Cooley, but had his backhand attempt denied.
Calgary then took a two-goal lead less than 90 seconds apart; Ryan Strome scored his second of the season, followed by a power play goal from Matvei Gridin with Michael Brandsegg-Nygård in the box for delay of game.
Gibson took the loss with 21 saves on 25 shots, while Cooley made 28 saves.
The Red Wings will wrap up their road trip with a stop against former head coach Mike Babcock and the Edmonton Oilers on Monday evening at Rogers Place.
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