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Masked in his tongue-in-cheek promise that the Lakers would not have an all-white starting five was that the opening lineup was not set.

The given was that Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler would comprise 60% of the group. The assumption was that Quentin Grimes would fill one of the final two spots while the fifth starter would be completely up in the air.

The Lakers hadn’t been healthy enough this preseason to try out a potential starting five until Friday, when head coach JJ Redick threw a curveball with an unexpected starting five.

Redick opted to surround the Big 3 with 3-and-D wings in Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle. The move not to start Grimes may be partly due to how bad the team’s guards have been outside of Luka and Reaves this preseason.

With Collin Sexton out, the Lakers have had to go to options deeper in the bench for ballhandling, including Bronny James. Those minutes have gone poorly.

Having Grimes coming off the bench to spell Luka or AR and keep two decent ballhandlers on the floor. Perhaps, then, this is a bit of a stopgap solution until Sexton is healthy.

At the same time, the preseason exists to try things out. There’s logic behind putting wings and athleticism around Luka and Reaves. It does, however, place a heavy burden on that pair to create shots. Teams are going to sag off Williams and Thybulle defensively, which will clog up the paint.

The key will be whether those two can knock down enough threes to make defenses respect them as shooters. But, as we saw on Friday, teams will blitz Luka and Reaves on ball screens and force the rest of the Lakers to beat them.

It’s an interesting gamble for Redick. Whether he’s willing to take it into the regular season, especially after how poor that lineup looked against the Nuggets to start the game on Friday.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Masked in his tongue-in-cheek promise that the Lakers would not have an all-white starting five was that the opening lineup was not set.

The given was that Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler would comprise 60% of the group. The assumption was that Quentin Grimes would fill one of the final two spots while the fifth starter would be completely up in the air.

The Lakers hadn’t been healthy enough this preseason to try out a potential starting five until Friday, when head coach JJ Redick threw a curveball with an unexpected starting five.

Redick opted to surround the Big 3 with 3-and-D wings in Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle. The move not to start Grimes may be partly due to how bad the team’s guards have been outside of Luka and Reaves this preseason.

With Collin Sexton out, the Lakers have had to go to options deeper in the bench for ballhandling, including Bronny James. Those minutes have gone poorly.

Having Grimes coming off the bench to spell Luka or AR and keep two decent ballhandlers on the floor. Perhaps, then, this is a bit of a stopgap solution until Sexton is healthy.

At the same time, the preseason exists to try things out. There’s logic behind putting wings and athleticism around Luka and Reaves. It does, however, place a heavy burden on that pair to create shots. Teams are going to sag off Williams and Thybulle defensively, which will clog up the paint.

The key will be whether those two can knock down enough threes to make defenses respect them as shooters. But, as we saw on Friday, teams will blitz Luka and Reaves on ball screens and force the rest of the Lakers to beat them.

It’s an interesting gamble for Redick. Whether he’s willing to take it into the regular season, especially after how poor that lineup looked against the Nuggets to start the game on Friday.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

In their preseason finale, the Washington Wizards lost to a New Orleans Pelicans squad well-stocked with former Wizards, 107-106.

The game itself was fine for preseason with the exception of No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa landing bad after getting bumped by Zion Williamson while taking a shot and rolling his ankle. It look painful and awkward, and I hope the first thought that came to mind comes true: “He’s 19, so he’ll probably be fine in a couple days.”

While it would be difficult to accuse either team of playing particularly well, there were a number of process things from the Wizards that I did like.

For example, early in the first quarter, Trae Young and Kyshawn George were crossmatched in a quasi-transition situation after a turnover. First, I liked how seamlessly they each matched up in transition. This was a major point of weakness last season.

Second, Young bumped Herb Jones to prevent Jones from simply going where he wanted uncontested. That’s exactly what he should have done, and it suggests Young’s trying to fulfill his pledge to work harder on the defensive end.

Finally, when New Orleans passed to the wing, Young and George switched while the ball was in the air — George going back to the bigger Jones, and Young picking up the smaller guard. Altogether, nothing earth-shaking, but it’s smart, professional basketball.

The Wizards length on defense made an impact. One play midway through the first, Jones attacked the much smaller Young. His options were limited by Anthony Davis drifting down from the opposite elbow and Alex Sarr lurking at the rim. Young stayed engage despite getting beat on the play. End result: a Sarr block.

A scene from Little Things Theater — Sarr got knocked down getting a rebound. The teammates to help him up: Davis and Young.

In the second quarter, with the shot clock running down, Bilal Coulibaly blitzed Saddiq Bey, who was prepping his move against the smaller Tre Johnson. Reduced to no other options, Bey threw up a highly contested fadeaway two, which he made. Despite the made shot, that was a terrific defensive play from Coulibaly.

On multiple possessions, I appreciated what a healthy Davis can do for a defense. He was a constant and persistent presence, held up on switches, and harassed offensive players even when it seemed they’d gotten the best of him.

Late in the first half, George got a wide open three from out top that was created because of some pick-and-roll craft from Young. Both defenders were paying attention to Young. Many NBA ball handlers would have immediately passed out to George, whose man would have been able to recover. Young took an extra dribble, which made it look like he was going to attack, which made George’s man hesitate for a second so he could be available to help. Oops.

In the third quarter, Young got switched onto Bey, and New Orleans immediately tried to attack. Deandre Ayton came to help while the pass to Bey was in the air — a smart, alert play from the big man. He ended up fouling on the play, but it was good defense…until the foul.

Down two late in the fourth quarter, the Wizards G League group perfectly executed a trap-then-foul gambit. The Pelicans nearly turned it over three times, got stuck in a corner at midcourt, and had to call timeout. None of those guys are likely to play major roles in Washington this season, but the execution was a symptom of good coaching.

The Pelicans had a somewhat surprising number of former Wizards involved, including Antonio Daniels on the broadcast (one of the better analysts on TV, in my opinion), Jordan Poole, Bey, AJ Johnson, Julian Reese, plus assistant coaches God Shammgod, Greg Monroe, and Will Bynum. Don’t forget Troy Weaver, who was a front office advisor with the Wizards before moving to the New Orleans front office.

By the way, Poole had a very on-brand foul for him. The Wizards were engaged in an utter disaster of a possession — Young picked up his dribble and his teammates couldn’t shake free enough to safely get the ball. Finally, Young got the ball to Khris Middleton with just five seconds on the shot clock. Before Middleton could even start thinking about how he was going to attack, Poole inexplicably slapped him on the wrist. Which gave the Wizards two free throws.

Anyway, the Wizards finish the preseason 2-2. Next up: the season opener, Oct. 21 at home against Kyle Kuzma and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Programming note: My preseason forecast is coming on Monday.

I’m not running PPA numbers for this game, but here are a few stats that caught my eye when I perused the box score:

• Dybantsa | 12 points and four free throw attempts in 15 minutes.
• Davis | 14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks in 27 minutes. I didn’t love the shot selection, but strong production overall.
• Sarr | 12 points, 9 rebounds in 26 minutes — He seemed more aggressive on the boards with Davis helping protect the paint
• George | 14 points on 7 shots, plus a steal and a couple blocks. Strong preseason out of him.
• Young | 3 steals in 28 minutes. He won’t shoot 1-11 too often. He will commit 5 turnovers with some regularity.

In their preseason finale, the Washington Wizards lost to a New Orleans Pelicans squad well-stocked with former Wizards, 107-106.

The game itself was fine for preseason with the exception of No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa landing bad after getting bumped by Zion Williamson while taking a shot and rolling his ankle. It look painful and awkward, and I hope the first thought that came to mind comes true: “He’s 19, so he’ll probably be fine in a couple days.”

While it would be difficult to accuse either team of playing particularly well, there were a number of process things from the Wizards that I did like.

For example, early in the first quarter, Trae Young and Kyshawn George were crossmatched in a quasi-transition situation after a turnover. First, I liked how seamlessly they each matched up in transition. This was a major point of weakness last season.

Second, Young bumped Herb Jones to prevent Jones from simply going where he wanted uncontested. That’s exactly what he should have done, and it suggests Young’s trying to fulfill his pledge to work harder on the defensive end.

Finally, when New Orleans passed to the wing, Young and George switched while the ball was in the air — George going back to the bigger Jones, and Young picking up the smaller guard. Altogether, nothing earth-shaking, but it’s smart, professional basketball.

The Wizards length on defense made an impact. One play midway through the first, Jones attacked the much smaller Young. His options were limited by Anthony Davis drifting down from the opposite elbow and Alex Sarr lurking at the rim. Young stayed engage despite getting beat on the play. End result: a Sarr block.

A scene from Little Things Theater — Sarr got knocked down getting a rebound. The teammates to help him up: Davis and Young.

In the second quarter, with the shot clock running down, Bilal Coulibaly blitzed Saddiq Bey, who was prepping his move against the smaller Tre Johnson. Reduced to no other options, Bey threw up a highly contested fadeaway two, which he made. Despite the made shot, that was a terrific defensive play from Coulibaly.

On multiple possessions, I appreciated what a healthy Davis can do for a defense. He was a constant and persistent presence, held up on switches, and harassed offensive players even when it seemed they’d gotten the best of him.

Late in the first half, George got a wide open three from out top that was created because of some pick-and-roll craft from Young. Both defenders were paying attention to Young. Many NBA ball handlers would have immediately passed out to George, whose man would have been able to recover. Young took an extra dribble, which made it look like he was going to attack, which made George’s man hesitate for a second so he could be available to help. Oops.

In the third quarter, Young got switched onto Bey, and New Orleans immediately tried to attack. Deandre Ayton came to help while the pass to Bey was in the air — a smart, alert play from the big man. He ended up fouling on the play, but it was good defense…until the foul.

Down two late in the fourth quarter, the Wizards G League group perfectly executed a trap-then-foul gambit. The Pelicans nearly turned it over three times, got stuck in a corner at midcourt, and had to call timeout. None of those guys are likely to play major roles in Washington this season, but the execution was a symptom of good coaching.

The Pelicans had a somewhat surprising number of former Wizards involved, including Antonio Daniels on the broadcast (one of the better analysts on TV, in my opinion), Jordan Poole, Bey, AJ Johnson, Julian Reese, plus assistant coaches God Shammgod, Greg Monroe, and Will Bynum. Don’t forget Troy Weaver, who was a front office advisor with the Wizards before moving to the New Orleans front office.

By the way, Poole had a very on-brand foul for him. The Wizards were engaged in an utter disaster of a possession — Young picked up his dribble and his teammates couldn’t shake free enough to safely get the ball. Finally, Young got the ball to Khris Middleton with just five seconds on the shot clock. Before Middleton could even start thinking about how he was going to attack, Poole inexplicably slapped him on the wrist. Which gave the Wizards two free throws.

Anyway, the Wizards finish the preseason 2-2. Next up: the season opener, Oct. 21 at home against Kyle Kuzma and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Programming note: My preseason forecast is coming on Monday.

I’m not running PPA numbers for this game, but here are a few stats that caught my eye when I perused the box score:

• Dybantsa | 12 points and four free throw attempts in 15 minutes.
• Davis | 14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks in 27 minutes. I didn’t love the shot selection, but strong production overall.
• Sarr | 12 points, 9 rebounds in 26 minutes — He seemed more aggressive on the boards with Davis helping protect the paint
• George | 14 points on 7 shots, plus a steal and a couple blocks. Strong preseason out of him.
• Young | 3 steals in 28 minutes. He won’t shoot 1-11 too often. He will commit 5 turnovers with some regularity.

Preseason Bell Ringer rankings:
Jaylen Brown – 1
VJ Edgecombe – 1
LeBron James – 1

The Sixers closed their 2026-27 preseason campaign on Friday with an 125-120 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics in South Philadelphia on Friday night.

The big story was that the Sixers’ regular starting lineup — well, four fifths of it — was in action for this one. VJ Edgecombe was out, but just for rest according to Nick Nurse. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was slotted into his spot for the initial five.

The Sixers continue to look like a team that is absolutely stacked with talent but has a bit of way to go in terms of solidifying the on-court chemistry, at least early on the game. Things definitely tightened up throughout the second frame and on compared to a disjointed first, showing signs of the team this squad could really be after playing together more consistently.

The main starters played into the second half of this one as well, playing through the third before subbing out for the night. The good news is that they all played well enough to be our Bell Ringer candidates tonight.

Let’s get to it.

Jaylen Brown: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks

Jaylen Brown just never really looks out of sorts. Even in the beginning of this one where the overall offense of the Sixers was a bit disjointed and sloppy, Brown was able to produce. He made a habit of getting right to the rim early and often, seldom having to rely on pulling up for a contested midrange shot. In the first half, Brown put up 14 points on 5-for-11 field goal shooting (one triple) with six rebounds and three assists. By that point, he had already made a number of defensive plays as well, with two blocks and a steal by the break.

From his skills in isolation and getting to the rim, to his passing, to his aggression on the boards, to his defensive prowess… Sixers fans know all too well what Brown is capable of when he’s at his best. It’s just nice to get to see him doing it in a Philadelphia jersey now.

Brown finished this one with 20 points on 8-for-14 field goal shooting with eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks. He played 31 minutes.

LeBron James: 8 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Even when LeBron James only seems to be doing a little, he still does a whole lot. LeBron didn’t post some unbelievable stat line on Friday night but it certainly doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved. In his South Philly debut, the king went to work running the offense quite a bit, working the two-man game with Tyrese Maxey most often and a little with Labaron Philon Jr. Even outside those instances, it’s clear that he is focused first on creating opportunities for his teammates before worrying about getting shots up himself, and his passing is absolutely elite. He had a floor-leading seven assists in this one.

And people tried to tell me he was going to be a complete ball hog… Sure, it’s preseason, but it really doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a problem.

Lebron finished the game with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, a steal and a block in just under 25 minutes.

Tyrese Maxey: 22 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal

My goodness, is Tyrese Maxey in a great spot to thrive with this Sixers squad. I know that probably seems obvious simply because of the level of talent around him, but it’s also that the talent around him compliments him perfectly. Not only does Maxey now have, for example, the two-man game with Embiid that has pretty much always been successful in the half-court offense, he now adds the two-man game with and transition aggression of Lebron James. Not only that, but the amount of space he now has to operate with considering the amount of attention all of his teammates garner from opposing defenses is greatly improved over the last few years, meaning less forced contested shots and more buckets falling from all over the floor. Maxey’s playmaking himself continues to improve as well, especially with so much off-ball movement from this lineup.

The bottom line is that Maxey is really being set up for success with this roster and I think Friday night was an excellent example of him taking full advantage of that. From getting out in transition to those two-man games to a few just stellar Maxey-magic finishes, the guard was able to contribute consistently throughout his time in this one.

Maxey finished with 22 points on 7-for-11 field goal shooting with three rebounds, six assists and one steal.

Joel Embiid: 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

I’ll be honest, the first half was a very mixed bag for Joel Embiid. It started out a bit like we’ve seen so far this preseason — a bit sloppy, a little lackadaisical even. There were some turnovers, he couldn’t seem to stay on his feet, and just wasn’t getting anything going to start things off.

Then, something switched. Things tightened up as the first half went on, and Embiid started looking like the player we all know he can be. He started working the two-man game with Tyrese Maxey more, using his body to create space to sink some midrange jays, and powering up through contact at the rim for close buckets and drawing a ton of fouls in the process. He was active on the boards and solid on the defensive end. This was truly a night and day turnaround from how he looked at the beginning of the game.

He even got up for a dunk, and I mean got UP. (Yes, I gasp every time he does it, but I guess I’m grateful he physically can.)

And this was just one example of Embiid looking spry and agile once he really got himself going on Friday night. Certainly a good sign.

Embiid finished the game with a field-leading 27 points (7-for-13 field goal shooting), eight rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in 29 minutes.

Preseason Bell Ringer rankings:
Jaylen Brown – 1
VJ Edgecombe – 1
LeBron James – 1

The Sixers closed their 2026-27 preseason campaign on Friday with an 125-120 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics in South Philadelphia on Friday night.

The big story was that the Sixers’ regular starting lineup — well, four fifths of it — was in action for this one. VJ Edgecombe was out, but just for rest according to Nick Nurse. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was slotted into his spot for the initial five.

The Sixers continue to look like a team that is absolutely stacked with talent but has a bit of way to go in terms of solidifying the on-court chemistry, at least early on the game. Things definitely tightened up throughout the second frame and on compared to a disjointed first, showing signs of the team this squad could really be after playing together more consistently.

The main starters played into the second half of this one as well, playing through the third before subbing out for the night. The good news is that they all played well enough to be our Bell Ringer candidates tonight.

Let’s get to it.

Jaylen Brown: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks

Jaylen Brown just never really looks out of sorts. Even in the beginning of this one where the overall offense of the Sixers was a bit disjointed and sloppy, Brown was able to produce. He made a habit of getting right to the rim early and often, seldom having to rely on pulling up for a contested midrange shot. In the first half, Brown put up 14 points on 5-for-11 field goal shooting (one triple) with six rebounds and three assists. By that point, he had already made a number of defensive plays as well, with two blocks and a steal by the break.

From his skills in isolation and getting to the rim, to his passing, to his aggression on the boards, to his defensive prowess… Sixers fans know all too well what Brown is capable of when he’s at his best. It’s just nice to get to see him doing it in a Philadelphia jersey now.

Brown finished this one with 20 points on 8-for-14 field goal shooting with eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks. He played 31 minutes.

LeBron James: 8 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Even when LeBron James only seems to be doing a little, he still does a whole lot. LeBron didn’t post some unbelievable stat line on Friday night but it certainly doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved. In his South Philly debut, the king went to work running the offense quite a bit, working the two-man game with Tyrese Maxey most often and a little with Labaron Philon Jr. Even outside those instances, it’s clear that he is focused first on creating opportunities for his teammates before worrying about getting shots up himself, and his passing is absolutely elite. He had a floor-leading seven assists in this one.

And people tried to tell me he was going to be a complete ball hog… Sure, it’s preseason, but it really doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a problem.

Lebron finished the game with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, a steal and a block in just under 25 minutes.

Tyrese Maxey: 22 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal

My goodness, is Tyrese Maxey in a great spot to thrive with this Sixers squad. I know that probably seems obvious simply because of the level of talent around him, but it’s also that the talent around him compliments him perfectly. Not only does Maxey now have, for example, the two-man game with Embiid that has pretty much always been successful in the half-court offense, he now adds the two-man game with and transition aggression of Lebron James. Not only that, but the amount of space he now has to operate with considering the amount of attention all of his teammates garner from opposing defenses is greatly improved over the last few years, meaning less forced contested shots and more buckets falling from all over the floor. Maxey’s playmaking himself continues to improve as well, especially with so much off-ball movement from this lineup.

The bottom line is that Maxey is really being set up for success with this roster and I think Friday night was an excellent example of him taking full advantage of that. From getting out in transition to those two-man games to a few just stellar Maxey-magic finishes, the guard was able to contribute consistently throughout his time in this one.

Maxey finished with 22 points on 7-for-11 field goal shooting with three rebounds, six assists and one steal.

Joel Embiid: 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

I’ll be honest, the first half was a very mixed bag for Joel Embiid. It started out a bit like we’ve seen so far this preseason — a bit sloppy, a little lackadaisical even. There were some turnovers, he couldn’t seem to stay on his feet, and just wasn’t getting anything going to start things off.

Then, something switched. Things tightened up as the first half went on, and Embiid started looking like the player we all know he can be. He started working the two-man game with Tyrese Maxey more, using his body to create space to sink some midrange jays, and powering up through contact at the rim for close buckets and drawing a ton of fouls in the process. He was active on the boards and solid on the defensive end. This was truly a night and day turnaround from how he looked at the beginning of the game.

He even got up for a dunk, and I mean got UP. (Yes, I gasp every time he does it, but I guess I’m grateful he physically can.)

And this was just one example of Embiid looking spry and agile once he really got himself going on Friday night. Certainly a good sign.

Embiid finished the game with a field-leading 27 points (7-for-13 field goal shooting), eight rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in 29 minutes.

The Dallas Mavericks fell on Friday night in their final preseason contest, 135-111 to the Atlanta Hawks at American Airlines Center. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had an efficient 25 points in 27 minutes to lead the Hawks. Cooper Flagg led Dallas with 26 and 12 rebounds in defeat.

The back-and-forth affair early on was punctuated by a Cooper Flagg dunk off a cut and the first of Kyrie Irving’s five 3-pointers. Dallas was foul-happy in the first quarter, committing four team fouls in the first three minutes of play. CJ McCollum connected on two early 3-pointers, and Atlanta took early offensive control. Defense seemed lacking from both teams, though. Dallas rallied right back with a relentless offensive pace. The two teams traded leads, with Atlanta carrying a 39-34 lead into the second quarter on the strength of 16 free-throw attempts.

Quarter two saw the Hawks rain from beyond the arc while the referee show continued apace. Atlanta built up a 17-point lead five minutes into the quarter as the Dallas offense stalled. The Mavericks were so cold in the second that Kyrie Irving, a phenomenal free-throw shooter (88.8%!), missed one. The Mavericks shot a palty 1-of-10 from deep in the second quarter while the Hawks remained electric from beyond the arc — pushing the lead to 73-54 at the half.

Dallas started the second half intent on cutting into the Atlanta lead. Three possessions of solid offense, the Mavericks cut the Hawks lead down to 14 only for Atlanta to knockdown back-to-back threes and regain their 20 point cushion. The Dallas defense was frenetic but poor, and the Hawks kept the pressure on all period. Sergio De Larrea continued his hot shooting on low volume, hitting both threes he took in the period. Dallas entered the fourth down 102-78.

Cooper Flagg transtion attacks forced a quick Hawks timeout to start the fourth quarter. While Dallas continued to play within what should be their regular rotation, both Flagg and Kyrie were done for the night following the timeout. De Larrea played well to close out the fourth, but the main goal for both squads was to get out with everyone healthy.

Cooper Flagg looks ready for primetime

Take a second and watch this.

That sort of move simply doesn’t happen last year. It’s not that he couldn’t do it, but we didn’t see much like it from Flagg. He put his head down, got to the rim or he’d have a strong one dribble move into a jumper. But sauce? We didn’t get a lot and that sort of thing comes with an enormous amount of work.

And while Flagg wasn’t terribly efficient in terms of shooting (just 8 of 20), he got to the line for 12 free throws and should’ve had at least 4-6 more. The 12 rebounds were also impressive and if he’s cleaning up the glass and pushing the pace, he looks frightening coming downhill.

I am excited for what year two will bring. The league should be concerned.

Kyrie Irving yields basketball joy

This isn’t news, but it’s certainly fun to type. Irving had a good but weird game. While he was money from beyond the arc, he missed some weird layups and even had a free throw rim out. But no matter, it’s a preseason game.

That special something he had when last playing regular season Dallas Maverick basketball? He still has it. Thank God.

Can the NBA Referees settle down?

We don‘t come to watch the refs. I thought a 7:00 pm (7:15) start time meant games would get over at a reasonable hour. That one was a full two and a half hours because of 48 called fouls and 71 combined free-throw attempts. RELAX, GUYS.

The Dallas Mavericks fell on Friday night in their final preseason contest, 135-111 to the Atlanta Hawks at American Airlines Center. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had an efficient 25 points in 27 minutes to lead the Hawks. Cooper Flagg led Dallas with 26 and 12 rebounds in defeat.

The back-and-forth affair early on was punctuated by a Cooper Flagg dunk off a cut and the first of Kyrie Irving’s five 3-pointers. Dallas was foul-happy in the first quarter, committing four team fouls in the first three minutes of play. CJ McCollum connected on two early 3-pointers, and Atlanta took early offensive control. Defense seemed lacking from both teams, though. Dallas rallied right back with a relentless offensive pace. The two teams traded leads, with Atlanta carrying a 39-34 lead into the second quarter on the strength of 16 free-throw attempts.

Quarter two saw the Hawks rain from beyond the arc while the referee show continued apace. Atlanta built up a 17-point lead five minutes into the quarter as the Dallas offense stalled. The Mavericks were so cold in the second that Kyrie Irving, a phenomenal free-throw shooter (88.8%!), missed one. The Mavericks shot a palty 1-of-10 from deep in the second quarter while the Hawks remained electric from beyond the arc — pushing the lead to 73-54 at the half.

Dallas started the second half intent on cutting into the Atlanta lead. Three possessions of solid offense, the Mavericks cut the Hawks lead down to 14 only for Atlanta to knockdown back-to-back threes and regain their 20 point cushion. The Dallas defense was frenetic but poor, and the Hawks kept the pressure on all period. Sergio De Larrea continued his hot shooting on low volume, hitting both threes he took in the period. Dallas entered the fourth down 102-78.

Cooper Flagg transtion attacks forced a quick Hawks timeout to start the fourth quarter. While Dallas continued to play within what should be their regular rotation, both Flagg and Kyrie were done for the night following the timeout. De Larrea played well to close out the fourth, but the main goal for both squads was to get out with everyone healthy.

Cooper Flagg looks ready for primetime

Take a second and watch this.

That sort of move simply doesn’t happen last year. It’s not that he couldn’t do it, but we didn’t see much like it from Flagg. He put his head down, got to the rim or he’d have a strong one dribble move into a jumper. But sauce? We didn’t get a lot and that sort of thing comes with an enormous amount of work.

And while Flagg wasn’t terribly efficient in terms of shooting (just 8 of 20), he got to the line for 12 free throws and should’ve had at least 4-6 more. The 12 rebounds were also impressive and if he’s cleaning up the glass and pushing the pace, he looks frightening coming downhill.

I am excited for what year two will bring. The league should be concerned.

Kyrie Irving yields basketball joy

This isn’t news, but it’s certainly fun to type. Irving had a good but weird game. While he was money from beyond the arc, he missed some weird layups and even had a free throw rim out. But no matter, it’s a preseason game.

That special something he had when last playing regular season Dallas Maverick basketball? He still has it. Thank God.

Can the NBA Referees settle down?

We don‘t come to watch the refs. I thought a 7:00 pm (7:15) start time meant games would get over at a reasonable hour. That one was a full two and a half hours because of 48 called fouls and 71 combined free-throw attempts. RELAX, GUYS.

Before the season even began, Kentucky Basketball was already dealing with an injury bug. Forward Milan Momcilovic jammed his finger but is now healthy and played against Little Rock, while guard Jerone Morton suffered a knee injury and will be re-evaluated in several weeks.

Forward Kam Williams continues to recover from a second surgery on the broken foot he suffered in February. Williams returned for the SEC and NCAA Tournaments but required another procedure after his recovery stalled.

Meanwhile, forward Trent Noah re-aggravated his hamstring injury earlier this summer and remains sidelined.

Following Friday night’s exhibition against Little Rock, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope provided an update on Noah’s recovery and explained why getting Williams back on the court is becoming increasingly important.

“With Trent, he’s kind of struggling a little bit right now to regain his health,” Pope said. “It makes it even more important that we get Kam back on time. So we’re hopeful. We’re hopeful.”

Hearing that Noah is struggling to regain his health with a hamstring he’s hurt several times already isn’t what you want to hear as the regular season draws closer.

Thankfully, Williams is making good progress and appears close to being cleared to practice.

For Pope, having a healthy or nearly healthy roster is crucial after injuries have repeatedly disrupted his first two seasons in Lexington.

During his first season, Kentucky lost Jaxson Robinson and Kerr Kriisa to injuries, while Lamont Butler missed time off and on late in the season. In Pope’s second season, starting guard Jaland Lowe was also sidelined, while Williams missed a significant portion of that campaign because of his foot injury.

Additionally, forward Jayden Quaintance never fully recovered from his torn ACL in time to contribute on the court.

Recurring injuries have made it difficult for Pope to maintain a consistent rotation and get his best players on the floor together. With another season underway, Kentucky will hope to avoid a similar situation. The Wildcats need Williams and Noah to regain their health and Morton to work his way back.

There is still plenty of time for Kentucky to get healthy, but the Wildcats will need to be injury-free if they hope to reach their potential this season.

Before the season even began, Kentucky Basketball was already dealing with an injury bug. Forward Milan Momcilovic jammed his finger but is now healthy and played against Little Rock, while guard Jerone Morton suffered a knee injury and will be re-evaluated in several weeks.

Forward Kam Williams continues to recover from a second surgery on the broken foot he suffered in February. Williams returned for the SEC and NCAA Tournaments but required another procedure after his recovery stalled.

Meanwhile, forward Trent Noah re-aggravated his hamstring injury earlier this summer and remains sidelined.

Following Friday night’s exhibition against Little Rock, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope provided an update on Noah’s recovery and explained why getting Williams back on the court is becoming increasingly important.

“With Trent, he’s kind of struggling a little bit right now to regain his health,” Pope said. “It makes it even more important that we get Kam back on time. So we’re hopeful. We’re hopeful.”

Hearing that Noah is struggling to regain his health with a hamstring he’s hurt several times already isn’t what you want to hear as the regular season draws closer.

Thankfully, Williams is making good progress and appears close to being cleared to practice.

For Pope, having a healthy or nearly healthy roster is crucial after injuries have repeatedly disrupted his first two seasons in Lexington.

During his first season, Kentucky lost Jaxson Robinson and Kerr Kriisa to injuries, while Lamont Butler missed time off and on late in the season. In Pope’s second season, starting guard Jaland Lowe was also sidelined, while Williams missed a significant portion of that campaign because of his foot injury.

Additionally, forward Jayden Quaintance never fully recovered from his torn ACL in time to contribute on the court.

Recurring injuries have made it difficult for Pope to maintain a consistent rotation and get his best players on the floor together. With another season underway, Kentucky will hope to avoid a similar situation. The Wildcats need Williams and Noah to regain their health and Morton to work his way back.

There is still plenty of time for Kentucky to get healthy, but the Wildcats will need to be injury-free if they hope to reach their potential this season.

The start of wing Julian Strawther’s fourth NBA season with the Denver Nuggets is off to an unfortunate, unpredictable beginning.

During the Wednesday, Oct. 14, preseason matchup at the Los Angeles Clippers, Strawther suffered a left knee sprain that was revealed by an MRI the following day. The Gonzaga Bulldog sharpshooter will be re-evaluated in six weeks and will look to make his 2026-27 debut sometime in December.

Denver is already limited with the bench and three-point shooting support leading into their season opener against center Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Oct. 22. Last season, Strawther averaged 7.2 points on a career-high 46.7 field goal percentage and 38.7 three-point percentage across 57 games played.

The highly anticipated introduction of the newest Nugget and former Zag, point guard Ryan Nembhard, alongside Strawther out on the perimeter will have to wait. Nembhard was signed by Denver to a two-way contract as an unrestricted free agent back at the end of September.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho

The start of wing Julian Strawther’s fourth NBA season with the Denver Nuggets is off to an unfortunate, unpredictable beginning.

During the Wednesday, Oct. 14, preseason matchup at the Los Angeles Clippers, Strawther suffered a left knee sprain that was revealed by an MRI the following day. The Gonzaga Bulldog sharpshooter will be re-evaluated in six weeks and will look to make his 2026-27 debut sometime in December.

Denver is already limited with the bench and three-point shooting support leading into their season opener against center Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Oct. 22. Last season, Strawther averaged 7.2 points on a career-high 46.7 field goal percentage and 38.7 three-point percentage across 57 games played.

The highly anticipated introduction of the newest Nugget and former Zag, point guard Ryan Nembhard, alongside Strawther out on the perimeter will have to wait. Nembhard was signed by Denver to a two-way contract as an unrestricted free agent back at the end of September.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho