PHILADELPHIA — A night before Halloween, the Knicks couldn’t mask their problems.
They fell into another big deficit. They failed to recover. They’re still playing tired and clearly recovering their conditioning after a short and celebratory summer.
“We all feel the fatigue,” Josh Hart acknowledged. “So we’ve got to fight through it. Six games in, we have to find a way to make sure we get our bodies ready to play every day. I think mentally we’re there. We just gotta find it physically.”
There was a preseason belief the Knicks would steamroll at the start of their championship defense, utilizing their advantage of continuity and chemistry.
Instead, they’re 2-4 with a couple of defeats to the rival Sixers, who owned crunch time Friday night before leaving Xfinity Mobile Arena with a 98-93 win in the opener of their NBA Cup title defense.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks handles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during an NBA Cup game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
The Knicks trailed by as many as 14 but still had a chance in the final moments. That was when LeBron James took over and Jalen Brunson fell short for the second time against the Sixers.
The Knicks point guard, who was coming off a 38-point masterpiece two nights prior in Chicago, shot 1-for-5 in the final six-plus minutes. He also missed a critical free throw with 32 seconds remaining, setting up an alley-oop from Tyrese Maxey to James to seal Philadelphia’s victory.
Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after scoring against the New York Knicks on Oct. 30, 2026, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectTyrese Maxey, right, of the Philadelphia 76ers drives against Tyler Kolek of the New York Knicks during an NBA game in Philadelphia, Oct. 30, 2026. Getty Images
James was the hero with 20 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and the two biggest plays on the night. In addition to the alley-oop lay-in, James knocked down a fadeaway over OG Anunoby with 1:10 left to give Philly the lead for good.
He was aided by Maxey, who dropped a game-high 27 points in 38 minutes while Jaylen Brown (knee soreness) was in street clothes.
“[LeBron’s] a great player, and when you have a great player out there, with his ability, he’s gonna make plays, and he made big plays down the stretch,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “It’s the NBA, and it’s not surprising when a guy like Maxey or LeBron or Jalen makes a big play.
“You just hope that it doesn’t come down to that all the time.”
Brunson shot 8-for-22 with 24 points and six assists. Karl-Anthony Towns represented New York’s most productive option, scoring 22 points with 12 rebounds on 8-for-12 shooting from the field.
Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks is guarded by LeBron James of the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
But the offense overall was “stagnant,” Hart said, and sloppy with 13 turnovers.
“We gotta find a way to execute better,” said Hart, who finished with seven points on 2-for-9 shooting in 30 minutes. “And do that continuously.”
The Knicks started slowly and inefficiently, managing just 21 points in the first quarter while shooting 41 percent with zero free throws.
They trailed by double digits after 10 minutes.
The second quarter wasn’t much better and the final play of the half encapsulated the offensive malaise: The Knicks failed to get off a shot in a 22-second possession, allowing the buzzer to go off with the ball in Brunson’s hands.
New York Knicks’ Josh Hart sits on the court as Karl-Anthony Towns, center, and Jalen Brunson, right, help him up, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. AP Photo/Chris Szagola
They hit the break with a 53-44 deficit and just four free-throw attempts. But then Brunson was activated in the third quarter, Towns went hot in the beginning of the fourth and the Knicks were down by only five points with six minutes remaining.
It was set up for a comeback. But the Knicks and their tired legs couldn’t make it happen.
“It’s a new year,” Hart said. “I think we’re trying to work our way into the season. But I think the flow’s tougher. Sometimes the ball is stagnant, I think that’s a little bit from fatigue and not a mental thing. You know what the other team is doing, and physically you’re trying to get your body to get to that point.
So I think that that’s part of it. We got to be more deliberate with cuts and movements. And taking care of the ball.”
The defeat means the Knicks will likely need to win the remaining three NBA Cup group games to advance.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 30: LeBron James #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives against Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks during the first half of an Emirates NBA Cup game at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last season, en route to a World Championship, the New York Knicks (2-4) took a pleasant detour in Las Vegas to collect the Emirates NBA Cup. The road to repeating the Cup win is rocky this season, with their Group B considered to be the toughest.
Tonight, they traveled to Pennsylvania to face the 76ers at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on a garish blue and gold cartoon court. This was their first Cup game of the season and the 482nd meeting between the two franchises. The Philadelphia 76ers (5-1) came in tied with Detroit for first place in the East. All night, the star-heavy squad showed the secret to their success so far this season—a stingy, sticky defense that limited New York to 32% perimeter shooting. Our heroes fell behind by double digits toward the end of the first quarter and stayed behind until the final two minutes of the game. Quoth Laurenpal, “Unfortunately it took us too long to show up tonight.” Despite a clutch bucket from Jalen Brunson (24 PTS, 8-22 FG) for the lead late in the fourth, Tyrese Maxey (27 PTS, 10-19 FG) and the Sixers were too strong to keep down. Your final: 98-93.
Through the first half of the first quarter, the home team had the edge, with Maxey, Joel Embiid (10 PTS, 7 RBS, 7 AST), LeBron James (20 PTS, 9 RBS, 8 AST), and VJ Edgecombe (13 PTS, 8 RBS) combining for 14 points. Across the floor, Karl-Anthony Towns (22 PTS, 12 RBS), OG Anunoby (9 PTS, 4-10 FG), Mikal Bridges (12 PTS, 3 STL, 5-8 FG), and Brunson had posted 11 for the visitors.
Part of the problem for our heroes was that Philly played an almost mistake-free opening frame, committing one foul and zero turnovers. And their defensive intensity—they’re top-five in the league—complicated every Knicks shot. When Tyler Kolek (2 PTS, 4 AST, 13 MIN) subbed in with about three minutes left, he was harassed into his first TO of the season. Further proof of that good D? The good guys shot just 27% in the first period.
On one sequence, Brunson dribbled against Maxey from 18 feet, left side, one-on-one. Maxey blocked him, but Cap retained the ball and swished a jumper on his second attempt. It was a rare instance of Maxey getting outplayed. He led all first-half scorers with 15 points. Brunson managed only seven points pre-intermission.
After a Philly timeout, Mike Brown sent in Landry Shamet (0 PTS, 0-3 FG, 16 MIN), Miles McBride (10 PTS, 4-8 FG, 24 MIN), and Andre Drummond (3 PTS, 6 RBS, 12 MIN). The guests missed five shots, during which time the hosts capitalized with interior scores. After surrendering eight unanswered points, the Knicks got relief when Josh Hart (7 PTS, 6 RBS, 31 MIN) delivered from deep. By the quarter break, the home team was up 29-21.
On to the second. Philly moved the ball well and was unafraid to drive the lane, as Maxey did with an emphatic throwdown. While Brunson rested—and Jose Alvarado sat out with a sprained ankle—Kolek continued to play. He gave up a second turnover. Cap checked back in around the seven-minute mark.
At the midway point, LeBron and Hart traded bombs from the perimeter. The differential reached 14 before the Knicks began to chisel it down.
McBride made some midrange shots from the elbow. It was nice to see a little more imagination in his usage, rather than just sticking him at the arc and waiting for a pass. He also grabbed a timely offensive board in the paint among Embiid and a couple of other big bodies.
Nevertheless, the Knicks couldn’t get a run going. A corner three by Bridges cut the gap to six, but Maxey chucked from deep for three of his own. In fitting fashion, Brunson couldn’t get open for a final shot, and the halftime buzzer buzzed without an attempt. Philly up, 53-44.
The Knicks had out-rebounded Philly (23-19) and shot slightly better from deep (32% to 29%), but Philly owned everything inside the arc. The Knicks took more than half their shots from deep and scored nothing on fast breaks, which is a tough way to keep pace while conceding so much inside. No Knick had reached double digits yet; KAT led the team with nine points.
Following intermission, Hart missed from deep, Bridges threw the ball to the front row, and Maxey scored five points. Philly went up by 14, matching its biggest advantage yet.
Finding the previous events intolerable, Brunson took the reins and commanded his squad on an 11-1 run. He scored seven straight during that burst, and Bridges redeemed his TO with a steal (ripping the ball out of Edgecombe’s mitts) and a longball. After that, Nurse needed a timeout for a breather and a regroup.
Whatever advice the coach imparted, it worked. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Anfernee Simons (21 PTS, 5-8 3PT, 31 MIN) hit triples, Philly tightened its defense, and LeBron attacked the cup. Soon enough, the Knicks trailed by ten again and gave us great concern about their ability to rally for a lead. After a Mike Brown timeout, two consecutive Shamet turnovers and another Simons jumper further pushed the score in the wrong direction. Too many one-and-dones were a problem. The Knicks wouldn’t quit and swung back, with McBride and Brunson reducing the hole to six, but a Simons bomb with five seconds to go closed the quarter at 77-68.
Jordan Clarkson, a sparkplug in Chicago, made his first appearance to start the final frame. Alongside him: Kolek, McBride, Anunoby, and Towns. They manufactured buckets, but surrendered them, too. Simons continued to rain buckets.
One of the surprising strengths of Clarkson’s game has been his offensive rebounding. When he flew through traffic to tip in a missed McBride three, it wasn’t quite a Game Four highlight, but it sliced the differential to three. That was the closest the team had been since midway through the first. But they taketh, they giveth. Embiid drilled a jumper at the other end, and with six-ish minutes left, Mike Brown needed a timeout.
Out of the timeout, Brown’s lineup was Brunson, Clarkson, Bridges, Hart, and Towns. The choice to go with Clarkson’s offense over Anunoby’s defense was a curious gamble. Both teams were careening up and down the court at top speed, even that geezer LeBron, and when KAT rifled a bomb, a mere two points separated the two teams.
In crunch time, Brunson had a look but bricked from deep. The ball came back to him, but LeBron worked him into a jam, with Jalen having to throw the ball off him out of bounds. After the inbound, Jalen had another chance—and connected from deep for their first lead since the opening minutes!
BRUNSON FOR THE LEAD. LEBRON PUTS PHILLY AHEAD. VJ MAKES IT A 4-POINT GAME.
LeBron answered with a fadeaway at 1:10 to reclaim the lead. After Cap missed a floater, Edgecombe knocked down his first triple of the night. 94-90, 34 seconds remaining.
Cap got the ball again, iso-ing on Edgecombe, but slipped and turned his right ankle in a legitimately terrifying moment. Edgecombe was called for a ticky-tack foul (foot-to-foot contact). Brunson made one freebie. 94-91, 31 seconds. At the other end, Maxey hustled through traffic and missed on a contested layup, but ’Bron swept in for the putback. That put the score at 96-91 with 12 seconds on the clock. New York needed a miracle, but the gods were fresh out. Anunoby made a dunk, and Philly added two free throws. Ball game.
Up Next
Back to work on Monday, at home against the Nets. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
The Knicks opened NBA Cup group stage play by losing to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night, 98-93.
Here are the key takeaways...
-- The reigning NBA Cup champions began this season’s group stage with a dud in the first half.
It was a rough night shooting the ball for New York, particularly from beyond the arc, as it couldn’t penetrate the 76ers’ defense down low, which led to poor shot selection. The Knicks also turned the ball over far too many times and struggled to get into any kind of rhythm.
-- In the first quarter, New York shot 40.9 percent from the field (27.3 percent from deep) and had four turnovers compared to Philadelphia, who shot 52.4 percent from the floor (33.3 percent from deep) and had zero turnovers.
-- Tyrese Maxey led the way for the 76ers with seven points in the opening frame, with Joel Embiid and V.J. Edgecombe each adding six points. OG Anunoby led the Knicks after one with seven points, including a layup in the final seconds to cut New York’s deficit to 29-21 headed to the second.
-- Things stayed the same in the second quarter, with the Knicks relying too much on the three. They only scored 14 points in the paint at halftime while the Sixers had 26. Philadelphia also moved the ball around much better than New York did in the first half, totaling 17 assists to the Knicks’ 10.
-- New York’s starting five all had at least seven points at the break, but the Knicks’ bench was giving them no help other than seven points by Miles McBride. Landry Shamet was scoreless (0-for-3 from three) in 13 minutes and Tyler Kolek had two turnovers in his seven minutes.
-- Meanwhile, Maxey continued to cook New York’s shoddy defense and went into halftime with 18 points on 8-of-12 from the floor. LeBron James also had a big half with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists, and despite shooting 29.4 percent from beyond the arc, the 76ers led 53-44 at the half.
-- With how bad the Knicks played in the first half, they still weren’t completely out of it at any point and managed to pull within five points in the third quarter after a flurry of points by Jalen Brunson doubled his point total and made it 59-54.
-- Turnovers by the 76ers hurt them in an ugly third quarter, although they started to hit some threes, which neutralized any attempt by New York to make a run. Nevertheless, the Knicks’ offense did pick up thanks to Brunson’s 13 points in the quarter, but they entered the final quarter still down by nine points after Anfernee Simons drilled his third three-pointer of the frame to cap an impressive 13-point quarter for the 27-year-old.
-- Philadelphia’s lead reached double-digits once again in the early part of the fourth, but New York just kept sticking around as the 76ers weren’t able to deliver a knockout punch. Karl-Anthony Towns scored the team’s first eight points of the quarter before Jordan Clarkson, who hadn’t played at all in the first three quarters, helped out with four points of his own to get the Knicks to within three points.
-- In what became a defensive battle in the final minutes of the game with every possession being ever so crucial, New York was able to hold Philadelphia scoreless long enough to take its first lead since the first minute of the game on Brunson’s three-pointer with 1:32 left that put the Knicks ahead 90-89.
James responded with a fadeaway jumper to retake the lead before Edgecombe drilled a dagger three to go up by four with 34 seconds left.
-- Brunson went to the line for two three seconds later but missed the second shot to keep New York down by three. James made a layup on the other end to give him 20 points, his first 20-point game of the season, and after Anunoby dunked with eight seconds left, it was up to free throws. Maxey, who was held relatively in check following his dominant first half, made both from the line, which sealed the deal for the Sixers, who won without Jaylen Brown.
-- Brunson had 24, Towns finished with a double-double, but it wasn’t enough to knock out Philadelphia, who are now 2-0 against New York this season.
Game MVP: LeBron James
To go along with his first 20-point game with his new team, James also added nine rebounds, eight assists, one steal and one block in 34 minutes.
Highlights
The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association athlete of the year gets started https://t.co/a4Vcc99cgx
The Knicks get back to their regular season schedule on Monday night when they host the Nets in a Battle of the Boroughs. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
For the second time in the young NHL season, the Florida Panthers have won three games in a row.
Florida jumped out a 2-0 lead and never looked back, taking down the Winnipeg Jets for the second time this week, this time by a final score of 5-2.
The first score of the game came the same way Florida has scored many of their goals lately; on the power play.
After a strong sequence of passing to set themselves up in Winnipeg’s zone, the puck found its way to Sam Reinhart along the goal line to the right of Nico Daws.
When no Jets player came to Reinhart, he calmly took a step above the goal line, changed the angle of his shot and fired the puck past Daws, who was down in the RVH covering the near post.
Florida took the 1-0 lead into the second period, where they quickly added to their advantage.
This time it was Anton Lundell, walking into the Jets’ zone and sending a long wrist shot past Daws, who was being screened by Eetu Luostarinen.
The two-goal lead didn’t last long for Florida, though.
A questionable call on a delay of game penalty taken by Dmitry Kulikov was challenged by Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, and replay appeared to show the puck hitting off Cole Koepke’s stick, but after a long review, officials came on the mic and announced the call was confirmed.
To their credit, Florida nearly pulled off a kill of the full two-minute 5-on-3, but Kyle Connor snuck a shot over Akira Schmid’s glove to put the Jets on the scoreboard.
It didn’t take long for the Panthers to restore their two-goal advantage, and they did it with another power play goal.
Defenseman Seth Jones continued his torrid start to the season by firing a laser of a wrist shot from between the circles that beat Daws with 4:36 left in the middle frame.
Seth Jones now all alone in 3rd place among NHL defensemen in scoring with 18 points. pic.twitter.com/91aSdMX2JS
Despite the Jets adding a third period goal to cut Florida’s lead back to one, the Panthers kept their skate on the gas and picked up another crucial insurance goal.
Florida’s fourth goal came at even strength, with Lundell popping home a Lars Eller rebound to give the Cats a 4-2 lead with 6:27 to go.
For Lundell, it was his second goal of the night and third of the season, ending a six-game scoring drought.
But he wasn’t done there.
With Daws on the Winnipeg bench for an extra attacker, Lundell scored from about 150 feet away to log the first hat trick of his career.
ANOTHER HATTY IN FLORIDA 🎩
Anton Lundell gets his third of the game and that is now FIVE hatty's this season for the Panthers 😳 pic.twitter.com/YoBeFwrbSK
Photo caption: Oct 30, 2026; Sunrise,Florida, USA;FloridaPantherscenter Anton Lundell (15) celebrates with goaltender Akira Schmid (40) after the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates during the first half of a game against the Denver Nuggets in Oklahoma City, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026.
Chet Holmgren will be out for roughly two months.
The star Thunder big man underwent a “biological treatment” for a small patellar tendon tear on Friday, sidelining him for 8-10 weeks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Holmgren has missed each of OKC’s last two games, having last played in Sunday’s bout against the Clippers, during which he is said to have “experienced mild discomfort” in his knee, per the outlet.
The injury adds to a growing list of setbacks for the Thunder, who are already facing the possibility of losing Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace for the remainder of the season.
Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates during the first half of a game against the Denver Nuggets in Oklahoma City, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Getty Images
Williams underwent surgery after suffering a dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula Sunday against the Clippers, while Wallace tore the labrum in his left shoulder during the same game.
Alex Caruso (ankle), Nikola Topic (back) and Thomas Sorber (knee) are also sidelined.
Oklahoma City is far from alone when it comes to bad injury luck in the early going of the 2026-27 NBA season.
Holmgren’s knee issue adds another chapter in a long list of injuries the Gonzaga product has dealt with since being drafted No. 2 overall in 2022.
He missed his entire rookie season in 2022-23 after suffering a foot injury and was sidelined for nearly three months during the 2024-25 campaign with a fractured pelvis.
In three appearances this season, Holmgren is scoring 12 points per game with 9.3 rebounds in 30 minutes per contest.
Despite injury troubles, the Thunder are 4-1 heading into Saturday’s game against the Rockets.
NEW YORK (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored 20 points, Duncan Robinson added 17 and the Detroit Pistons routed the Brooklyn Nets 110-94 on Friday night in an NBA Cup opener.
Ron Holland II finished with 16 points off the bench and Paul Reed chipped in 12 for the Pistons, who have won five of their first six games to begin the season for the first time since 2015-16.
Detroit limited the winless Nets to 40% shooting from the field. No team has shot over 45.5% from the floor against the Pistons this season.
Julius Randle scored 15 and Michael Porter Jr. added 13 for the Nets, who fell to 0-5.
The Pistons got off to a slow start and trailed 28-21 after one quarter. Brooklyn took a 10-point lead – its largest of the season – after a pair of free throws from Randle with 10:44 to play in the second quarter.
But the Pistons began to chip away at the deficit and closed out the first half with an 18-7 spurt to take a 56-49 lead at the break.
Detroit did not let up in the third quarter and outscored the Nets 37-17 thanks to 12 consecutive points from Holland.
The Pistons held the Nets to 33% shooting from the field and forced nine turnovers during the third period.
Detroit outscored Brooklyn 48-36 in the paint and had a 27-11 advantage on the fast break.
SAN FRANCISCO — Cutting down on turnovers was such an emphasis for the Warriors entering this season that Steve Kerr decided to overhaul their entire offensive system.
Yet, four games in, they’re coughing up the ball even more than ever.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, right, looks to pass as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray defends, Oct. 26, 2026, in Denver. AP Photo/David Zalubowski
“I would say he is just trying too hard to make plays right now and turning it over too often, just being too aggressive,” Kerr said of the 12th-year veteran. “He’s got to get more comfortable with these new concepts that we’re putting in and be more patient.”
Golden State turned the ball over 87 times while going 2-3 over its first five games, an average of 17.4 per contest, compared to 15.4 per game last season. Green has committed 17 of the turnovers in the four games he’s played, a career-worst 4.3 per game.
Green has turned the ball over more times than he’s directed it toward the basket, with only five buckets on 13 attempts from the field. However, he has still been a distributor, with 6.8 assists.
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It has also matched him up against far bigger players than his 6-foot-6 frame. In their win over the Timberwolves, for example, Green held 7-foot-2 Rudy Gobert to one point on four attempts.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr watches his team play the Denver Nuggets on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at Ball Arena in Denver. Getty Images
“I think he’s still brilliant defensively. I think he’s still doing a great job at that end of the floor,” Kerr said. “I think he’s really adapting to the things that we’re trying to get him to do. He’s crashing, getting more offensive boards.
“We talked a little about him shooting more 3s in the summer, but with Yaxel starting, Draymond is now our five again, almost fulltime. So he’s usually in the pick and roll, which is great for us.”
Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors looks to pass against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, at Target Center in Minneapolis. NBAE via Getty Images
Kerr said that Green has approached him multiple times during games to take accountability for his turnovers. But Kerr is giving Green — and the rest of his team — a long leash as they break in a new five-out system with more set plays, designed to reduce the chaos.
Kerr understands that it’s going to take some time for everyone to get on the same page.
“These things take time,” Kerr said. “Phil Jackson once told me the Triangle for a new team took a year to implement. Not that we’re implementing the Triangle, but we’re implementing new concepts.
“I think anytime you shift some schemes, some strategies and it’s new to players, especially older players, experienced players, I can look at all of our turnovers and I can say the vast majority of them are correctable. We just have to keep at it.”
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 30: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket during the game against the Chicago Bulls during the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup on October 30, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
A Payton Pritchard 30-piece led the Boston Celtics to a 125-111 home win over the Chicago Bulls in the teams’ second matchup of the season and their first game of group play for the NBA Cup. The game caps off a four-game win streak for the C’s, who are now 4-1.
The Celtics and Bulls are in East Group C, which also includes the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, and Washington Wizards.
Group play will last 4 games, with each team playing each other once, before NBA Cup knockout rounds begin on Friday, Dec. 4. Five Eastern Conference teams will make it to the knockout rounds, including the winners of all three groups and two wild cards.
The Wizards started off a 10-game slate of group play games tonight with a 95-79 win over the Hornets, so the Wizards and Celtics are now tied for the lead of East Group C with a 1-0 record. Tiebreakers will be decided by point differential. The Celtics are at +14 while the Wizards are at +16.
Boston’s starting lineup tonight included Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, and Mitchell Robinson. Devin Carter, who has yet to play this season, remained out with mononucleosis.
The Bulls started John Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson, and Jalen Smith. Chicago was missing Nic Claxton and Dailyn Swain.
The game got started off with a flurry of scoring. Both Boston and Chicago scored on their first three possessions, with all three Celtics buckets coming at the rim. In fact, the C’s first five made field goals came from the paint. Tatum uncapped the basket from distance with a three-pointer almost 4 minutes into the game to take an early 5-point lead.
While George made an early impact with his defense, the Bulls had a hard time stopping the Celtics’ offense, which came to play. Tatum led the way by hitting his first four shots for 9 quick points. By the time George snagged a bad pass from Giddey and threw down the open dunk, Boston was up 22-12.
The Bulls initially kept the lead from blowing up with 8 free throws, but Neemias Queta, Hugo Gonzalez, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard came off the bench with a gusto and added to Boston’s momentum. With 3 minutes to go in the opening frame, the Celtics were up 33-18, with 4 steals and 0 turnovers.
Pritchard — who appeared to be on a personal mission to crush the Bulls — added to the team’s steals total soon after the break, nailed a three-pointer a minute later, buried an and-1 right after, got another steal on the way back, and hit a layup with about a minute left in the quarter. JT smoked a layup during a final shot situation, but the C’s finished the frame with a 44-25 lead, the team’s best opening quarter of the young season. Boston shot 13-15 on two-point shot attempts during the quarter.
Boston kept its foot on the gas early in the second quarter. Robinson bullied the Bulls bigs down low for a couple well-fought offensive rebounds and putbacks, and Pritchard made Powell dance before knocking down a sweet step-back three-pointer to get to 13 points on the night.
The Pritchard show wasn’t over, though. George got in on the party with a deep three-pointer about halfway through the second quarter, then got a steal and put up another attempt from the perimeter. While he didn’t connect, Pritchard got the offensive layup and put it back up for an easy layup, then got the ball back following a White steal and knocked down a 26-footer, giving the Celtics a 63-35 lead with 6:41 to go in the half.
Boston’s lead reached 30 for the first time after Tatum hit a smooth turnaround jump shot with less than 5 minutes left, but the Bulls scored the next 5 points. Pritchard stopped the mini run by burying a couple free throws, and Tatum reinflated the lead with a finger roll layup and three-pointer on back-to-back possessions to put the C’s up 76-44 with less than 2 minutes left in the second quarter.
The Celtics had a chance to tie the Spurs with the highest-scoring half of the season, at 80 points, but finished just shy following a couple Tatum turnovers to end the quarter. Boston entered the half with a commanding 29-point lead, 78-49.
Pritchard led the C’s in scoring over the first half, with 20 points on 7-10 shooting from the field. He also racked up 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
Tatum finished the half with 16 points on 7-11 shooting, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Buzelis and Powell led the way for the Bulls, with 11 points apiece.
Robinson opened the second half with the Celtics’ first block of the night, but the Bulls scored a couple buckets to cut the lead back down to 24, leading Head Coach Joe Mazzulla to call an early timeout. Coming out of the break, White scored a layup for Boston’s first points of the half and Tatum and Robinson connected soon after for an impressive alley-oop, but the team’s rhythm from the first half had been all but lost.
On the other hand, the Bulls kept attacking the C’s and hit four three-pointers by the halfway point of the third quarter, bringing the lead down to 86-66. While Boston had become complacent with such a lead, Chicago upped its energy and defensive effort, forcing the Celtics to keep up.
Luckily, the C’s got going again under that pressure and finished the quarter with a 25-point lead, 99-74. Nevertheless, it was the team’s worst quarter of the night, as it scored only 21 points.
Despite all the talk about running up the point differential, the Celtics allowed 6 quick points over the first 2 minutes of the fourth quarter and failed to score from the field until Tatum hit a tough step-back jump shot with 9:38 to go to put Boston up 102-80.
Tatum and George led the way for the C’s over the next few minutes, but the Bulls — especially Caleb Wilson, who couldn’t miss in the second half — remained feisty and refused to let Boston build its lead back up. Halfway through the final frame, the Celtics’ lead was down to 19, 111-92.
While Tatum went to the bench after receiving his 5th personal foul, as well as a technical foul, with 5 minutes to go in the contest, Boston didn’t let the game get out of hand in his absence. Pritchard stepped up and drew a couple shooting fouls, hitting all 4 free throws, to maintain a 20-point Celtics lead with about 2 minutes left to go.
At that point, the Bulls emptied their bench. Boston already had an all-bench lineup on the court, but sent out Chris Cenac Jr. and Ron Harper Jr. to finish the game.
Pritchard finished the game with 30 points on 52.9% shooting from the field, along with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
Tatum scored 26 points on 45% shooting from the field and racked up 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
George finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals.
Wilson finished the game with 23 points on 6 made three-pointers, both of which led the Bulls.
Powell and Buzelis finished with 16 and 14 points, respectfully.
Boston will face the Orlando Magic next, at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Kia Center.
The Celtics’ next NBA Cup group play matchup will against the Hornets at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the Spectrum Center.
TORONTO, CANADA - OCTOBER 30: Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket during the game against the Orlando Magic during the Emirates NBA Cup on October 30, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Scotiabank Arena was a packed barn tonight, but when you blinked, and the fans yelled, it sounded like the arena was filled far past its 19,800 person capacity. It’s good for the fanbase to exorcise some demons by screaming their hearts out, and in tonight’s game, there were plenty of opportunities to do just that.
In the rematch of a game where the Raptors beat the Orlando Magic by 30 points, a loss is a difficult pill to swallow. Taking the medicine is made all the more painful when the Magic are shooting a blistering volume from three (in the first quarter alone, Desmond Bane shot four-for-four from the three point line), and the Raptors were getting called for fouls like they’re going out of style, picking up 33 to the Magic’s 21.
Fouls, the “Bane” of the Raptors
The Magic defended very physically tonight, to their credit, but it was hard to feel like the Raptors weren’t getting the short end of the stick, as well as some calls that looked arbitrary at best. Neither the Raptors players, or their fans were taking any of that lying down. Twice in the first half, echoing choruses of “Ref, you suck!” reverberated throughout the arena after some particularly unpopular calls.
Both teams combined for 40 personal fouls in the first three quarters alone, and the game was punctuated by a number of confrontations between players, notably between RJ Barrett and Desmond Bane early in the game.
Without Kawhi Leonard there as a primary offensive threat, Scottie Barnes took over to score a career high 41 points, and looked like he just couldn’t miss. That midrange in his arsenal has become a weapon deadlier than a pearl handled revolver, and looked twice as polished tonight.
Barnes has yet again proven himself to have grown as a creator; this is not rookie Scottie, or even Scottie of last year. Barnes looks like he’s grown into himself offensively this year, and the do-it-all label has swung towards offensive creation in a big way tonight. He looked great tonight, scoring from the low post and the midrange and from three, on fantastic efficiency.
Tonight was messy on the hardwood, however. Players tripped, shoved, pushed, and bumped, and for anyone who says they miss the old NBA, this was the game to tune into. Before the NBA became a league that made stars of its guards and forwards, it was a league for giants, and tonight, Jakob Poeltl seems to have awoken.
After a very rough start to the season, Poeltl notched his first double-double of the season tonight. Hopefully, this is an upwards trajectory that keeps moving in the right direction for the heavily scrutinized big man. Building confidence is important, and as Poeltl entered the season after a long period of recovery from injury, he seems to be needing plenty of time to ramp up his contribution. Tonight, from the start of the game, he looked faster, grabbed more rebounds, and the as quarters passed, looked all the more ready to fight for a Raptors win.
Big swings, big misses
From a defensive perspective, there were a few lapses where the Raptors just needed to get their hands up in front of defenders’ faces, but they were also dealing with an Orlando Magic team that had the hot hand to end all hot hands; sometimes, there’s only so much a team can do.
Offensively, the Raptors looked good, but passed up a few open threes, demonstrating that while a lot has been done to push outside shooting, a lot of the team’s important players just don’t take those shots naturally. RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley both had some rough shooting nights tonight, and fully activating all five of the Raptors’ starters in a single game is a dream that has yet to come true this season.
To say that it was Barrett and Quickley that sunk the Raptors tonight would be incorrect, but making sure that the Raptors have room for more than one big offensive night is important.
A gulf remained between the Raptors and Magic for much of the game, but in the fourth quarter, Barnes’ bombardment of buckets brought the Toronto Raptors some much needed space, as the game remained close going down into the wire.
TORONTO, CANADA – OCTOBER 30: Collin Murray-Boyles #30 of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket during the game against the Orlando Magic during the Emirates NBA Cup on October 30, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Everybody seemed to be wearing multiple fouls into the end of the game like they were haute couture, and Collin Murray-Boyles looked deadly from the inside withs some massive slams. Coming down on a big attempted dunk, Barnes looked like he hurt his hand, but checked back into the game late. With two minutes remaining in the game, the Magic were up 117-112, and the Raptors needed a bucket to go, but just couldn’t buy one. In the last seconds of the game, Scottie Barnes fouled out, finishing the night with 41-5-5 on a monster night.
Desmond Bane finished with 28 points and shot six for 12 from three on the night, while Franz Wagner had 26 points and 11 assists of his own. The Magic held it down missing two of their starters against a Raptors team that had a lot going for it tonight. Toronto will be looking for revenge in their next matchup, as they’ll have to hold onto this 121-114 loss
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 30: Tyrese Maxey #0 and LeBron James #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the game against the New York Knicks during the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup on October 30, 2026 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
LeBron, LeBron, LeBrooooooooooooooooooooooon.
The Sixers held off a second half comeback to beat the New York Knicks 98-93 Friday night, improving to 5-1 on the season and 1-0 in NBA Cup group play.
Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 25 points going 10-of-19 from the field with four assists. Joel Embiid struggled from the field in the second half going for 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting but had seven rebounds and seven assists.
LeBron James had his best offensive performance as a Sixer so far, shooting 8-of-15 from the floor for 20 points along with nine rebounds including the putback to seal the game. VJ Edgecombe had a great night at doing all the little things and also hit one of the biggest threes of the game, finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting.
Anfernee Simons had 21 while Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 24.
Jaylen Brown was ruled out with patellar tendinopathy in his left knee, along with Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker, and Tacko Fall.
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
The Sixers’ first possession saw Embiid get stripped on his first touch before Dean Wade was able to get into the scrum, save the loose ball, and get it back for a pair of free throws. The offense looked much prettier after that possession. Maxey hit a couple of jumpers, the first being a three off the catch and a second being a wide open midrange after cooking Mikal Bridges with a spin move. LeBron got to the basket for an open layup off a couple swing passes and also knocked down a three.
Brunson missed his first three shots of the game, the last being a pull-up attempt Maxey swatted before he could get it off. Maxey’s stout defense on the possession got the crowd on its feet as he wouldn’t let Brunson by him, but Brunson swished the jumper on his second attempt as New York tried to keep pace.
Embiid was doing a great job being the offense’s hub, and that was capped off by his second and third assists of the night. As he let the floor open up he found a cutting Edgecombe, who was doing a great job of being everywhere, for a jam. Embiid then drove towards the baseline and found KCP in the paint as he was falling out of bounds.
After missing six of their first seven threes, New York knocked down a pair of threes to halt the Sixers’ momentum briefly. The Sixers just continued to get good shots playing through Embiid on the other hand. He got four points himself before checking out with two mintues left to go. For as well as it went, Maxey dribbled out a couple possessions into some low-quality shots and prevented them from getting out to a big lead. A layup by OG Anunoby cut the Sixers’ lead to eight after one.
Second Quarter
It was good to see Labaron Philon Jr. in the shorthanded rotation. The only real minutes he’s gotten so far were in the loss to the Detroit, but he looked good in that game. His first shot of the night was a corner three that hit the rim short and got on the board with a floater in transiton.
Wade was doing a great job guarding Anunoby. He made him settle for jumpers and was even able to strip the ball away from him, leading to a fast break for the Sixers’ first points of the quarter. He also forced a couple steals deflecting passes in the middle of the paint. The defense as a unit looked really good as the Knicks took over three and a half minutes to score their first points of the quarter.
Maxey seemed to shake off those rough possessions that ended the first because he quickly was back in control of the game. The defensive plays Wade made let him run out and start possessions quickly. As much as the Knicks wanted to key in on him, he got the ball moving around the floor to create the leverages he wanted as he extended the lead with Embiid and LeBron on the bench.
LeBron has showed off a lot of his brilliant playmaking so far but he had yet to have a dominant scoring stretch so far with the Sixers. He checked back into the game and immediately hit another three before getting to the basket for a couple of layups, drawing a foul on the second. The arena DJ played the “LeBron, LeBron, LeBron” song as he went to the line.
LeBron James is up to 12 points following this strong finish inside against Bridges pic.twitter.com/J81t66sG4u
In an unfortunately familiar sight, Embiid took an inadvertent forearm from Josh Hart as the two went up for a rebound. He left the game, but stayed on the bench until the end of the half and was back out for the start of the second half.
Bridges knocked down an open three from the corner out of the ensuing timeout, but Maxey responded with another three of his own five feet behind the line. The Sixers finished the half with one last solid defensive possession, forcing a bad Brunson pass out of bounds as time expired. Philly held a nine-point lead at the break.
Third Quarter
The ease with which Maxey was burying not just threes, but threes several feet behind the arc was a sight to behold. Especially when it’s the first points of the half for the Sixers after a couple sloppy possessions. He got free again in the midrange to force a quick timeout from Mike Brown.
The Sixers caught some shooting luck coming out of the timeout with threes from both Bridges and Brunson going halfway down and out. Offensively the Sixers started to run into resistance in the middle of the floor. Embiid tried to force through a drive then a pass and turned the ball over on consecutive possessions. The Knicks were able to take advantage and cut the lead to five.
A LeBron kickout to KCP for a wide open corner three was just what the Sixers needed to stop the bleeding. They took advantage of Karl-Anthony Towns gambling for a steal on the inbounds to find Anfernee Simons wide open in the corner a few possessions later. The pair of Simons and KCP did bungle a fast break opportunity, but Simons drilled a three to make up for it. He also knocked down a midrange off the dribble coming out of the Knicks’ second timeout of the quarter, but his heatcheck on the following possession fell short.
Adem Bona’s first shift of the night was perfectly fine. He had a big block that he had to get back for and didn’t screw have any major screw ups. His second stint… did not go as well. He picked two fouls very quickly and very frustratingly. He had a slow bouncing rebound fall into his lap and still slipped, fell, and dropped the ball out of bounds. As Brusnon got to the line with 23 seconds left, Nurse pulled Bona for the last possession of the quarter. After Brunson made both, the Sixers found Simons again for his fourth three of the night, keeping the Sixers up nine.
Fourth Quarter
Bona was back in the game and continued to struggle. He jumped so early on a pumpfake his whole body landed on Towns, but Towns was able to still flip the layup up and in for the and-1. Towns also drilled a three a few possessions later. The Sixers got a couple buckets themselves, including another three from Simons, but as Bona was baited easily into an and-1 for Jordan Clarkson, Embiid and LeBron started to head to the scorer’s table.
The Sixers overpassed a little bit on a couple possessions which got them in trouble. They also completely missed Clarkson on a boxout, who was able to snag a putback and cut it to a three-point game. Embiid looked out of rhythm all second half. LeBron ran a pick-and-pop with him, helping him get a wide open jumper at the elbow for two much needed points going into a Knicks timeout.
They ran a very similar play after the timeout but Embiid’s attempt this time was no good. On their next trip down the floor, Maxey became the second Sixer of the quarter to get stuck at the top of the key with no dribble and the shotclock winding down. The possession after that James tried to sneak a tight pass into too small of a window. The Knicks steal led to a Towns three that once again made it a one possession game.
Finally playing under control, Maxey and Embiid were able to draw enough attention around the perimeter for LeBron to be left wide open in the dunker spot. They tried to follow that up with another Embiid midrange, but he wasn’t able to find that rhthym.
Embiid even pumpfaked a three and stepped in for a midrange, but he couldn’t get that one to go either. Despite Edgecombe being draped all over him, Brunson hit a three to give the Knicks the lead with a minute and a half to go.
LeBron put the Sixers back in front by one with a midrange jumper. Brunson drove but couldn’t get past Edgecombe, and his floater didn’t fall. On the ensuing possession Maxey continued to draw doubles past the perimeter, and he kicked to Edgecombe who buried the three at the top of the key to go back up four with 32 seconds left.
Despite a Sixers’ challenge, Brunson was able to draw Edgecombe’s fifth foul of the night as the two got tripped up on each other. Brunson split the pair at the line. The Sixers took their time, looking to get Maxey on Brunson. He drove all the way to the hoop and missed the layup, but LeBron was there to put it back and seal a crazy game of NBA Cup action.
BROOKLYN, NY - OCTOBER 30: Duncan Robinson #55 of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket during the game against the Brooklyn Nets during the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup on October 30, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Brooklyn Nets had no interest in celebrating the holiday tomorrow. No costumes. No masks. Tonight, they came as they were — a young team still trying to figure it out.
And, against an Eastern conference contender, that’s not enough to challenge for a win.
The Nets did change up their look in another sense, although it wasn’t by choice. With Egor Dëmin out for at least a week with a bone bruise in his right leg, Chaney Johnson started in his place. And no, it’s not like he played the four or five and everyone slid up a slot. Like a true two-guard, Johnson started possessions guarding Amen Thompson and Duncan Robinson at the top of the key tonight.
And guess what? It worked. The Nets led for the entire first period as their size and switching appeared to give Detroit fits. Johnson was a +3 with three points, a blocked shot, and a steal in six minutes.
“He did great,” Fernández said of Johnson postgame. “Chaney’s effort and purpose and everything he’s done so far, it’s been very good. I think he’s taking advantage of his minutes. We just need everybody to have the same intentions and intensity, and play as hard as he plays, and I think that we’ll be okay.”
Despite the Pistons coming into tonight with the seventh best 3-point percentage in the league, and the Nets allowing the seventh highest to their opponents, Detroit shot just 1-9 from deep in the first.
After his breakout turned blunderous night in Boston, Mikel Brown Jr. was Brooklyn’s ninth man off the bench this evening, not checking in until the 3:32 mark of the first. The offense continued to hum with him at the helm. Struggling from deep themselves following a 2-11 start, the Nets had to look elsewhere for offense. With Julius Randle having an easy time burrowing inside and Mo Wagner ready to eat out of the dunker’s spot, Brooklyn outscored Detroit in the paint 18-14 in the period.
While Wagner’s been an offensive bright spot of late, his game tonight had some shade cast down on it. After getting free for an uncontested dunk early in the second, Wagner couldn’t flush it all the way down, and the ball rattled out leading to an easy three on the break for Kevin Huerter. The five point swing introduced a 15-5 Pistons run that gave them the lead.
It’s not like it was all Wagner’s fault. The Nets shot just 3-14 from the field in the second, resorting to isolation possessions that ended in contested shot attempts on one too many occasions. Brooklyn also continued to look out of sync and downright slow with its off-ball defense tonight, over-helping in the gap at other points as well. As a result, the Pistons also rebounded to shoot 5-9 deep in the second, and carried a 56-49 lead into the break.
Julius Randle hit a triple and then found Johnson above the rim to help Brooklyn cut the lead back to six after Detroit had opened the period with a 9-3 jolt…
But then, after only committing eight turnovers in the entire first half, the Nets gave it up six times in the third’s first six minutes. For Detroit, it was fun and mesmerizing. For Brooklyn? Not so much…
“It’s just tough when you turn it over that many times,” Fernández said. “It’s a lot of damage, poor spacing, poor setups. Like I said, I think I said before the game, making the simple play, making the simple play when you run the floor, making the simple play when you get into the paint, and I don’t think we’re buying into that.”
Those turnovers, paired with another poor shooting period, made it a 20+ point lead entering the fourth for the Pistons. Through three, Randle shot 4-13, Traoré shot 3-10, and Brown Jr. shot 0-6. Michael Porter Jr. and Wagner were the only men with a field goal percentages north of 50% and with more than two field goals. That’s just not going to cut it.
“We’re not all on the same page with what we’re running or what we’re trying to do out there, and then it’s getting us in bad positions,” Randle said. “Like, we’re getting like stuck against a loaded defense, or our floor balance is off, or we’re not cutting when we’re supposed to cut. So, it feels like sometimes that’s happening, or we’re getting to one action, and there’s no flow and rhythm after the first action. It’s like we’re just kind of like stuck, and we’re just sitting there watching each other. We got to find a way to to get in a better flow and rhythm, and then just figure out what we’re trying to accomplish each possession.”
“This game especially, and with a team that pressures you, you need more cutting, and you need very good spacing and setups, otherwise, you just find bodies in front of you,” Fernández added. “I have to do a better job helping our guys to find those advantages.”
Both Fernández and his players noticed a drop in intensity as the offense became stagnant around the third period.
“I think just generally speaking, we when stuff doesn’t go our way, we kind of put our head down a little bit and lose our connectivity, and I think that’s one of our staples and we worked way too hard all summer, and probably set much higher standard than that for ourselves,“ Wagner said. ”So, it’s obviously a little disappointing, and we gotta get that done.”
So, in the fourth, we were treated to our first Terrance Mann minutes of the year. Danny Wolf joined him on the floor alongside Brown Jr. as we made that familiar shift from watching a competition to developmental minutes at the Barclays Center. Getting most of his points at the stripe, MBJ was able to grind his way into a more appealing stat line by the end of it, finishing with 10 points and four assists while shooting 2-9 from the field and 6-8 from the line.
But of all the end-of-game minute eaters, Wolf looked the most hungry out there, chipping in nine points, six rebounds and two assists in the fourth quarter. Drake Powell, who the team called up this afternoon and logged six minutes, assisted on two baskets but did not score himself.
The Nets are 0-5.
Final: Detroit Pistons 110, Brooklyn Nets 94
Next Up
Brooklyn will get another shot at the Indiana Pacers next, who they lost to at home last Sunday by 20+ points. This time, it’s on the road, and Tyrese Haliburton won’t be involved. Hali is set to miss at least two weeks with a left hamstring strain. The contest tips off at 5:00 p.m. EST.
Lakers owner Mark Walter, left, and Josh Kushner have reached an agreement on the outstanding terms linked to the sale of the NBA team. (Kevin Winter, Jemal Countess / Getty Images)
Lakers owner Mark Walter and Josh Kushner of Thrive Capital have agreed to the outstanding terms of the team’s sale, valued at an NBA-record $12.5 billion, according to several people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Kushner, a venture capitalist and the younger brother of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, met at the Florida home of Walter, owner of the Dodgers and chief executive of Guggenheim Partners, to finalize the terms of the agreement, according to one person.
The agreement between Walter and Kushner, which still needs to be signed, will need to be reviewed by the NBA. The league’s Board of Governors will then have to approve the sale before it becomes official.
It’s unclear if Walter has given Kushner a deadline to close the deal, but Kushner has assured Walter that he has the funds to complete the transaction.
Bob Iger, Disney’s former chief executive, is in partnership with Kushner on the deal.
Walter has been at the center of a federal loan investigation. His holding company, TWG Global, is in talks with investors to raise money to help pay down loans on the books of its insurers that had drawn scrutiny from the Justice Department, Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous sources. He and Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly sold their small stake in the English Premier League club Chelsea last month, The Financial Times reported, and he reportedly is seeking to sell the WNBA’s Sparks.
The Wizards rode a swarming and stingy defense to overcome a slow offensive start and beat the Charlotte Hornets, 95-79 in their opening NBA Cup contest of 2026.
Washington asserted themselves midway through the second quarter, closing the half on a 16-8 run to take a 51-46 halftime lead. The run continued when play resumed in the second half with the Wizards blasting the Hornets 28-13 in the third period.
Trae Young helps the Wizards with a supernatural ability to make opponents foul him. | NBAE via Getty Images
The fourth quarter was a lead-retention grind — the Wizards cause abetted by a Charlotte team that struggled to make any shot, even when Washington was conceding open looks.
The Wizards defense deserves lots of credit for Charlotte’s horrific night. Rotations were crisp, communication was superb, and they gave the Hornets little space to operate. Charlotte deserves some credit too — they missed everything from everywhere. On the night, the Hornets shot 35.3% on twos, 21.4% on threes, and 58.3% from the free throw line. Those clanking, thudding, and smashing sounds you heard all night was Charlotte taking shots.
Washington’s offense wasn’t much better, though it was good enough. The Wizards made just 41.9% on twos, but kinda-sorta compensated for the bricklaying inside the arc by hitting 10-30 from three (33.3%), and 29-35 from the free throw line.
Trae Young was a valuable offensive engine. He entered the night fifth in the NBA in drawing fouls, and he tortured Charlotte throughout the evening with his abrupt changes of pace and unorthodox, out-of-the-normal-rhythm offensive style.
Young finished the night with 21 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds. The points came on just nine field goal attempts because of his supernatural ability to draw fouls. He shot 12-14 from the free throw line, and contributed 8-10 strong defensive plays.
Anthony Davis led the Wizards with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and some paint-clogging, rim-protecting defense.
In his second start and his home debut, AJ Dybantsa pumped in 17 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. His night included some eye-popping offensive moves and some stellar defensive effort.
The victory moves Washington to a 3-3 record on the season, a 1-0 record in Cup play this season, and a 2-11 all-time Cup record.
From the Notebook
The Wizards broadcast had John Wall and Brendan Haywood, which was terrific — especially when they got technical or told “back in my day” stories. It was less good when Haywood devolved into cliches and Chris Miller got into his big ol’ bag of propaganda.
Example 1: In the third quarter, Haywood started in with the well-worn and inaccurate nostrum that good teams can win on bad offensive nights if they play well on defense. While it’s kinda true, it’s only partially so. Teams can also win on bad defensive nights if they play on offense. And there’s zero evidence that a team’s defensive performance is more consistent or durable than their offensive performance.
Example 2: Sometime in the second half, Miller exclaimed, “AD is lethal from the midrange!” to agreement from Haywood and Wall. Except, Davis entered the night shooting close to 30% on twos from further than three feet. This is nothing new — Davis has been a below-average midrange shooter for the past several seasons.
Complaints aside, I loved the Wall-Haywood exchanges. There was a moment in the first quarter when Haywood asked Wall what he looked for when running pick-and-roll. Wall’s response was fascinating — he wasn’t focused on his man or the big. His key was the weakside help defender.
Kyshawn George played a strong second half, and I liked his overall game. While he missed shots in the first half, he played disciplined defense, avoided the over-aggressive fouls, and didn’t commit silly turnovers. In the second half, the shots went in, and he kept finding Davis for at-rim attempts.
I’m starting to get a little worried about whether Davis and Alex Sarr can play together effectively. The early returns have not been good.
Bilal Coulibaly posted a terrible PPA (see below) while also making several stellar defensive plays and helping harass Brandon Miller into a subpar night. It’d be nice if Coulibaly could display some semblance of an offensive game to go with the defense.
At halftime, I noted that Khris Middleton had played poorly in four minutes and that I’d be okay with him not taking the floor again. He didn’t — sitting the entire second half.
Four Factors
Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).
The four factors are measured by:
eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)
FOUR FACTORS
HORNETS
WIZARDS
LGAVG
eFG%
33.6%
45.2%
53.2%
OREB%
29.0%
19.6%
27.1%
TOV%
10.3%
14.4%
14.0%
FTM/FGA
0.065
0.397
0.221
PACE
97
100.9
ORTG
81
98
112.5
Stats & Metrics
PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).
PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.
POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.
ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.
USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median last season was 17.7%.
ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.
+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.
Players are sorted by total production in the game.
The team announced Friday, Oct. 30 that All-Star center Chet Holmgren will miss at least two months with a small patellar tendon tear in his right knee. The Thunder said Holmgren underwent a “biological treatment” to repair the issue and said he was expected to make a full recovery and would miss 8-to-10 weeks.
This is just the latest injury concern for Oklahoma City, which now has three of its five starters out for an indefinite period. Forward Jalen Williams suffered a broken and dislocated ankle just three games into the season, and guard Cason Wallace suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The Thunder also announced Friday that Wallace underwent his surgery in Los Angeles and would be reevaluated before the end of the regular season.
Additionally, backup guard Alex Caruso is nursing a sprained ankle.
Holmgren, the runner-up last season to San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyam for Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-Defensive selection, is a key part of Oklahoma City’s operation.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 30: Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils scores a goal against Adin Hill #33 of the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period at T-Mobile Arena on October 30, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
First Period
The New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights started this evening’s game a bit slowly, feeling each other out for a few shifts without a shot on goal. This all changed when the third line hit the ice after the five-minute mark, with Jesper Boqvist making moves through the neutral zone to set his team up. The Devils got the puck low in the zone after Boqvist’s continued his hard work, allowing Anthony Mantha to win the puck on the wall. Mantha took the puck around the net and picked Luke Hughes up cutting down, feeding him a one-timer chance. And he scored! The Devils took a 1-0 lead again before Connor Hellebuyck had even touched a shot.
A couple minutes later, Noah Hanifin took a rare illegal equipment penalty when a puck off Arseny Gritsyuk’s stick broke his. Hanifin immediately played the puck with his shaft, perhaps not realizing the blade had popped off. The first unit of the power play had a rather strong shift, with Adin Hill robbing Nico Hischier in front early before stopping a Jack Hughes one-timer at the end of their shift. The second unit got 42 seconds to work with after the following faceoff, but they did not generate anything in their time.
Towards the end of the period, Luke Evangelista took a tripping penalty on Mitch Marner. This one hurt them. Glass won the draw, but Mark Stone got to the puck first and sent it to the point before redirecting the shot past Hellebuyck. It was a high deflection that was set to go wide before Stone tapped it to make it 1-1.
Right after the goal against, Connor Hellebuyck made a huge glove save on Tomas Hertl after Jesper Boqvist made a careless turnover in the defensive zone. The Devils would not learn. Hischier and Meier both went to block a shot from the point, forcing Dougie Hamilton to cover two Knights in front. He couldn’t get across to stop a shot from Ivan Barbashev, and the Knights took a 2-1 lead.
The Golden Knights would return the defensive favor. The Knights were skating like a school of fish, all in the same spot as Bratt and Hughes were sprung on a rush. The Knights blocked the initial chance, but Arseny Gritsyuk was left all alone with too much time, sniping a shot past Adin Hill to tie the game back up.
Second Period
The Devils went back to the power play early in the second period when Marner went to the box for crosschecking. The power play struggled a bit again, but Timo Meier had a chance at the end when he shot on Hill from the side of the cage.
Jack Hughes got going after the man advantage, though. Jack Hughes took the puck away at center ice and went into the offensive zone, dancing around Mark Stone and putting the puck through Stone’s legs, beating Adin Hill in a beautiful move! The Devils retook the lead just 3:49 into the period! Thankfully, Braeden Bowman allowed the Devils to keep the lead when he had a wide open net and shot the puck straight through the crease a few minutes later.
Adin Hill made the save of the game a bit past halfway through the period after he came out to stop a Dougie Hamilton wrist shot. Well out of the crease, Hill had to scramble when Jack Hughes got the puck back in the left faceoff dot and fired on the open net. Hill went old-school, cartwheeling and making a shoulder save on Jack.
The Devils shut the Knights down from there on. By the end of the period, the Devils were outshooting Vegas at one point by a near-two-to-one margin, but this wasn’t the team’s highlight of the second half of this period. Right after the Hischier line flubbed a three-on-two with a bad pass to a trailing Dougie Hamilton, the Hughes line came on. Arseny Gritsyuk, not to be so easily outdone by his linemate, came down with a head of steam and backhanded a shot on Hill. Before the Knights could react, Gritsyuk backhanded his rebound through to make it 4-2!
Third Period
The New Jersey Devils nearly got their fifth of the game less than three minutes into the final period when Amadeus Lombardi beat his man on the rush and sent a pass across for Cody Glass. The pass was just a touch too late, as Glass came crashing down on Hill, forcing the puck to sail the net.
A bit past the halfway point, there was a shaky moment for the Devils when Jonas Siegenthaler fell flat on the ice in a two-on-two, forcing Dougie Hamilton to defend the net alone. Ivan Barbashev got a nice shot off, but Hellebuyck came up with a mask save to keep it out. Play continued, and Jack Hughes made a perfectly time intervention in the slot to stop a wide-open scoring chance later in the sequence.
As the period came to its final minutes, the Devils continued to enforce their defensive will on the Golden Knights. After Luke Hughes caused a stoppage by losing an edge and taking the net off the moorings, the Knights pulled Hill for a six-on-five. On Vegas’ 20th shot of the game, Connor Hellebuyck made a cool glove save. After the following stoppage, the Devils continually disrupted the Knights’ puck movement. Doug Hamilton (this is what I’m starting to call him sometimes when he makes big defensive plays) saw a loose puck in the crease and cleared it up the wall, forcing Vegas back to their defensive zone for a breakout. Unfortunately for them, they passed right to Jack Hughes in the neutral zone, who came in and backhanded the empty net goal to ice the game.
To be honest, I was not very big on the defensive effort that the Devils were giving in the first period. It felt like, once the Knights got one chance, the Devils just started forcing things out on the ice. That familiar sinking feeling came to me when Barbashev scored Vegas’ second goal of that period, as I wondered whether the Devils would have a good response in the second period.
As it turned out, we would not have to wait, for Arseny Gritsyuk was there to tie the game before the first intermission struck.
From then on, the Devils looked like a completely different team — the one that had a big winning streak through that Dallas game. What was a collection of individual efforts at the end of the first period turned into true team defense, and Vegas just looked like they were deflating with each passing minute. This is what these Devils can do to good teams: how many Eastern teams are going out west and putting up 16 shots in the second period?
And once the Devils went up multiple goals, they went into shutdown mode. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Golden Knights had nine shot attempts in the third period. If you are wondering if you read that right, and if I typed that correctly, never fear: these Devils are a team that truly know how to shut a game down.
Moving On
After the Devils’ three-day Halloween break, the team is going to take Edmonton on at home on Tuesday night. It is an ESPN+ game, so it is technically a national game without a local broadcast. Aside from the Devils’ two games against Colorado, this is going to be their best test yet: Edmonton is 9-2-2 right now, and they are playing two-way hockey for seemingly the first time in forever.
Given the way the Devils played tonight, I feel good about the coming matchup. The Devils are a team that can handle top matchups, and their offense is clicking at a blistering rate: they have not scored fewer than two goals since October 17 against the Capitals, and they have scored four or more in four of their last six games.
Believing in Keefe’s Style
While last season left a difficult taste in a lot of our mouths, it is really good to see the team executing what looks like the Sheldon Keefe gameplan with increasing efficiency. I don’t think that everyone was at their best tonight by any means, but it’s a lot easier to hide those warts when the team sticks together and frustrates the opposition. So while there are some lingering areas to improve in, such as special teams, I am personally back to feeling confident in the team before the puck drops each night.
I would think that Connor Hellebuyck is feeling pretty good about the defense he’s seeing in front of him, too! Through two games, Hellebuyck has only had to face 39 shots. That’s good — he’s going to need that rest for Tuesday night.
Until then…
Your Thoughts
What did you think of tonight’s game? Did you feel good about the Devils’ effort? What did you think of the highlight reel goals? Which was your favorite? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and thanks for reading.
