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SACRAMENTO — It didn’t come via the hot start from Luka Dončić that’s become customary to start the season.

But the Slovenian superstar continued his dominant run to open 2026-27 Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center, recording his third straight 40-point game in the Lakers’ 116-103 win over the Kings.

Dončić finished with 40 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, propelling the 7-2 Lakers to another victory.

As coach JJ Redick mentioned earlier in the week, the offensive rhythm superstar guard continues to be loud. 

Almost as loud as the cowbells ringing throughout the Kings home arena. 

Dončić’s prolific scoring wasn’t as efficient as the standard he set for himself to start the season. 

He shot 11 of 23 from the field and 6 of 13 on 3-pointers (12 of 13 on free throws).

But he made the most noise when he scored 11 straight points, including three straight 3s, late in the second quarter to put the Lakers up 57-48 with just over 2 ½ minutes left in the half. 

The Lakers led for the remainder of the game after the team’s exchanged leads a few times in the first half.

With his performance against the Kings, Dončić became the first player in NBA history to record six consecutive games with 35-plus points, five-plus rebounds, five-plus assists and five-plus 3-pointers.

Austin Reaves added 21 points and four assists. Walker Kessler recorded 15 points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals, while Ziaire Williams and Collin Sexton each scored 10 points off the bench.

On a night when Lakers coach JJ Redick said his team was “a little flat,” Luka Doncic flattened yet another opponent.

Even Doncic started slow compared to his usual first-quarter exploits, but he picked up his pace as the game progressed, dropping 40 points on the woeful Sacramento Kings to lead the Lakers to a 116-103 win Wednesday night at Golden1 Center.

Doncic has scored 40-plus points in three straight games and in five of his last six.

So, after he went 11-for-23 from the field and six-for-13 from three-point range and after he also notched nine rebounds and seven assists, Doncic was asked if he’s ever had a better offensive stretch over his eight-year NBA career.

Read more:Fun, flowing, not yet flawless: Lakers' league-best offense still has room to improve

“Maybe. I don’t know,” he said. “I had some good stretches in my career. But obviously this could be one of the highest ones. But there’s still some work to do.”

Doncic had 10 points in the first quarter, a slow start for him considering he averages 15 points per game in the first 12 minutes. He had 13 in the second, 12 in the third and five in the fourth.

He even made a 360-degree three-pointer in the third.

“He’s playing great right now and he’s doing a great job,” Redick said. “We talked about this after the game or before the game, but he’s doing a great job just playing off the ball. We’re trying to set off-ball screens for him. Other guys are handling (the ball). So, I think some of that workload from bringing the ball up against pressure every single possession. Like it’s just not there right now, and that’s very intentional on our part.”

In the middle of all of this, Doncic is making history.

He became the first player in NBA history to record six consecutive games with 35-plus points, five-plus rebounds, five-plus assists and three-plus three-pointers.

The season is just two weeks old and Doncic is dominating in ways not seen very often.

When asked if he was in mid-season form, Doncic shrugged.

“I don’t know, honestly,” he said. “Too early to tell, you know,” Doncic said. “But as I go back, I had the whole summer to recover. A lot of stuff that I couldn’t do in the last maybe eight years. So that’s where the energy is coming from.”

Walker Kessler had a strong game with 15 points on six-for-eight shooting, eight rebounds and three blocks to aid Doncic.

Read more:Lakers newsletter: Luka Doncic's scoring reaches new universe

Austin Reaves had 21 points to help Doncic out against a Kings team that is tied with four other teams with the worst record in the league at 1-7.

They give up 124.3 points per game, the second-most in the league and teams shoot 50.5% against them, a league-high.

So, the high-scoring Lakers just had to play to their usual effort.

They began the game second in scoring (122.5) in the league and first in field-goal percentage (52%).

But the first half was a choppy affair because of all the fouls being called.

Each team was called for 12 fouls in the first half. The Lakers were called for nine fouls in the second quarter and the Kings were called for eight.

Jake LaRavia picked up his fourth foul with eight minutes and two seconds left in the second quarter.

The Lakers had committed enough fouls to put the Kings in the penalty with 9:24 left in the second quarter.

That was the kind of first half the Lakers had to endure.

But when Doncic got going in the second quarter, the Lakers played a little better.

He scored 13 of their final 15 points in the second quarter and finished the first half with 23 points.

Still, Doncic took the blame for the Lakers’ lackadaisical start.

“Yeah, that was on me. I came out little sloppy. I take responsibility for that,” Doncic said. “I know that my first quarter wasn’t good. So I just came back in the game trying to be more aggressive, be more focused.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Dallas Mavericks (4-4) nearly pulled off a ridiculous comeback Wednesday night, but fell 112-111 to the San Antonio Spurs (6-2) after a strange final possession. Victor Wembanyama completely dominated the game, finishing with 52 points, 24 rebounds, and eight blocks while controlling everything Dallas tried to do around the rim. Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 29 points, while Cooper Flagg recovered from a brutal first half to finish with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Naji Marshall was huge off the bench with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, helping Flagg lead a second-half comeback that gave Dallas a chance to win on the final possession.

The Mavericks had a rough opening quarter in San Antonio, mostly because Victor Wembanyama looked completely in control while Dallas’ two best players could not get anything going. Wembanyama had 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks in just over eight minutes, while Cooper Flagg missed all seven of his shots and Kyrie Irving started 2-of-8. Morez Johnson Jr. gave Dallas some good energy off the bench, but the Mavericks shot just 31 percent and struggled to finish anything around the rim. San Antonio led 32-26 after one.

The second quarter made the matchup look even worse. Wembanyama completely erased the paint, forcing hesitations, kick-outs, and bad attempts while blocking Flagg, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford in the same stretch. By halftime, he already had 29 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks. Flagg was just 1-of-11 with four points and no assists; Kyrie had 17, and San Antonio dominated the glass 44-31 with 15 offensive rebounds. Dallas trailed 68-51 and looked completely overmatched.

The Mavericks finally showed some life in the third. They won the non-Wembanyama minutes, Flagg started to look more aggressive, and the small-ball approach gave San Antonio more problems. Kyrie helped push the comeback, Walter Clayton Jr. hit another three, and Dallas won the quarter 29-22 to cut the deficit to 90-80. Wembanyama was still everywhere and finished with 40 points, but Dallas had at least made the game competitive again.

The fourth quarter was easily Dallas’ best stretch. Naji Marshall and Flagg led the comeback, with Marshall hitting huge shots and Flagg finally getting downhill and creating offense. Dallas sped the game up, went small, and did about as good a job as possible neutralizing Wembanyama, though he still made several massive plays late. Marshall’s three with 1:41 left tied the game at 111, and after Wembanyama split a pair of free throws with 24 seconds left, Dallas had one final chance to win. The possession went nowhere, ending with a difficult Kyrie turnaround fadeaway with three seconds left, and the Mavericks fell 112-111.

A tale of two halves for Flagg

Cooper Flagg was awful in the first half, and aside from Victor Wembanyama completely taking over, he was probably the biggest reason Dallas got buried early. Flagg went just 1-of-11 before halftime, could not get to his spots, struggled badly against San Antonio’s length, and started passing up shots he normally takes. He also didn’t give Dallas enough defensively, which made the performance feel even worse. The second half was completely different. Flagg finally started attacking, got out in transition, made better reads, and became one of the main reasons Dallas even had a chance to win. He finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, and while the 7-of-19 shooting line still wasn’t pretty, most of the damage came after halftime. He and Naji Marshall led the comeback, and Flagg looked much more like the player Dallas needs him to be down the stretch. The first half was probably his worst stretch of the season, but the response mattered.

Final possession plan

Dallas had the ball down one with 24 seconds left and a chance to win the game, and the final possession was baffling. The Mavericks waited until roughly 10 seconds remained to really initiate anything, then basically just handed the ball to Kyrie Irving and asked him to make something happen. No screen, no dribble handoff, no action to force a switch, no attempt to get Flagg involved, just a Kyrie isolation that ended in a difficult turnaround fadeaway with three seconds left. It felt like one of those old Jason Kidd end-of-game possessions where the entire offense disappears, and the plan becomes “Kyrie, go save us.” That cannot be the best option. Kyrie is obviously one of the best isolation scorers in basketball, but when you have an entire timeout to draw something up, you have to make the defense work harder than that. Dusty May has been creative offensively in plenty of situations already, which made this even stranger. Dallas had a chance to steal a game after being down big, and the final possession did not give them nearly enough of a chance.

Wembanyama is ridiculous

There’s really no more complicated way to say it. Wembanyama was incredible.

He finished with 52 points, 24 rebounds, and eight blocks on 16-of-28 shooting, while also getting to the free-throw line 23 times. The numbers are absurd, but his impact on the game was even bigger. Dallas could not operate normally offensively because every paint touch became a problem. Drivers hesitated, bigs had shots erased, and the Mavericks were constantly forced into kick-outs or difficult attempts because Wembanyama was waiting around the rim.

Dallas did a much better job neutralizing him in the second half by playing smaller, speeding up the game, and making him defend in space, but he still found ways to dominate. He hit a huge three in the fourth, finished possessions on the glass, and scored the free throw that ultimately gave San Antonio the winning point. This was one of those games where you walk away understanding exactly why Wembanyama changes everything. Dallas nearly stole it anyway, but for most of the night, he completely dictated what the Mavericks were allowed to do.

Victor Wembanyama scored a career-high 52 points, and the San Antonio Spurs needed every single one of them in a close game against the rival Dallas Mavericks. Despite blowing a 19-point lead, the Spurs were able to hold on in the fourth quarter to win 112-11.

Wembanyama dominated the game in every aspect. He added 24 points and 8 blocks to his 52 points. In the end, it was his final free throw (after missing four straight previous free throws) that won San Antonio the game.

Shortly after that free throw, Kyrie Irving had a chance to win the game, but missed a mid-range jump shot while guarded heavily by De’Aaron Fox. Irving led the charge for the Mavericks, scoring 29 points on 9-for-27 shooting from the field. Dallas got a spark off the bench from Naji Marshall, who went off in the second half for 22 points.

The win extends the Spurs’ winning streak to 6 games. Next, they’ll head to Sacramento for a rematch with the Kings on Friday.

Observations

• The Spurs dominated the paint, outscoring the Mavs 62-40 in the paint and outrebounding Dallas 61-50. Both teams were hammering the offensive glass, as San Antonio grabbed 22 offensive boards, and Dallas had 18 offensive rebounds.
• San Antonio needed to dominate the paint because they had one of the worst shooting nights they’ve had in a while. The Spurs shot just 39% from the field and went 5-for-36 from three, hitting just 14% of their deep shots.
• There was a night-and-day difference when Wembanyama was on the court and when he was off it. He was +23 in the win, and Luke Kornet, the backup center, was -22 in his 14 minutes. That may be more indicative of how good Wembanyama was, but the team struggled mightily with the bench unit in the game.
• Fox should get a lot of credit for his defense in that final possession against Irving. He kept pace with one of the shiftiest guards in the league and got a great contest on his mid-range jump shot.
• It wasn’t Stephon Castle’s best shooting night, as he had 17 points on 6-of-20 shooting from the field. However, he responded late in the game, scoring back-to-back baskets when the Spurs needed them.
• Dylan Harper’s athleticism was on full display on his way to 21 points. He had some incredible finishes over and around the Mavericks’ defenders, including a huge alley-oop dunk in the first half.
• San Antonio’s offense has looked its best when it’s forcing switches in the pick-and-roll. When small guards get onto Wembanyama, the Spurs’ guards have gotten so good at finding him for lobs or easy post-up buckets. That was on full display against the Mavs.

10,000ft Overview

As soon as the game tipped off, one thing was very clear: This was a completely different level of basketball compared to Monday night’s game. Unique matchups (LaMelo Ball on Jabari Smith!), shot-making, and game plan discipline meant that the first half was full of back-and-forth, high-quality hoops.

Ayo Dosunmu was such a blue tsunami in transition that even Steve Kornaki had to pause what he was doing and just say, “Wow”.

Dosunmu went a perfect 6/6 at the rim on his way to twelve first-half points. On the other side of the floor, Jonathan Kuminga was fantastic on Amen Thompson, playing a brand of athletic and physical basketball that the Wolves haven’t been able to do before against Thompson.

The physicality was of note, as he did get a flagrant one after Sengun’s face invaded his personal space. Ultimately, it may have been worth it for the repeated over-the-top crowd reaction to the replay, which was genuinely funny.

And finally, the first half story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Jaylen Clark, the certified stuff doer. He had two steals, two offensive rebounds, and a drawn offensive foul. Luckily for the Rockets, the Wolves decided they wanted to keep the game close by shooting free throws with their opposite hands, hitting on just 5/10 as the teams went into halftime tied.

The good basketball continued into the second half, though the third quarter did leave me with a pressing existential question like: “What exactly is a moving screen?” and “Why don’t defensive players just run into the screener and fall down every time?”

Outside of that Marcus Smart-inspired existential crisis, both teams essentially played each other even as they headed into the final quarter with the Rockets up two.

As you can see, the start of the fourth quarter was something!

LaMelo Ball committed three fouls in about 30 seconds and put the Rockets in the bonus. But then goes out and totally redeems himself with eight straight points, part of his twelve-point fourth-quarter effort. The back-and-forth affair continued until Jonathan Kuminga drained two huge threes, which, paired with dive-on-the-floor defense and excellent ball movement on offense, would be enough to push the Wolves over the top for the 117-107 victory in Houston.

Two Stats that defined the game:

1. 53%: Timberwolves Free Throw Precentage
   • Let’s just get this one out of the way. If the Wolves had lost this game, this would have been the lament in Timberwolves land. They went 10-for-19 from the line, and missing free throws has absolutely been an epidemic for this team. It didn’t cost them the game tonight, but they have way too many good shooters for these 1-2 trips to the line.
2. +14: Points Off Turnover Advantage for the Wolves
   • Hello defense! From the get-go, I loved the way the Wolves matched up with the Rockets by putting Ayo on Van Fleet, McDaniels on KD, Kuminga on Amen Thompson (more on this soon), and letting LaMelo guard Jabari Smith Jr, a matchup that would force them out of a lot of their offensive sets if they wanted to take advantage of it. This all led to eighteen turnovers for the Rockets and forced them into hitting a lot of tough shots all night.

Award Ceremony

The Big Ticket Award: LaMelo Ball

Just when we are all ready to be mad at you for three fouls in thirty seconds, you go out there and totally redeem yourself! LaMelo takes home this award for being fantastic in the fourth quarter. He had the perfect balance of finding his own shot, creating offense for others, and forcing Houston to bring double teams that he broke, and helped lead the Wolves to their first clutch-time victory of the season.

The seven turnovers are a reminder it wasn’t perfect, but his +15 team high with 20 points, six assists, and four – count ‘em, four – stocks show a player that filled the stat sheet and played winning basketball.

The Straight to Jail Award: Jonathan Kuminga

One of the most encouraging aspects of the first nine games of the season for the Wolves has been Jonathan Kuminga’s defense. It’s one of those things that, if it stays at this level, could be a difference maker come April. In past seasons, Amen Thompson’s elite athleticism has been a matchup issue for the Wolves, but Kuminga was all over him tonight, forcing a 3-for-9 night from the field with three turnovers and a team-worst -11.

Straight to jail for Amen Thompson tonight!

The And I Helped! Award: Ayo Dosunmo, Bones Hyland, Jaylen Clark

Too many good games tonight to not single out more than three players in the awards segment. If not for LaMelo’s big fourth quarter, the Big Ticket was Ayo’s. He was relentless in attacking downhill when he got the matchup he wanted, had a 6-0 AST/TO ratio, and was our main source of offense for most of the first half.

Bones Hyland is just a bucket. Scoring 19 points in just 16 minutes is a needed injection of life into an offense that is missing its high-volume scorer.

Already mentioned it earlier, but it deserves to be said again: Jaylen Clark is a certified stuff doer. He finishes the night with 10 points on 4/6 shooting (including two of three from deep!), three rebounds, two steals, and a drawn offensive foul. But the biggest sign of encouragement? He played 25 minutes!

Clearly, Chris Finch loved what he saw.

Empty the Notebook

• Rudy Gobert had one of his better defensive games against Sengun, but my goodness he needs to finish better. It is not a good sign that my confidence needle in his ability to finish a contested layup has moved into the tossup range with his ability to make a three
• Another solid outing from Joan Beringer! By my count, he’s now stacked four-to-give good performances in a row
• Trey Lyles is the last player hasn’t been mentioned, but he was also solid too! He’s becoming a very valuable role player that knows what he does best and stays in that zone.

Game Highlights

Up Next

The second game in the group play round of the NBA Cup! On Friday, November 6th, the Minnesota Timberwolves will travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans. The game tips off at 7:00 PM CT on DAZN-MIN and KARE 11.

Call Charles Barkley unimpressed with the brouhaha in one of the NBA’s marquee games on Wednesday night. 

The 76ers’ Joel Embiid and the Pistons’ Tolu Smith III got into it under the basket with 1:25 left to play in the first half in Detroit. The two big men were battling hard for position in the paint as Philly’s Jaylen Brown drove to the basket. 

Brown was fouled, but Embiid jumped to collect the missed shot.

Smith then decided to knock the ball out of Embiid’s hands, and it sparked a light shoving match before their respective teammates and coaches came onto the court to pull them apart and keep things from escalating.

The action did little for the “Inside the NBA” crew after Shaquille O’Neal joked he’d “Call the cops” on them. Barkley quickly shot back, feeling the “police presence” O’Neal was calling for wasn’t needed in this case. 

“I’ve been kissed harder,” Barkley responded. 

Kenny Smith saw an opening to rag on his colleague a bit and took it.

“Stop telling us about your love life,” Smith replied.

Barkley, Smith and O’Neal played a much more physical era of basketball than today’s game, so it’s understandable why that fight was underwhelming to them. 

Embiid, who was given a technical foul for initiating the altercation, was involved in another odd incident earlier in the game when he faked a shot and it appeared his leg hit Cade Cunningham low as he passed the ball.  

The veteran Embiid had a monster game in the 112-106 win that moved the SIxers to 8-1, scoring 26 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.

Brown had 30 points, and LeBron James chipped in 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The new-look 76ers have the most wins in the NBA.

The Knicks’ pecking order at backup point guard is fluid.

It was Tyler Kolek, not Jose Alvarado, who was the first point guard off the bench to replace Jalen Brunson during the second quarter of the Knicks’ 135-105 rout of the Bulls on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Kolek played six minutes in that second quarter as the Knicks increased their lead from 22 points to 29.

And Kolek — not Alvarado — returned in the third quarter as well. Alvarado did not play until garbage time in the fourth quarter.

Kolek filled in well when Alvarado missed four games due to a sprained ankle.

But coach Mike Brown, before Alvarado returned Monday against the Nets, said that he would remain the backup point guard and not be punished in the rotation for being injured.

Now, though, the pendulum has swung back to Kolek.

“I said this before, every position coming off the bench is a competition, all the time,” Brown said. “Nobody’s minutes are set in stone. … Jose had the first opportunity in our last game. And then I gave Tyler an opportunity in the second half [against the Nets] and Tyler played well. So I’m gonna go with Tyler. And if I think I need to make a change because Tyler’s not getting it done in my eyes, then I’ll go back to Jose.”

Kolek did not score — and did not attempt a shot — Wednesday but had five assists and no turnovers. Alvarado missed all four shots he took and had two turnovers.

“Both those guys helped us win at a high level [last year],” Brown said. “Tyler helped us win the NBA Cup against San Antonio in Vegas. And Jose helped us win the Finals. So either one of those guys, we feel, can help us in a lot of good ways at any time so they just have to both stay ready.”

A 30-point shellacking paved the way for Dalton Knecht to make his Knicks debut.

With Josh Hart missing Wednesday’s game due to right ankle soreness, Knecht was called up from the Westchester Knicks and recorded 10 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes against the Bulls. A second-quarter putback dunk and third-quarter chase-down block drew loud reactions from the MSG crowd.

“He’s a scorer. He’s not just a shooter. A lot of people think he’s a shooter because he’s white,” Brown joked. “I said it for you, I hope I don’t get in trouble. He can go get it.”

Knecht had been playing in the G-League since the Knicks signed him to a two-way deal last month.

Brown said he is “not concerned” when asked about Hart’s injury outlook.

Hart missed the team’s preseason finale against the Raptors due to right ankle soreness and missed time last year due to the same issue.

The Toronto Raptors continue an up-and-down start to the season without Kawhi Leonard after losing 128-109 to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

With the loss, Toronto falls to 4-4 on the season and 2-4 without Leonard.

Here are four takeaways from the game:

Signs of life from three

Toronto is a poor three-point shooting team. Entering the contest, the Raptors averaged 31.5 per cent from beyond the arc, which ranks 27th in the NBA.

While the perimeter shooting couldn’t sustain itself (Toronto finished at 35 per cent), the opening quarter featured a Raptors team that felt dangerous from three. Toronto went an impressive 6-for-12 from the arc. For context, the Raptors averaged 11.5 triples per game.

The opening 12 minutes were a breath of fresh air, especially after the team’s abysmal 8-for-29 performance against the Los Angeles Clippers. This season, the league average from three is currently at 34.8 per cent. Toronto has shot better than 34.8 per cent three times in eight games.

Unfortunately, the Raptors shot 6-for-22 the rest of the way.

Quick start, uneventful finish

It should be made clear: tonight’s loss was not on Immanuel Quickley.

But it was pointed out on the TSN broadcast that Quickley needs to have a consistent impact through all four quarters. Quickley was brilliant in the opening 12 minutes, finishing with 10 points and six assists while shooting 50 per cent from three. He also added two steals.

By the end of the game, Quickly finished with 13 points and seven assists. The point guard also shot 25 per cent from the perimeter and didn’t record another steal.

The Joker’s wild

While we suggested that the Raptors could overwhelm Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, specifically by leveraging their strengths on the offensive glass, it turns out that the game goes well beyond the battle of the boards. The future Hall of Famer finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists while pummelling the Raptors into submission.

Jokic emerged from halftime ready to shift into another gear. While in the Denver air, Toronto didn’t stand a chance. Jokic had already safely recorded his triple-double by the end of the third quarter. In the same period, he tied the entire Raptors team in points with 15.

Referencing the Colorado air might also be doing Jokic a disservice. The big man was ultimately responsible for 26 of the Nuggets’ 33 points in the first quarter.

What happens when the breaks aren’t there?

The Nuggets had limited the Raptors to seven fast-break points with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Stopping Toronto in transition was likely a focal point for Denver head coach David Adelman and his staff. The Raptors entered the game second in transition points at 19.7 per game.

For the Raptors to salvage their four-game road trip, they’ll need to either get back to what they do best on the breaks or find ways to score in the half-court. Their next opponent, the Milwaukee Bucks, is 11th in fastbreak points allowed per game at 13.3

A sloppy start cost the Cleveland Cavaliers in their 124-116 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’ve now dropped five straight games to OKC.

Three stars of the game

First star: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

42 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds

It was another day in the office for the reigning back-to-back MVP. SGA got to his spots on the floor, no matter how many defenders they threw his way. This allowed him to score over 40 points for the second time this week against the Cavs.

There was simply nothing Cleveland could do to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander, or really, even make it challenging.

Second star: Ajay Mitchell

23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists

Ajay Mitchell provided timely baskets whenever it seemed like the Cavs were getting any kind of momentum. He served as the offensive engine when SGA was off the court, and as the counterpunch when he was.

Third star: Donovan Mitchell

27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal

Mitchell’s stat line is a little deceiving. He was an incredibly efficient scorer, but he didn’t make a constant impact throughout all four quarters.

The Cavs needed something to wake them up in the first half, but Mitchell couldn’t do it. He was a non-factor, as he had just six points in a half the Cavs only had 44.

Something flipped in the second half, particularly down the stretch. Mitchell put up 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with four assists in the final frame alone. Unfortunately for Cleveland, that all came after the game was effectively decided.

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Dud of the game

Meleek Thomas

9 points, 0 assists, 1 rebound, 2 turnovers, 6 fouls

Thomas looked like a rookie for one of the first times this season. He struggled to make an impact on the scoreboard and was picked on defensively — particularly by the reigning MVP when he got an opportunity to do so. This led to Thomas fouling out in just 18 minutes.

Cavaliers who deserve shoutouts

Mario Hezonja

12 points on 5-for-10 shooting, 8 rebounds

The Cavs need someone to provide tertiary ball-handling, rebounding, and who thinks the game at a high level. Hezonja has consistently supplied that and did so again in Oklahoma City.

I’m not sure why Hezonja doesn’t get more minutes than he does, or see the floor in closing situations — especially in a game Jarrett Allen left with an injury. In this one, head coach Kenny Atkinson went with Tyrese Proctor (until he left with an injury) and then with Craig Porter Jr. Having a third guard makes sense for a team that struggles with ball pressure, but can’t Hezonja help with that in addition to supplying extra rebounding and shooting? I just don’t get it.

Tyrese Proctor

11 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal

Proctor performed well in his second career start. He provided some off-ball shooting and held his own defensively. That’s what you want to see from a second-year player who’s thrown into the starting lineup.

Tristan Enaruna

4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

An injury to Allen forced Enaruna into his first-ever rotation minutes, and he performed admirably. His size and energy on the defensive end were much needed on an evening the Cavs were severely lacking wing defenders due to injuries — even if he wasn’t necessarily perfect on that end.

The offensive numbers weren’t necessarily impressive. Enaruna went just 2-for-7 from the field, which included going 0-for-3 from distance. However, a couple of those threes went halfway down before popping back out.

Getting serviceable minutes from two-way players is more necessary than ever. Pace, offensive rebounding, and where defenders are picking up their offensive assignments are higher than ever. This has created more injuries. Throw in the second-apron restrictions, and it’s almost a necessity for teams to have two-way players (whose salaries don’t count against the cap) that can provide fill-in rotation minutes when needed.

This performance doesn’t mean Enaruna will be a mainstay in the rotation or anything like that, but it did show that he can provide playable minutes when called upon.

Play of the game

Mitchell was awesome down the stretch, it just came too little too late.

Quote of the day

“Dissapointed in our first quarter. Three quarers [were] really solid play, and you have one quarter where you’re not up to par. Like I said, the turnoves, the live-ball turnovers, they just get the other team going, and you know, it kind of snow balls.”

– Kenny Atkinson

The Cavs have struggled to stop the bleeding so far this year. There’s been one quarter, or extended stretch of play in each of their losses where they let go of the rope. That happened in the first quarter here, when they were beaten 37-20. Cleveland outscored Oklahoma City for each of the next three quarters, but that doesn’t matter much when you have a start like this.

Stat of the game

Only 20 of Cleveland’s 93 shots came at the rim (16th percentile).

The Cavs’ three-point volume and accuracy allowed them to have a slightly above league-average offensive output in this game. However, it’s nearly impossible to have a truly effective offense if you aren’t getting to the rim well. If you aren’t getting to the basket, you likely aren’t getting to the line either, which was an issue for the Cavs.

My takeaway from this game: The Cavs need the James Harden we saw in the second and third quarters

This game turned around when Harden did. There was a stretch from the end of the second quarter to the start of the third where Harden looked like the best version of himself for one of the few times this season.

Harden was up to his old tricks during that run. He was able to establish the three-point shot midway through the second quarter, which opened up the rest of his game. The threat of that shot caused defenders to bite too hard on step-backs and made them a step slow when he drove inside. This allowed Harden to be an effective playmaker at all three levels, which isn’t something he’s been able to do on command so far this campaign. He scored or assisted on 16 points during the Cavs’ 18-3 run at the start of the third quarter that allowed Cleveland to make this a moderately competitive game.

The Cavs’ success this year hinges on Harden’s, which is why things have been so rocky at the start. Harden has posted his career-worst free-throw rate and has struggled to hit anything inside 14 feet. This has handicapped his effectiveness and left him mostly an outside shooter.

Cleveland desperately needs the version of Harden we got a glimpse of here if they want to succeed against high-level teams. Or at the very least, they need that iteration if they’re going to be this isolation-heavy with both guards.

The entire offense is predicated on the guards drawing extra defenders to them. If they can do that, the kick-out threes open up, as do windows to get their bigs involved. Conversely, when they aren’t getting inside, the ball and player movement can stagnate. This leads to turnovers and settling for contested jump shots — as we’ve seen during Cleveland’s worst stretches.

Relying this heavily on a 37-year-old isn’t ideal, but it’s where the Cavs find themselves. And they will continue to be at this spot unless they drastically alter their offensive process.

The Knicks broke out of their early-game slump in historic fashion.

They erupted for 84 points in the first half of their 135-105 rout of the Bulls on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. It tied a franchise record set on Nov. 18, 1988, against the 76ers.

But the Knicks actually lost that game, 137-135.

Wednesday, on the other hand, represented the Knicks’ best and by far most complete showing of the season.

The 84 points were also the most the Knicks have ever scored in any half at the current Madison Square Garden.

“I really liked how we started out,” coach Mike Brown said. “Spacing the floor well, touching the paint, and then re-spacing too. Our re-spacing was really quick and really decisive. We had some great, great looks early on. And everybody played well offensively.

“Our pace was pretty good, it’s something we’ve been talking about. Our offensive rebounding, for shooting a high percentage, was pretty good. Just a lot of good things.”

Entering Wednesday, the Knicks were averaging just 51.6 points in first halves — the third-worst mark in the NBA and better than only the Bucks and Nets. They were shooting a paltry 39.2 percent from the field in first halves — worst in the NBA.

It led to constant deficits they had to fight back from.

But they shot 62.5 percent (25-for-40) from the field and 50 percent (10-for-20) from 3-point range during Wednesday’s first half and led by 32 at the break.

Jalen Brunson had 26 of those 84 first-half points, going a red-hot 8-for-11 from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point range. OG Anunoby added 18 first-half points.

“Obviously, making 3s, but I think making our two-pointers are really important as well,” Brunson said. “… When you have it going, it feels good. Just trying to play off that and use your gravity to make plays. I feel like it really started on the defensive side of the ball, we were able to get stops and get out in transition.”

It also helped that the Knicks took a staggering 26 free throws in the first half — making 24 of them. Anunoby was 11-for-12 from the line in the first half, relentlessly attacking the rim.

The Bulls took just six first-half free throws, making five.

The historic start allowed for plenty of late-game rest at a time the Knicks have talked about dealing with physical fatigue given their short offseason. All five starters sat the entire fourth quarter.

A nice luxury thanks to an electric start.

“It was a really good half,” Brown said, “in terms of doing what we believe we should be doing offensively as our staples. Everybody was really good in those areas.”