ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov broke a second-period tie with his NHL-leading 10th goal, Jesper Wallstedt stopped 13 shots and the Minnesota Wild beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Sunday night.
Danila Yurov also scored to help the Central Division-leading Wild improve to 6-2-1.
Adam Fantilli scored for Columbus. Cam Talbot made 32 saves.
Kaprizov broke a 1-1 tie with a power-play goal at 3:06 of the second, beating Talbot over the shoulder from the bottom of the left faceoff circle.
Both goalies stood tall early in the first period. Wallstedt denied Connor Garland on a breakaway two minutes into the game. Then Talbot made three saves as the Blue Jackets killed off a 5-on-3 power play that lasted 1:52.
Minnesota got on the board late in the first period. Yakov Trenin scooped up a turnover at the Columbus blue line, beat a defender on the way to the net, then feathered a pass across the slot where Yurov was waiting to tap it in.
FLAMES 3, HURRICANES 2
CALGARY. Alberta (AP) — Yegor Sharangovich scored the go-ahead goal with 4:28 left and Calgary ended Carolina’s seven-game winning streak, beating the defending champions for their second victory of the season.
Morgan Frost set up the winning goal after scoring on a power play in the second period. Matvei Gridin also scored, and Devin Cooley made 34 saves to help Calgary improve to 2-6-0.
On the deciding play, Frost sent a saucer pass across the slot to Sharangovich, who one-timed it as soon as the puck landed on his stick and picked the top corner, sending goalie Brandon Bussi’s water bottle flying.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jalen Chatfield scored for Carolina, and Bussi made 31 saves. The Hurricanes dropped do 7-2-1.
CALGARY. Alberta (AP) — Yegor Sharangovich scored the go-ahead goal with 4:28 left and the Calgary Flames ended Carolina's seven-game winning streak, beating the defending champion Hurricanes 3-2 on Saturday night for their second victory of the season.
Morgan Frost set up the winning goal after scoring on a power play in the second period. Matvei Gridin also scored, and Devin Cooley made 34 saves to help Calgary improve to 2-6-0.
On the deciding play, Frost sent a saucer pass across the slot to Sharangovich, who one-timed it as soon as the puck landed on his stick and picked the top corner, sending goalie Brandon Bussi’s water bottle flying.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jalen Chatfield scored for Carolina, and Bussi made 31 saves. The Hurricanes dropped do 7-2-1.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild center Danila Yurov is beginning to find his offensive game, and head coach John Hynes believes the 22-year-old has the potential to become an important piece of the organization’s future.
Yurov scored his third goal in his last four games during Minnesota’s 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, continuing an impressive offensive stretch for the former first-round pick.
But following the victory, Hynes made it clear that Yurov’s contributions extend well beyond his recent scoring success.
In fact, the Wild coach believes Yurov has the potential to become a first- or second-line center in the NHL.
“The puck pressure, the reads, the hockey sense with Yurov are, even last year, they’re, like I keep talking to him, he’s going to be a top-two line center the way that he thinks the game, sees the game,” Hynes said.
“Now, we’re starting to see his skating, his confidence, his offensive instincts, on top of his hockey smarts and acumen without the puck, which is excellent.”
It’s a significant endorsement from Hynes, particularly considering the attention surrounding Yurov’s future in Minnesota.
The 24th overall selection from the 2022 NHL Draft has been mentioned in trade speculation involving Detroit Red Wings former captain Dylan Larkin, an established NHL center who could immediately strengthen Minnesota’s lineup.
While there’s no indication a trade involving Yurov is imminent, his recent emergence presents an interesting situation for the Wild.
Minnesota has been looking for additional help down the middle, but one of its youngest centers is beginning to show why the organization invested a first-round selection in him.
And according to Hynes, the development taking place goes much deeper than the scoresheet.
Yurov’s Development Goes Beyond Scoring
WILD SCORE FIRST! 💥
Yakov Trenin makes a nice move to find a wide open Danila Yurov for the finish.
One of the biggest challenges for young centers transitioning to the NHL is learning how to handle the responsibilities that come with the position.
It’s not simply about generating offense. Centers are expected to support their defensemen, win puck battles, make responsible decisions through the neutral zone and contribute in all three zones.
For Yurov, those details have been among the strongest parts of his game.
Hynes has repeatedly praised the young Russian’s hockey intelligence and ability to read plays, qualities that have helped him earn additional responsibilities despite his limited NHL experience.
That includes time on the penalty kill, where Hynes believes Yurov has already established himself as a reliable option.
“He’s been excellent on the penalty kill,” Hynes said.
It’s an encouraging sign for a player whose offensive abilities were a major part of his appeal when Minnesota selected him in the first round.
While Yurov’s recent goals have attracted attention, his ability to contribute without the puck could ultimately determine how quickly he develops into the top-six center Hynes envisions.
And another important part of that development is taking place in the faceoff circle.
Former NHL Center Derek Stepan Helping Yurov
Yurov has been working with former NHL center Derek Stepan to improve his faceoff ability, something Hynes specifically highlighted following Sunday’s victory.
“The faceoffs, he was over 50% on the faceoff circle. He’s been working with [Derek Stepan]. He puts time and effort into it,” Hynes said.
Stepan, a native of Hastings, Minnesota, brings extensive NHL experience to the process. The former center played 890 regular-season games across 13 NHL seasons, recording 182 goals, 333 assists and 515 points.
He also appeared in 120 Stanley Cup playoff games, contributing 20 goals, 35 assists and 55 points.
Throughout his career, Stepan established himself as a dependable NHL center who understood the responsibilities of playing in the middle of the ice.
That experience provides Yurov with an opportunity to learn from someone who spent more than a decade competing against some of the league’s best players.
Faceoffs are particularly important for a young center looking to earn more ice time and responsibility. Winning draws can help a team establish possession, relieve pressure in the defensive zone and create offensive opportunities immediately following a faceoff.
For a player like Yurov, improving in that area could make him a more complete option for Minnesota’s coaching staff. His work with Stepan also demonstrates the commitment Hynes has noticed throughout his development.
Yurov isn’t simply relying on his natural offensive talent. He’s putting in additional work to improve the details necessary to become an everyday NHL center.
So far, it has paid off. He had the lowest faceoff percentage in the NHL last season for centermen who took at least 742 draws (39.2 percent). He's at 56.6 percent this season.
An Interesting Decision Could Be Ahead For Minnesota
Yurov’s recent emergence comes at an interesting time for the Wild.
Minnesota has been linked to Detroit's Dylan Larkin in trade speculation as the organization continues looking for ways to strengthen its center depth.
Larkin would provide the Wild with an established top-six center capable of making an immediate impact. However, acquiring a player of his caliber could require Minnesota to part with valuable young assets, potentially including Yurov.
And that’s where Hynes’ comments become particularly interesting.
The Wild are reportedly exploring the possibility of acquiring an established center, yet their own head coach believes one of their young players has the potential to develop into a first- or second-line center himself.
At 22 years old, Yurov is still in the early stages of his NHL career. There will undoubtedly be growing pains, and a four-game scoring stretch doesn’t guarantee he’ll reach the ceiling Hynes envisions.
But his recent production, defensive awareness, penalty-killing contributions and continued improvement in the faceoff circle suggest his development is moving in the right direction.
“So, it’s nice to see, particularly early in the season to see him get on the scoresheet, get some confidence that way because there’s so many things that are trending in the right direction with him, and that’s certainly one of them,” Hynes said.
For Minnesota, the challenge is balancing the desire to improve immediately with the potential of its young players.
Larkin could provide an immediate solution down the middle, but Yurov is beginning to demonstrate why he could eventually become part of that solution himself.
And when a head coach publicly projects a 22-year-old as a future top-two-line center, it raises an important question about how much the organization should be willing to sacrifice to acquire an established one.
For now, Yurov continues to make his case on the ice.
With three goals in his last four games and increasing trust from Minnesota’s coaching staff, the young Russian is giving the Wild plenty to consider as they evaluate both their present needs and their future down the middle.
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A false alarm was rang during the Golden State Warriors’ open practice on Sunday.
The hearts of everyone gathered in the Chase Center sank when Steph Curry was seen limping off the court and into the locker room.
According to Nick Freidell of The Athletic, head coach Steve Kerr said that Curry left practice early because of an ankle injury.
Steve Kerr expects Steph Curry to be okay. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Freidell reported that Kerr spoke with Curry “in the training room, and he’s fine.”
As of now, nothing is imminent on how Curry is feeling, but Anthony Slater of ESPN reported a team source told him his ankle injury is not considered serious.
Steph Curry leaves Warriors practice early due to an ankle injury. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Curry, 38, was limited to only 43 games last season after spending the second half of the season due to a runner’s knee injury.
When he was healthy last season, Curry averaged 26.6 points, while having a 46.8 shooting percentage from the field and 39.3% from downtown.
He was also averaging 3.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game with 30.9 minutes per game.
When Curry wasn’t on the court, Golden State went 13-26. When he was playing, the Warriors were 24-19.
Steph Curry exits practice early due to an ankle injury on Sunday. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Staying healthy will be key for the Warriors this season, as the team will already begin the season dealing with injuries, as they will be without Kristaps Porzingis and Jimmy Butler.
Last Wednesday, Porzingis made an announcement on X that he will be out indefinitely, as he and his doctors are working on finding a way for him to be his old self again.
Curry is set to kick off his 18th season in the league this week when the Warriors open their season on the road against the Lakers on Wednesday night.
With some injuries piling up on the left side of the blue line, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a roster move Sunday to give them another body for the last leg of their current Western road swing.
These moves come a day after defenseman Sam Girard was injured during the second period of the Penguins' 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, when Girard was tripped by Vegas forward Brett Howden and flew awkwardly into the bottom of the wall shoulder-first.
In addition, Trevor van Riemsdyk is still working out in Pittsburgh and rehabbing from a lower-body injury. He is currently on injured reserve.
Solovyov, 26, began the season on the Penguins' NHL roster. After failing to appear in a game, the Penguins waived him on Oct. 9 in hopes that he would pass through waivers and join WBS to have an opportunity to be in the lineup every night. In three games for WBS, Solovyov had one assist and was a plus-6, largely playing top-pairing minutes with right defenseman Harrison Brunicke.
The 6-foot-3, 229-pound defenseman was traded to Pittsburgh during the second half last season and appeared in 14 games, registering five points to go along with a plus-1.
Johnson, 25, is a former first-round pick (31st overall in 2019) who was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 12. He has yet to appear in an NHL game this season, and he has seven assists in 47 games across three season, all of which were accrued in 41 games during his rookie season in 2023-24.
The Buffalo Sabres had a tough test Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, but they ultimately fell to the Habs in a 4-3 overtime win for Montreal. The ‘loser’ point was beneficial to the Sabres, but against arguably the Atlantic Division’s top team, Buffalo had an opportunity to send a shot across the bow to the Canadiens, and they failed to do so.
The Sabres are by no means a perfect team, but they are very much a work-in-progress. You might say the same about every team, but Buffalo’s pressure is different in that their15-year Stanley Cup playoff drought ended last season, and they now have to take the next step forward – and that’s getting beyond the second round next spring.
But what the Sabres really need to do – something they owe their loyal, long-suffering fans – is pull off a blockbuster trade involving one player or another.
Could that be current Winnipeg Jets malcontent goalie Connor Hellebuyck? It could be. Could it be Detroit Red Wings star center Dylan Larkin? Highly unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Or could there be a star player who suddenly appears on the trade block? That’s the most-likely development for Buffalo.
The Sabres have $1.8-million in salary cap space, so if they are going to acquire a name-brand player with a high salary, they’re going to have to move out money, either in the blockbuster trade, or in a subsequent move. But the other thing Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen could use in a blockbuster swap is his first-round draft picks. The Sabres have all of their first-rounders in the next three drafts, so peeling off one of them wouldn’t hurt a win-now team like Buffalo.
The Sabres don’t need any high-end talent on ‘D, but their current goaltending setup doesn’t inspire much confidence. Veterans Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Colten Ellis have sub-.900 save percentages, and that’s why Buffalo has been linked to Hellebuyck. But the other area Buffalo could target is their top-six group of forwards. If the Toronto Maple Leafs had the assets to acquire star winger Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Sabres have enough trade capital to pick up a similar type of player.
Kekalainen has yet to orchestrate a blockbuster move of any sort in his one year (approximately) running the team. The truth is, Buffalo played so well that Kekalainen didn’t have an acute problem to deal with. But now that the Sabres have settled in a little bit, they could significantly shift the balance of power by bringing in a Grade-A talent.
You can give a player like Ryan McLeod his due for being an above-average NHL talent, but is he a star? No. And that’s what Buffalo needs – star power. That’s what Buffalo fans deserve – a player who can impose their will on games and electrify long-suffering Sabres fans. Some of Buffalo’s youngsters could evolve into superstars some day down the line. But in this moment in the Sabres’ competitive cycle, they need to be swinging for the fences on the trade market.
Sometimes, you never know what players come available. And if Kekalainen shakes the trees in the coming weeks and months, a high-end player could fall into Buffalo’s lap. The Sabres have every reason to bring in a star-caliber player, and if Kekalainen can acquire a top forward or goalie, that could prove to be the final piece of Buffalo’s championship puzzle.
Even though the Philadelphia Flyers are badly hurting due to injuries, especially at forward, they just created some intrigue by cutting loose more healthy bodies than they replace them with.
On Sunday, shortly after the conclusion of the Flyers' practice session, head coach Rick Tocchet revealed that forwards Tyson Foerster and Sean Couturier are game-time decisions ahead of Monday night's game against the Colorado Avalanche.
They join a growing list of Flyers players ailing and out of the lineup, with Travis Konecny, Cam York, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Owen Tippett all injured at the moment as well.
Later Sunday, the Flyers placed York on injured reserve, creating a free roster space, while sending forward Jack Studnicka and defenseman Helge Grans to the AHL.
The only corresponding move the Flyers made was calling up defenseman Hunter McDonald, a 6-foot-4, 240 pound defenseman who made his NHL debut last season against Montreal, recording an assist, a +3 rating, and four penalty minutes.
With the 24-year-old McDonald now on the roster, the Flyers still have two free roster spots available for use, though it's curious that they haven't made use of them just yet.
For instance, in Studnicka's case, the journeyman had recently overtaken the fourth-line center position with Couturier moving up higher in the lineup, as the Flyers preferred Studnicka at center over the versatile Noel Acciari.
Including Tippett, Foerster, and Couturier, the Flyers have 12 forwards on their roster, and they would assuredly need to call up at least one forward to help close the gap.
What are the Flyers' options?
Travis Konecny is eligible to return from injured reserve for the Flyers. (Photo: Eric Hartline, Imagn Images)
Perhaps Travis Konecny, who is now eligible to return from injured reserve after missing seven days of action, is ready to hit the ice, though he wasn't spotted at practice on Sunday.
If needed, players like Jett Luchanko and Alex Bump are candidates to be called up by the Flyers, though, again, it's interesting they haven't already done so.
Bump, 22, would be especially interesting given that he has seven goals in five AHL games this season, including an overtime winner on Saturday night.
It's no secret the Flyers are starved for offense, and Bump would easily be the most deserving candidate for a call-up amongst the forwards.
Luchanko, with six points in six games, has been no slouch either, but the Flyers may prefer their top center prospect to have more development time in the AHL rather than serve as a band-aid solution for a rash of injuries for a game or two.
As for someone like Carl Grundstrom, the Swede was unavailable for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms due to personal reasons on Saturday night, so he might not be an option for the Flyers at the moment.
Other veterans in the AHL, like Nolan Foote and Danila Klimovich, are banged up and likely unavailable, too.
Also of note, the NHL no longer allows paper transactions, so Studnicka must return to the AHL and report for at least one game before he returns to the NHL; the Flyers can't assess Tippett, Foerster, and Couturier and then decide that they need Studnicka back for the Avalanche game.
This latest roster move from the Flyers is clearly a precursor to something more, though it is just unclear what that is at this time.
I’m old enough to remember when Oso Ighodaro wasn’t good enough to get minutes on a team that got their coach fired. | Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images
With the start of the 2026-27 NBA season right around the corner — NBC has a tripleheader on Tuesday! — it’s the time of the year where teams start nailing down the details of contract extensions as deadlines to file rapidly approach. That has benefited a former Marquette Golden Eagle, as Oso Ighodaro has agreed to terms on a three year extension with the Phoenix Suns, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The Suns are picking up Ighodaro's $2.5M team option for 2027-28, so the extension starts in 2028 and runs through 2031 for the franchise's second-round find who has established into a reliable center. https://t.co/wPhFMCxiZm
When Ighodaro was drafted #40 overall in 2024, he signed a deal for three years with a team option for a fourth. The 2026-27 season is the third and final full year of the deal, which the Suns guaranteed for the former Marquette center back in June. Part of the process of agreeing to this extension is Phoenix already picking up the option for the 2027-28 season and thus guaranteeing Ighodaro his nearly $2.5 million salary for that season.
The three year extension then kicks in after that, guaranteeing Ighodaro a paycheck through the end of the 2030-31 season. Spotrac’s breakdown of the deal has him making just under $9 million in 2028-29, $9.7 million in Year Two, and then $10.3 million in Year 3. Oso Ighodaro is a $10 million a year player in the NBA, what a time to be alive.
Ighodaro played in 61 games as a rookie for the Suns, starting six times and averaging 4.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and just over an assist per game in 17 minutes a night. Last season, he played in all 82 games, getting 24 starts for Phoenix. He averaged 6.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 22 minutes per game overall, but as a starter, that was up to 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in nearly 27 minutes per game. Ighodaro started all four games of Phoenix’s first round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder last spring, putting up 7.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in more than 32 minutes. That’s, uh, not too shabby for a former second round pick, so you can see why the team is enthused about locking him up on a deal that’s worth roughly 5% of the salary cap through 2031.
Phoenix opens their season on Wednesday, October 21st, with a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
That noise you hear is a huge sigh of relief coming out of the Bay Area.
Warriors fans' hearts were in their throats on Sunday when Curry limped off the court at an open practice, as Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area recorded.
Steph Curry limps off the court at open practice and he just went back to the locker room @NBCSWarriors
Curry limped straight back to the locker room, and there were concerns he had done something to his knee.
However, after practice, coach Steve Kerr told reporters that the 12-time All-Star just tweaked his ankle. Kerr downplayed what happened, saying, "He's fine."
The Warriors open the season on Wednesday night in Los Angeles against the new-look Lakers.
The Warriors will take the court for that game already missing key players, with Jimmy Butler (ACL) and Moses Moody (left patellar tendon) both expected to return midseason. Center Kristaps Porzingis remains away from the team with an undisclosed medical issue but says he is improving and working toward a return.
Even when those players return, the Warriors are built around Stephen Curry, both his scoring and the gravity he provides, which creates spacing and opportunities for others. Kerr already said this week that they need to rest the 38-year-old Hall of Famer in some situations, particularly back-to-backs.
"But to be really frank, every year we run into this (situation) where, if we have a bunch of games stacked together..." Kerr told reporters, via Nick Friedell at The Athletic. "So, I would just come out and tell the fans out there to be mindful when you're buying the tickets, of the schedule. Take a look. Because we've got not just Steph but multiple vets we are going to try and manage, because it's the only way we can do this."
SACRAMENTO, CA - OCTOBER 5: Jake LaRavia #12 and Sandro Mamukelashvili #54 of the Los Angeles Lakers look on during the game against the Sacramento Kings during a 2026 NBA Preseason game on October 5, 2026 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, 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 Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
An exciting new era of Lakers basketball kicked off this preseason with lots of excitement and intrigue.
While we only briefly got a look at the new Big 3 that will guide the team into the future, there were plenty of other players fans got a long look at, for better and for worse.
Let’s dive into some of the preseason winners and losers for the purple and gold.
Winner — Sandro Mamukelashvili
Lakers fans didn’t have to wait long to find their new fan favorite. As a jack-of-all-trades type of player, Mamu found many ways to make an impression.
Some nights, it was knocking down a barrage of threes. Other nights, it was an unexpected reverse dunk. But most often, it was each of those things and more throughout the game.
Pretty quickly, Mamu established himself as someone who is going to be able to come in and change games with his energy and his versatility, all while getting the fans into the game as well.
Loser — Jarred Vanderbilt
A byproduct of the Lakers bringing in multiple new wings this offseason is that Vando became a lot less valuable in that sense. And with head coach JJ Redick already showing his hand in being willing to sit Vando even when there was more of a need for him, it probably shouldn’t have been a shock to see how little he was used in the preseason.
Even with the team shuffling through players and lineups because of injuries and rest, it was not an uncommon occurrence for Vando to have to wait until the fourth quarter to get his first minutes.
He can still bring value to the team as a chemistry and locker room guy as everyone on the team seems to like him. But he’s very far down the pecking order when it comes to actually getting on the court.
Winner — Ziaire Williams
From effectively the first preseason practice on, Williams was mentioned as a standout player. Despite missing time with an injury, Williams seems to be an odds-on favorite for the starting lineup to open the season.
Considering he was waived by the Nets and came to LA on a minimum deal, it’s already a strong start to the season. The goal now is to make that a springboard to a better campaign and not the high point.
Loser — Jaden Hardy and Dalton Knecht
Coming into training camp, there was supposed to be a battle for the final roster spot and most circled Hardy and Knecht as the guys likely duking it out.
Somehow, both lost.
Based on preseason playing time, Knecht seems likely to lose that battle. But Hardy did not paint himself in any sort of glory. The Lakers probably won’t cut both of them, but it wouldn’t be shocking if they did. President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka likes to have an open roster spot going into the season and Hardy certainly didn’t do enough to earn a roster spot.
Winner — Jake LaRavia
LaRavia’s campaign was a roller coaster last year. After a fast start, he hit a funk and struggled for most of the rest of the way. By the postseason, he seemed scared to even look at the basket.
But a revamped jumper and a renewed mindset have him in a much better space this preseason. His shot looks unorthodox, but he’s shooting it with confidence and it’s going on. It doesn’t matter how pretty it looks, just whether he hits it regularly.
If he does, then he’s another wing the Lakers can turn to this season.
That’s all well and good. The Sixers won’t be naive to the bumps and battles that come with an NBA season. Youth and internal improvement should matter plenty, though.
Time and again, Maxey’s teammates have echoed his mantra of “One percent better every day” in press conferences over the past several weeks. It’s a solid default to any sort of team-building question and words are words. Still, it makes plenty of sense for this Sixers squad to be focused on steady growth.
While James, Brown and the other pickups from the Sixers’ very eventful summer are far from strangers, so much newness always presents major challenges. The awkward turnovers and miscommunications won’t stop just because the preseason is over. As James highlighted at media day, patience and day-after-day dedication will be required.
“Look at the team I have around me,” Edgecombe said with a laugh on Sept. 29. “There’s no pressure on me at all. I’m just going to go out there and be myself. Once I’m out there being myself, playing with joy, I think we’ll be good.”
James certainly does not view Edgecombe as an immature youngster.
“He’s just not quiet,” the four-time MVP said on Oct. 3 after the Sixers’ Blue-White scrimmage. “And I’m saying that in a good way. If there’s things that happen on the floor, if there’s things that he sees, if there’s things that we see, we just automatically figure it out right there. … He’s a very cerebral player and he’s always looking for ways to get better on the floor, even at his young age.
“It definitely feels like he’s much older. It definitely feels like he’s not in Year 2. … We have a lot of guys that have been around the block, a lot of guys that have a voice, and a lot of guys that want to get better every day and hold each other accountable. It’s great to see.”
The Sixers will rely on Edgecombe to keep developing defensively, sink open three-pointers, and trust his instincts as the kid in the starting lineup.
He has an abundance of star ingredients.
“VJ’s gotten better every single day,” Maxey said Thursday. “He grows as a player every single day. His mind grows, his athleticism grows. He was dunking last year, but he wasn’t dunking like this. You can tell he got a little bit stronger, a little bit more confident. I’m excited to step on the court and compete with him.”
After averaging career highs last year in points (28.3 per game), assists (6.6), rebounds (4.1) and steals (1.9), what’s on his agenda this season?
“I’m at the point now where I’ve showed what I can do talent-wise, I think,” Maxey said following Day 2 of training camp. “Of course I’m going to get to better, but I want to be judged by winning. If we win, that’s what I want to be judged by. That’s really my main mindset, my whole goal, is finding ways to win.
“And because I’ve played so many different roles, I’m capable of doing so many different things. I think that’s going to be a positive for myself and for this team. I can play on the ball, I can play off the ball, I can play in transition, I can catch and shoot, I can play off pin-downs, I can play in pick-and-roll. I’m going to play however they need me to play.”
Shifting to the bench, the notable young names include 23-year-old backup center Adem Bona and rookie guard Labaron Philon Jr.
However, a world in which Philon eventually seizes a meaningful rotation spot isn’t outlandish to imagine. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said at training camp that he was “super impressed with his vision and his passing and his offensive creation.”
Philon played 24.3 minutes per game in his first preseason and averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 assists. He’s been curious about all his veteran teammates have to offer, asking questions on topics ranging from Brown’s secrets to making tightly contested shots to Edgecombe’s process for building a personal routine in the NBA.
Philon has maintained a deep belief in his own game, too.
“I would say I’ve always been a great passer,” he said on Oct. 2. “Having the right guys, the right plays and the right mindset. First, you have to be unselfish. Second, you’ve got to have guys that want to move on the floor. And then third, it just comes down to making the best decision. For me, the best decision is making the easiest play.
“Right now I don’t really need any showtime or any flashy plays. The position that I’m in right now, making the right play every time will be great for me. And I’ve been doing it. So just seeing that (in training camp) has been good.”
The Sixers will happily take right play after right play this season.
The hunch here is that the youngsters will make many of them.
Any chance of Ben Simmons making a comeback this season will have to wait until next season.
The Sacramento Kings announced on Sunday that an MRI confirmed Simmons has suffered a torn right Achilles injury during practice.
“Sacramento Kings guard Ben Simmons was injured during a live drill in practice on Sunday, Oct. 18. An MRI revealed a torn right Achilles tendon. Simmons will undergo surgery,” the Kings announced in a press release this afternoon.
Ben Simmons to miss the rest of the season due to a right torn Achilles injury. NBAE via Getty Images
Simmons signed a one-year $3.5 million deal with the Kings last month after spending last year as an unsigned free agent. The deal was reportedly a non-guaranteed contract that would’ve paid him $1 million if he made the opening night roster.
Simmons was once a No.1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in 2016 but spent his career hampered by injuries, including a right foot fracture in 2016-2017, as well as constant knee and leg injuries from 2021-2025.
Simmons was once a No.1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in 2016. AP Photo/Eric GaySimmons signed a one-year $3.5 million deal with the Kings last month after spending last year as an unsigned free agent. NBAE via Getty Images
This season, he was expected to be a backup point guard, behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr., who’s played in four of the Kings’ preseason games.
Simmons has appeared in two preseason games this season and recently had 25 minutes of playing time last Friday when he scored 14 points, with eight rebounds, seven assists, and one steal against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Kings are set to open their season this Wednesday when they travel to Los Angeles to play the Clippers.
Tampa Bay’s Jonny DeLuca figured it was going to be a quiet day for the outfielders with Drew Rasmussen on the mound for Game 5 of the AL Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians
With the way Rasmussen quieted the Guardians offense on Sunday, that made for a perfect evening.
“It gets kind of boring out there because it’s incredible the stuff he has,” DeLuca said. “But you like that because he’s your teammate.”
Rasmussen allowed one run over seven innings for his second postseason win in a 3-1 victory that gave the Rays a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out six.
“The way he limited anything was really, really impressive,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He got in rhythm with the fastball. A lot of power to everything. Then the depth on the changeup throughout the outing was a big pitch for him.”
Tampa Bay has won the last two games and will try to capture its third AL pennant and first since 2020 on Monday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Since the ALCS expanded to best-of-seven games in 1985, road teams winning Game 5 for a 3-2 lead have won the series four of five times.
“It’s a great opportunity. All of us are thinking of it. But it all ends tomorrow. We’re going to win tomorrow,” said designated hitter Yandy Díaz, who had three hits.
Game 7 if needed would be Tuesday. The World Series starts Friday at NL champion Milwaukee.
Rasmussen had given up two runs over six innings in the opener. After Chase DeLauter’s two-out single in the first, the 31-year-old right-hander retired nine straight batters and allowed only one other baserunner through the sixth.
Rasmussen is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three postseason starts, striking out 23 and walking three
He used his changeup only 12 times in the opener but threw it 27 times on Sunday, including 21 for strikes.
“We were able to attack with the changeup a lot more tonight,” he said. “The ability to drive the cutter to the top I thought was also another strength.”
Cleveland finally threatened in the seventh when Steven Kwan and José Ramírez singled to put runners at the corners, and DeLauter grounded an RBI single between first and second.
Cam Booser and Tyler Wells worked the eighth, with Wells striking out Ramírez to strand a runner.
Bryan Baker came in for the ninth and converted his 35th straight save chance, his fifth of this postseason. Jo Adell was on second base when Travis Bazzana hit a game-ending groundout.
Rays take advantage of early opportunities
Tampa Bay scored single runs in each of the first three innings, the first two off Parker Messick and the third against Tim Herrin.
Tampa Bay’s leadoff hitter reached base in the first four innings — scoring in the first three frames — and six times overall. Rays’ leadoff batters have reached in 10 of 14 innings dating to Saturday.
Díaz scored on a bases-loaded walk by Messick to DeLuca in the first inning. Díaz led off with a line-drive double over center fielder Petey Halpin that bounced on the warning track and off the wall.
Jonathan Aranda’s single drove in Ben Williamson for a 2-0 lead in the second, and Liam Hicks looped a curveball from Herrin to center to score Chandler Simpson in the third.
“I think we took advantage of getting ourselves in some favorable counts and getting some big hits,” Cash said. “We probably left some opportunities out there, and then they go to the bullpen, and it’s really challenging to piece together big innings when they’re mixing and matching from the third or fourth inning, whatever it was, on.”
Kwan helps keep Cleveland close
Kwan had two of Cleveland’s five hits and the four-time Gold Glove winner made two fine defensive plays: He threw out Walls trying to score from second base on Aranda’s fourth-inning single to left and made a leaping catch at the center-field wall on Victor Mesa Jr.’s eighth-inning drive, saving a run.
Messick had the shortest outing of his big league career and didn’t make it past the third inning for the second time in four postseason starts. The 25-year-old left-hander went two innings and allowed two runs, five hits and three walks, throwing just 34 of 57 pitches for strikes.
Cleveland has not won an ALCS when trailing 3-2 while the Rays are 58-27 at home this year, including the postseason.
The Guardians are seeking their first World Series title since 1948.
“We know we’ve got our work cut out for us. It’s a really good team and a really good team when they play at home, especially,” manager Stephen Vogt said. ”We know this is going to be tough but if there’s a group I’m betting on to get this done, it’s our guys.”
Up next
Tampa Bay will start right-hander Freddy Peralta (1-0, 0.79 ERA postseason), who will make his third appearance of the series. He threw six scoreless innings in his Game 2 start and pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief on Saturday. Cleveland has not announced a starter, and Vogt ruled out using right-hander Gavin Williams.
Just before Australia’s tour of South Africa began in Durban earlier this month, Steve Smith was in a mood at Kingsmead Stadium, cursing for every ball that found the edge of his bat.
“Wherever LeBron [James] went in the East, I figured that’d probably be our opening night [game],” Hart said after Knicks practice Sunday. “That will be good for headlines and box office and those kinds of things.”
With training camp and the preseason over, all attention now turns to the opener against the 76ers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
With it being banner/ring night and the opener, there is already plenty of intrigue and attention. But it is impossible to escape all the extras involved.
The NBA, with LeBron and Jaylen Brown joining the 76ers to create a supposed “superteam” this offseason, is clearly interested in making this a rivalry and season-long storyline. The two teams play each other twice in the opening six games — both on national television. In fact, all four matchups this season are on national television.
Most have labeled the 76ers — with a core of James, Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe — as the biggest threat to the Knicks’ chances of repeating as champions.
Add in the close geographical distance, the recent playoff history between the two teams and the fact LeBron has publicly said he envisioned finishing his career with the Knicks had they not won the title (and is living part-time in New York City), and there are all the ingredients of a renewed rivalry.
LeBron James signed with the 76ers in July. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Mike Brown’s first head coaching gig was coaching James with the Cavaliers. He knows that when James is involved, everything is just bigger.
“The reality of it, in coach talk, you want to say every game is the same,” the Knicks coach said Sunday. “That’s what you try to impress upon your guys is, ‘Hey, when we step on the floor, no matter who’s in front of us, you want to give the same focus, energy and effort to the next possession in front of you.’ But because of the talk, because of who he is — he is a large figure not just in life, but in the NBA.
“You also gotta look at the guys they have on the team and the guys they’ve added and the potential of that team and what we accomplished and what we’re trying to accomplish again — all those storylines, with the social media and all that other stuff, it’s pressed upon you, pressed upon you, pressed upon you, so it gets larger than life in general.”
Jaylen Brown was traded to the 76ers this off-season after spending 10 years with the Celtics. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Knicks would like to treat it like any of the other 82 regular-season games. But the reality is that, one way or the other, it will be used as an early statement in what could become a relentless discourse.
“As a coach, you hope it doesn’t, but at times yes, you have to take into account that yes, it can be something that guys think, ‘OK, this is a big game,’” Brown said. “It gives you a little bit more juice, a little bit more energy because of all the stuff around it. Is it gonna be a rivalry at the end of the day? I don’t know. I don’t know where we’re gonna be and where they’re gonna be. … Because of the storylines and all that other stuff with the social media, could it be right now? Yeah, it’s a fun story.”
The two teams also represent opposites of sorts.
The Knicks are a bastion of stability, returning nine of their top 10 players in terms of minutes played last year. It’s a group that knows each other well and has exceptional chemistry.
The 76ers, by contrast, are a newly assembled unit that must come together quickly with immediate championship expectations.
“Obviously, we have the same team, but sometimes individuals’ expectations are different than what they were before,” Hart said. “So it’s different. Especially a team like that, I’m sure they’re gonna have some bumpy times in the beginning of the year because they gotta get used to playing with each other. The media at that point [will say,] ‘They should blow it up and trade everybody’ and those kinds of things. That’s kind of the world we live in.”
The world we live in will have a dramatic reaction to Tuesday’s result.
