FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 16: Hitting Coach Peter Fatse #62 of the Boston Red Sox carries a speaker during a spring training workout at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 16, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today is Halloween and you wonder if the Phillies have been playing a trick on us all. Maybe they have allowed the Dodgers to go on their dynastic run, the Brewers to ascend to the top of the mountain all as a trick on us to pretend like there are issues preventing them from winning a World Series.
3rd over: Australia 14-2 (Head 9, Green 1) Brave of Green to leave the ball outside off. Similar spot to the one that got Marnus, a touch fuller perhaps. He gets moving from the fifth ball, knocks a single into the off side.
2nd over: Australia 13-2 (Head 9, Green 0) Well, I said that Australia needed Head to take a bite out of the chase first, but wasn’t anticipating that he would lose two partners in the first over. He decides to do his part anyway. Defends three balls from Jansen, then lets loose as he sees width. Misses his first flail, connects cleanly with his second one along the ground, and connects dirty with his third, in the air through the cordon but safe. Two boundaries, but if I were South Africa, I’d happily feed that shot a few times looking for the mistake.
Kangaroos shake off a slow start to defeat Cook Islands in Townsville
Australia cruise into the semi-finals on top of Pool A
The Kangaroos will be wearing their familiar dark green uniform with gold accents. Plenty of green in the Cook Islands outfit as well, but it is the secondary colour to a majority white base.
HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 21: Cooper Flagg #32 and Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks look on during the game on October 21, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
In Cooper Flagg’s rookie season, he was asked to do a lot, not least of all to fill in for future Hall of Famer and fellow Brotherhood member Kyrie Irving.
It took him a little while to settle in, but before long, he emerged as the team’s best player. Former coach Jason Kidd forced him to take on a lot, and that’s paying off now.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 15: Tari Eason #17 of the Houston Rockets drives to the basket during the fourth quarter of the game against Jared McCain #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center on October 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First off, Happy Halloween to those that observe. May your weekend be filled with the treats you desire.
Unfortunately for the Houston Rockets, they received a trick in their basket. The Rockets are on a back-to-back while the Oklahoma City Thunder haven’t played since Wednesday.
So this is a matchup between one team with rest against a team without any rest, and both teams are dealing with several injuries (though granted OKC’s situation is more of a longer-term thing).
Give me the Thunder in a game that the media will use to show that “the Thunder are still dangerous” and ignore Houston’s injury and schedule circumstances.
Oct 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James (23) looks on during the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
LeBron James is 41 years old. He’s in his 24th NBA season. He’s also a Philadelphia 76er.
These are facts that feel worth being reminded about on occasion.
James was spectacular Friday night, guiding the Sixers to a 98-95 win over the defending champion New York Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
“I thought he was really good all the way through tonight,” head coach Nick Nurse said of James. “I thought that he got some downhill stuff, used his size and knocked ’em around a little bit for some layups. I thought he obviously kind of pushed and organized. I thought he was a little quicker to make some decisions to shoot the three ball as well, and then obviously make a couple big plays down the stretch.
“That’s really the best game, just kind of all around. I mean, he’s been good, but that was his best game for sure.”
It was James’ finest performance of the young season. He scored 20 points — his first 20-plus-point game as a Sixer — and recorded nine rebounds and eight assists. He also chipped in a steal and a block as the team’s defense continues to be its strong suit.
With Jaylen Brown out because of left knee tendinopathy, the Sixers were going to need more offense from somewhere. While James had often been deferential over the course of his first four games of the season, he was aggressive in looking for his own shot Friday. He continually got downhill, playing bully ball on several possessions against the Knicks’ wing defenders.
His knack for figuring out what his team needs and providing it is uncanny.
“I’m just trying to get more and more comfortable with what we’re running offensively,” James said, “and I think every game and every week that I’m here, my body will continue to ramp up and ramp up, getting better and better, so that played a part.”
Since we’ve seen it for 24 years, LeBron’s greatness is sort of taken for granted at times, but there are plays and moments that remind you why he’s arguably the greatest player of all time.
His physical prowess is still impressive, with his ability to big-boy guys like OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. His passing vision remains elite, like on the play he found Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the opposite corner with an absolute frozen rope, hitting KCP in the shooting pocket.
“Well, I guess the best teacher in life is experience, and I’ve been in really big games,” James said. “So, for me to be able to be a calming factor for our team late game, it’s just the experience that I have.
“If it’s me with the ball, without the ball, being able to put guys in the right position, just trying to talk them through if the other team make a run, come to the sideline, ‘We’re good. Let’s move on to the next play, and let’s figure out how we can be better for this play and the rest of the game.’”
The Sixers are 5-1. They’ve beaten the reigning champs twice already and have been finding ways to win close games.
Are you having fun yet, Philly?
LeBron James sure is.
“I’m having a great time,” he said. “I love what we’re bringing to the table every night. I love our competitive spirit. Guys show up to work. Guys are ready to work hard, and it’s a fun group too. I think I’ve said it before, I’m like a big ass kid, to be completely honest. But these guys are great to be around, and I’m more than happy that I made the decision to come.”
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 30: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics celebrates during the game against the Chicago Bulls during the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup on October 30, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
BOSTON — It took only five minutes for Payton Pritchard to find his rhythm. He needed the next five to answer head coach Joe Mazzulla’s call Friday night against the Bulls to begin Boston’s NBA Cup run.
Pritchard grabbed an offensive rebound by successfully boxing out 6-foot-9 Matas Buzelis before finishing the putback in the second quarter. On the next possession, he knocked down his third 3-pointer of the night, prompting Chicago to call a timeout. Mazzulla was waiting for him on the sideline, greeting Pritchard with a huge hug.
“Joe challenged me,” Pritchard said after Boston’s 125-111 NBA Cup win. “I feel like in the first four games my defensive activity and my rebounding have been poor. Obviously, that’s coming in and out, fluctuating minutes. So challenging me to step up in that area, and I think the hug was for me doing that and him being thankful I’m doing it.”
Mazzulla wanted the scrappy, menacing version of Pritchard to appear on both sides of the floor. He wanted the guard who gives opposing teams headaches offensively and defensively by going the extra mile. In return, Pritchard tapped into his 8-Mile persona.
With legendary rapper 50 Cent seated courtside next to the Tatum family, Pritchard unleashed his inner P-Rabbit against the Bulls, and Mazzulla’s excitement was shared by the rest of the team.
Paul George, Hugo González and Mike Conley were among those who rushed toward Pritchard before Mazzulla could get to him. For the second time this week, Pritchard turned Chicago’s defense into his own personal playground. Only this time, his impact extended well beyond scoring, as he made his presence felt in multiple areas of the floor.
Pritchard is in his seventh season with the Celtics and has already been a vital part of a championship team. He’s brought home a Sixth Man of the Year Award and recently signed a two-year, $44.2 million contract extension before the start of the season. But in Mazzulla’s eyes, there is still plenty of untapped potential within the undersized 6-foot-1 guard.
“I think Payton’s a guy that gets better every year, and I think the sky’s the limit for him,” Mazzulla said. “I think he hasn’t completely tapped into the player that he can become, and that’s just being complete on both ends of the floor and not being defined by one thing. In tonight’s game, you saw the absolute best version of him.”
Usually, Pritchard is perceived as an outside shooting threat — which he is. But to Mazzulla’s point, Friday night was a prime example of what else Pritchard can offer.
Offense is where Pritchard warmed up. He fed Neemias Queta for short-distance floaters, drew contact from Leonard Miller to convert an and-one opportunity, and kept the scoring fluid. On the other side, he recorded two steals and three rebounds, twice forcing the Bulls to take timeouts after crowd-erupting plays.
Pritchard’s versatility is nothing new. He’s proven capable of impacting winning as both a starter and a reserve, finding different ways to contribute regardless of his role. But when playing alongside stars like Jayson Tatum and George, and defensive standouts like Derrick White and González, some of those abilities tend to get overlooked. Other times, Pritchard’s opportunities to showcase his ability to disrupt opposing offenses are limited.
However, that wasn’t the case for the second of two against the Bulls.
Chicago had 99 problems, and Pritchard was the biggest one. He finished with a game-high 30 points on 9-of-17 shooting, and went a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe.
Boston’s brand new bright green, gray, and gold NBA Cup court quickly became Pritchard’s stage. He understood the task Mazzulla bestowed upon him and viewed it as a “privilege” more than anything else.
“Pressure is a privilege,” Pritchard explained. “I’m gonna go through ups and downs, but it’s gonna make me better. And I’m gonna figure out how to be a complete player. I’ll catch my stride in all those areas and just get better and better.
Pritchard added: “I appreciate Joe testing me and challenging me to be better because the team needs me to be better, and that’s what I want. So it’s a good thing.”
With a great degree of responsibility Pritchard is poised to shoulder this season, those opportunities won’t be limited to Boston’s NBA Cup opener. It’s still early in the team’s 2026-27 season, meaning the coaching staff is still figuring out the cast and how to best maximize the group.
“As we continue to grow as a team and he continues to grow as a player, being a complete player on both ends of the floor really helps us take it to a different level,” Mazzulla said. “He’s got more in the tank. He’s a kid that can continue to get better and better. I like pushing him, I like coaching him, and I love him like a brother.”
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - OCTOBER 22: Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during pregame against the Denver Nuggets at Paycom Center on October 22, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
24-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren’s growing injury history in his young NBA career is catching up to him. If you recollect, the Gonzaga Bulldog sat out his entire true rookie campaign in 2022-23 with a Lisfranc ligament tear in his right foot suffered during a Seattle CrawsOver Pro-Am game in August of 2022, while guarding then Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James on a fast break.
Now three games into his 2026-27 season, Holmgren is expected to be out 8-to-10 weeks after undergoing a biological treatment to address a small patellar tendon tear.
Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren underwent treatment Friday to address a small patellar tendon tear and is expected to return to play in 8-to-10 weeks.
The 7-1, now 215-pound slenderman put on two pounds during these past summer months. While that may not seem like much to the basic eye, that was a somewhat substantial growth for a player of his stature.
It’s extremely difficult for an athlete like Holmgren to put on any visible weight or muscle mass, a talking point that has been following the former five-star recruit since his high school/AAU days with Minnehaha Academy and Team Sizzle on the Under Armour circuit in the state of Minnesota. The same basketball programs that his fellow Zag brother, Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs, was a part of.
After getting drafted with the 2nd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by general manager Sam Presti, Holmgren has still found an enermous amount of success despite all the health setbacks that will undoubetly follow him for the rest of his career. The 2021-22 West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year has added to his resume a 2025 NBA title and 2026 NBA All-Star appearance most recently. Before that championship run in November of 2024, Holmgren was out for three months with a right iliac wing (pelvis) fracture.
Unfortunately, it’s not just him who has been hit with the injury bug within the Oklahoma City organization at this early point of the NBA calendar year. In the first two weeks alone, two additional starters have gone down for the Thunder.
Guard Jalen Williams – fractured left fibula/dislocated ankle Guard Cason Wallace – torn labrum in his left shoulder
Williams, a lottery pick at No. 12 in the same 2022 NBA Draft from the Santa Clara Broncos, had the most severe of it all. Much too gruesome of an unfortunate live-action fall to share, the absolute worst that can came out of the game of basketball.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
The Sixers didn’t need their 22-time All-Star to do it all Friday night.
Still, they needed him to be what everyone pictures when they hear LeBron James — no caveats about being almost 42 years old, saving his best for bigger games or memories of what he was once.
“Best game all around,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said of James. “He’s been good, but that was his best game for sure.”
There have always been elements of James’ greatness that would stick out to someone who didn’t know the rules of basketball. He’s a physical force who muscles through defenses, fires astounding passes and lofts in elegant fadeaway jumpers. James’ clutch plays Friday included a late mid-range bucket over OG Anunoby and a game-icing put-back layup with 11.9 seconds left off of Tyrese Maxey’s miss.
His game has always had a subtle side, too.
“Leadership,” Maxey said after his 27-point outing. “Calming presence. He helped get a lot of rebounds. He’d help get the ball and calm it down.
“He was great. At the end of the day, it’s LeBron James. At the end of the day, he can do stuff like he did tonight, getting a couple of big buckets.”
Maxey handled his postgame media duties in the Sixers’ locker room before James. The All-NBA guard was ready to go but realized he didn’t have a shirt, so James tossed him one. Though perhaps a bit baggy, it got the job done.
“He has never been late for a workout,” James said. “This is Tyrese’s seventh year with the Sixers? We’ve worked out for six straight summers and he’s never been late. And he actually tried to beat me to a couple workouts, and he was successful. Then I started showing up a lot earlier and he was like, ‘OK, you’ve got it from there.’ But that’s when I knew he was going to be great.”
As the NBA’s all-time minutes leader, James has seen just about every scenario the Sixers might face this season.
He hasn’t been hesitant to share what he knows down the stretch of tight games.
“I guess the best teacher in life is experience,” he said. “I’ve been in really big games. If you’ve covered this sport, I think I’ve done some of (the most) huge games this sport has every seen. For me to able to be a calming factor for our team late in the game, it’s just the experience that I have.
“If it’s me with the ball, me without the ball, being able to just put guys in the right positions, talking through it. If the other team makes a run, coming to the sideline: ‘You good? Let’s move on to the next play. Let’s figure out how we can be better for this play and the rest of the game.’ It’s something that I’ll continue to pour into the team.”
Some of those steadying words were vital for the Sixers on Friday.
They squandered a lead as high as 14 points. Knicks star Jalen Brunson nudged his way into the late-game limelight, as he so often does. The Sixers’ offense stalled for stretches of the second half and the Knicks beat them to crucial offensive rebounds. The game seemed like it might be slipping away.
James and the Sixers rescued it.
“He gives us tremendous leadership,” Nurse said. “He really helps with the organization on the floor. I think great players make those around them better, and I think he does that. And it’s in a lot of ways. It’s talking, it’s passing, it’s organization, it’s confidence.”
“I’m having a great time,” James said. “I love what we’re bringing to the table every night. I love our competitive spirit. Guys show up to work, guys are ready to work hard.
“And it’s a fun group, too. … These guys are great to be around and I’m more than happy that I made the decision to come here.”
TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 22: Austin Wells #28 and Cody Bellinger #35 of the New York Yankees pose for a photo during spring training at Himes Complex on February 22, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: ($) With the Yankees needing an upgrade at third base and the picking potentially slim, some have linked them to Teruaki Sato. The 27-year-old won the Triple Crown in Japan’s Central League last year and would provide a clear offensive upgrade. Kirschner throws cold water on the notion, noting that, like Munetaka Murakami, Sato’s defensive limitations could make him a better fit at first base. In a mailbag format, Kirschner also advocates for the Yankees cutting ties with Giancarlo Stanton and seeking competition for Spencer Jones in center.
New York Post | Dan Martin: Another Japanese star, Kaima Taira, is set to be posted by the NPB’s Seibu Lions. The 5-foot-8 right-hander, who led his league with a 1.36 ERA as a starter last season, may project better as a reliever in the MLB. The Yankees have scouted Taira in the past and could make a play for his services. Any player looking to make the leap from Japan would need to factor in the impending lockout, which would necessitate their signing with a team by December 1st unless they are willing to wait until the labor dispute runs its course. (This happened to Seiya Suzuki during the last lockout.)
MLPBA: The MLB Players Association announced the recipients of its Players Choice Awards Wednesday. Former Yankees pitching great David Cone received the Curt Flood Award, an honor which commemorates its namesake’s principled stand against the reserve clause which ended his playing career but helped bring about free agency. Cone, a longtime labor advocate who met Flood and served as American League player representative during the 1994-95 strike, called the award “the greatest honor of my baseball life.” Cam Schlittler was also honored with the AL Outstanding Pitcher, presaging his likely selection for the AL Cy Young.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 30: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after the Warriors made a basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Chase Center on October 30, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, well, well. That was about as entertaining of a game as you could ask for. On Friday night, the Golden State Warriors became the first team since the NBA started tracking play-by-play data nearly 30 years ago to trail by at least 25 points, only to win by 17 or more. Steph Curry and Luka Dončić, went head-to-head all night, we were spoiled with highlights, and the Dubs won their third straight, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 112-95 to exact some revenge from opening day.
I gotta say, it’s more fun to grade the team when they’re winning than when they’re losing! So let’s break out a little red pen, and have some fun doling out grades. 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%.
Santos didn’t play on Wednesday and was questionable for this game with knee tendinitis. Ultimately, it wasn’t the best matchup for him, which is why the Warriors moved him out of the starting lineup in the second half. He still played fairly well, though, Steve Kerr just had to be conscious about what matchups to use Santos in.
Santos’ energy always is a big factor, but especially in games like this, where the Dubs had to overcome a big deficit, keep their effort level high, and get the arena into it.
I think we can very confidently say that this was the worst game of Lendeborg’s very short NBA career. He was a non-factor on offense, both scoring the ball and playmaking. He was surprisingly absent on the glass. His defense wasn’t as strong as usual. And he not only committed a bunch of turnovers, but also fouled out of the game while only being on the court for half of it.
Lendeborg has set the bar so high, that this was a disappointing performance, so here’s a reminder that this was just his sixth career game, and he was playing against a team that had already seen him once this year, and was prepared for him. He said that the lesson from the game was “try not to wet the bed as bad as I did,” and I felt confident saying that he won’t. My guess is he has a monster game on Sunday.
There were some highlights, though. He had a momentum-grabbing alley-oop in the second quarter. He showed some tremendous restraint by only having four shooting possessions on a night where offense wasn’t coming naturally to him. And, after the internet had begged for it, we got to hear E-40 say his name in legendary forty fashion.
It’s just one game, kid. Shake it off.
Grade: D Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds; worst plus/minus on the team.
Green was very candid in camp about needing to take better care of the ball, and it’s something Kerr has touched on as well. Early in the season we’ve been able to see the vision of Dray having better ball security, but it hasn’t always actually played out.
It played out in this game. Green was masterful at taking care of the ball and at setting up his teammates. He really had no poor decisions that I can remember on offense, and he had some of his best passes of the year. There will be times where he scores a lot, but for now, his restraint on that end has been impressive: through five games, he’s attempted just 16 shots.
We sometimes take Draymond’s defense for granted, so let me just say this: it was a superb defensive performance. Just incredible stuff on that end of the court.
Grade: A- Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.
Easily Podziemski’s best game of the young season. Easily. He wasn’t good in the first quarter. He was great in the second quarter. And he was utterly exceptional in the second half.
Podz did it all in this game. He was nonstop movement, never missing an opportunity to get involved in a rebound, deflect a pass, cut, or run the court. His offense was not just good and creative, but unbelievably timely … he just always had a big shot up his sleeve, including a momentum-building three to tie the game going into halftime, and some huge shots late in the third quarter as the Dubs took the lead.
In addition to all of that, he was an absolute joy to watch. He’s so entertaining when his game is on, and it really does look like he’s taken a leap this year. The Warriors are Curry’s team, but Podz and Lendeborg really are the keys to success this year.
Grade: A Post-game bonus:Tied for the team lead in rebounds.
I could watch that Curry performance every day and never get bored of it. Watching Curry and Dončić go bar for bar was simply as good as it gets. As the cliché goes, if you didn’t like that, then you don’t like basketball.
Curry positively took over at the biggest moments of the game. His first buckets were a pair of threes to stop the bleeding when Los Angeles was dominating the first quarter, and then, in the second half, the bulk of his buckets were erasing the deficit or building up a big lead.
I’m gonna be thinking about this play for a very, very long time:
Still got the magic. Still got all the magic.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.
The Warriors bench was special in this game, and Niang was a huge part of it. Golden State’s second unit outscored Los Angeles’ 50-7, and Niang contributed so much to both the scoring and the defending. Like Podziemski, his shots were incredibly timely; he just has a knack for making big buckets.
He also, it turns out, has a knack for talking some serious trash. I wasn’t all that familiar with that part of Niang’s game, but, for the second game in a row, he got into it with the opponent. That’s something that’s been missing from the Warriors for a while now … they’ve had toughness and instigators in the starting lineup, but not always coming off the bench. A great game for Niang.
Grade: A Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds; best plus/minus on the team.
And this is why the Warriors are enamored with Melton. There have been a few duds along the way, but you can see the vision. When it works, it works stunningly well.
This was one of the best games that Melton has had in a Warriors jersey. He took over in the critical second quarter, when the Warriors turned a 25-point deficit into a tied game. Melton had a 7-0 run all by himself in that frame, and finished with 13 points in the quarter. But it was his defense that really stood out. Time and time again he disrupted plays, stripped the ball, or deflected a pass. And just as Podziemski’s buckets all seemed to have a sense of the moment, so too did Melton’s defensive stops. Whenever the Warriors needed to get the ball back, Melton was there to wreak havoc. Phenomenal showing.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds.
Payton did not have the bad shooting game that the box score suggests, as a lot of his misses weren’t true shots, but rather tip-ins when he was keeping possessions alive, and even one alley-oop that was a poor pass. Really, this game was all about defense for GPII, as is so often the case. He only played eight minutes, but he absolutely made an imprint with his defense, which was excellent.
Not Horford’s best game, but he certainly had some moments. He played some really strong defense in this one, and was one of the many reasons why the Dubs held Walker Kessler in check, a week after the Lakers’ center torched them.
Williams has not been efficient early in the season, and I expect that to change. But even when he isn’t getting his shot to fall, there’s no denying how much the team benefits from his presence, and the way he relentlessly attacks opposing defenses. It just seems to catch the defense off guard, and spark something in his teammates. He feels like such a critical player on the Warriors right now, even though his shot isn’t falling. Also, I thought this was his best defensive game since joining the Dubs.
If you want to see a masterclass in how to positively impact a game without filling up the box score, just go back and rewatch this game, and pay close attention to Richard. I don’t have words for how impactful he was. His defense was out of this world, and he was flying around the court, keeping plays alive, making things happen, and pestering the Lakers. Despite not having many stats, it stood out like a neon sign how much better the Warriors were when Richard was on the court in this game. He just made everything work seamlessly.
Bassey seems to be floating in and out of the rotation right now, and games like this are certainly a data point that he should be playing more. He had one of the best plays of the game, when he emphatically stuffed Kessler at the rim, which sparked a transition alley-oop. His defense was superb, and his size and toughness were essential for the second unit. It’s really fun seeing how far Bassey has come, and with Kristaps Porziņģis essentially out of the picture, it really feels like Bassey could emerge as a key rotational piece for Golden State as the year goes on.
Nic Maddinson’s Sheffield Shield return after being discarded from the Test squad didn’t go to plan as NSW collapsed on the second day against Tasmania.
How will Chelsea and Manchester United fare today? Here is what to know, including kick-off time, TV channels and live stream options
Chelsea and Manchester United both need a response to recent bad results. The former suffered a penalty shootout Carabao Cup exit to Liverpool on Wednesday days after a dismal home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
The latter, meanwhile, have endured a chaotic week despite not playing a match. Michael Carrick is still in place as United manager despite widespread belief that Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Bournemouth would be his final act.
