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The San Antonio Spurs continued their three-game homestand on Monday night and used two strong quarters to put away the Utah Jazz, earning the 119-97 win at the Frost Bank Center. The win is the fifth straight for San Antonio, who defeated the Jazz for the second time in nearly a week.

San Antonio set the tone from the opening tip, being aggressive by slicing into the paint at every chance and using their signature ball movement to find the open man for a shot. Defensively, the Spurs put together their best quarter of the season so far, holding Utah to 16 points, the lowest they’ve allowed in the first quarter this season, and 27 percent shooting.

The second quarter saw Utah make a run, cutting the Spurs’ lead to 36-35. Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson was furious and called a timeout, pounding his fist into his hands in frustration as his team walked over to the bench. After that timeout, San Antonio responded with a 14-5 run to take a 50-40 lead and would eventually go into the locker room with some motivation to put the game away in the second half.

San Antonio opened the second half by outscoring Utah 21-18, but another timeout from Coach Johnson saw him not happy with his team’s transition defense as Keyonte George hit a three in transition. The Spurs responded by closing the quarter on a 23-11 run to take full control going into the final 12 minutes.

“Just not getting bored on what was working,” San Antonio guard Stephon Castle said after the game when asked about the second half surge. “I think we came back out in the 2nd half and brought that same kind of energy.”

The Spurs were led by a balanced attack as seven players were in double figures by the final horn. Dylan Harper led San Antonio with 17 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. Castle rebounded from his poor outing with a migraine on Saturday to score 16 points to along with five rebounds and four assists.

Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox each chipped in 12, while Wemby pulled down 11 rebounds. Keldon Johnson led the Spurs’ second unit with 15 points and seven rebounds.

“We have so many weapons,” Castle said of the Spurs’ balanced attack after the game. “We have so many guys who can make a play out of nothing, and we’ll be fine either way.”

The injury-depleted Jazz were led by Lauri Markkanen’s 22 points as Utah lost its fifth straight.

With the Spurs’ homestand closing on Wednesday night with a visit from Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks, Keldon Johnson said the team is not satisfied with a five-game winning streak after climbing out of the 0-2 hole to start the season.

“We’ve yet to play our best brand of basketball,” he said after the game. “We’re getting better each and every game. If we felt like the best version of ourselves at this point of the season, we’d be in trouble. We’re improving and will continue to improve.”

Game Notes

• Harrison Barnes came off the bench to score 10 points and left the internet with a pretty funny moment that will surely turn into a meme by the time this article goes live.
• Luke Kornet continued his strong play from Saturday night, scoring eight points and pulling down five rebounds in 16 minutes. If this is the version of the backup big the Spurs can consistently rely on, it will be huge for the non-Wemby minutes.
• On the other side, Carter Bryant continues to have growing pains as the enters his second season in the NBA. At one point in the game, Mitch Johnson subbed Bryant out for a quick conversation, sent him to the bench for a few moments and then put him back into the game. That was shades of Gregg Popovich from Coach Johnson, using these games as teaching moments that will benefit Bryant later in the season and in his career.

This is far from a finished product. Head coach JJ Redick has repeatedly mentioned across the first two weeks of the season that patience is needed as a host of new faces get acclimated to the Lakers’ system.

What they’ve already proven, though, is that this is a potent offensive team. Led by Luka Dončić, this team is everything everyone imagined it would be when it comes to scoring the ball. And that comes with, again, kinks still needing to be worked out.

But through their first eight games of the season, the Lakers’ 121.9 offensive rating leads the league. They lead the league in field goal percentage, are third in 3-point percentage and second in points per game.

It’s been a light schedule, yes, but they’ve come sprinting out of the gate as one of the league’s best offenses. And that’s pretty encouraging with work still to be done.

So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

Matisse Thybulle

19 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 block, 3 fouls, 1 turnover, 2-6 FG, 2-6 3PT, +13

Thybulle’s ability to be a point-of-attack defender slots so many other players on the team into better-suited roles defensively. He’s proven to be such a valuable asset already, so long as he stays healthy.

Grade: B

Jake LaRavia

25 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 5 fouls, 4 turnovers, 3-4 FG, 1-1 3PT, +20

It was certainly notable that, even with Williams back, Jake LaRavia kept his starting spot. And he has more than earned it.

Grade: B+

Walker Kessler

32 minutes, 15 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 fouls, 1 turnover, 7-13 FG, 1-3 FT, +16

How can a team that has both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo be so bad at the rim defensively? Kessler was gifted so many easy baskets on Monday. Wasn’t defense supposed to be Miami’s calling card?

Grade: A-

Austin Reaves

34 minutes, 27 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 fouls, 5 turnovers, 10-15 FG, 4-5 3PT, 3-4 FT, +21

After a couple of poor showings, Austin bounced back. The turnovers were still a bit too high, but if he just simply shoots 66% from the field the rest of the season, we can overlook that.

Grade: A-

Luka Dončić

35 minutes, 42 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals, 2 fouls, 2 turnovers, 14-24 FG, 6-15 3PT, 8-10 FT, +26

Yes, it’s November. Yes, the Lakers haven’t even played 10 games yet. Yes, the sample size is small. But Luka is the best player on the planet right now and well on course for an MVP award.

Grade: A+

Quentin Grimes

22 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 fouls, 2-4 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-3 FT, +5

After being indirectly called out by Redick after Sunday’s game for his indecisiveness, this was Grimes’ best non-Clippers game of the season.

Grade: B+

Sandro Mamukelashvili

27 minutes, 13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 fouls, 2 turnovers, 5-10 FG, 2-5 3PT, 1-2 FT, +10

Mamu playing as the five was particularly dangerous against the Heat as his ability to pop out to the 3-point line allowed him to knock down some long-range buckets as well as take advantage of a rotating defense.

Grade: A-

Ziaire Williams

15 minutes, 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 fouls, 3-6 FG, 3-6 3PT, -6

Welcome back Ziaire. He jumped back in seamlessly even as he came off the bench. The Lakers having so many interchangeable wings is such a great luxury.

Grade: B+

Collin Sexton

15 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 1 foul, 3-4 FG, 0-1 3PT, -2

Dare I say a much more controlled game from Sexton? That’s still relative as he is still a bit too wild at times. But, still, only one missed shot, no turnovers and five assists? Yes please.

Grade: B+

Jarred Vanderbilt, Cameron Carr, Jaden Hardy, Bronny James, Lawson Lovering

Interestingly, Vando got his normal first half shift but did not see the floor in the second half. With the Heat not really having traditional big men and smaller lineups on the floor, the Lakers could get away with Mamu at the five surrounded by wings and guards.

As for the bench group, that JJ waited until there were 82 seconds left in a game they led by more than 20 to put them in felt like a point being made.

JJ Redick

Keeping LaRavia in the starting lineup was the right call. Redick is also still experimenting a bit with the rotations, including having Kessler on the floor with Reaves and Sexton to start the second quarter. This is all a work in progress to find the right combinations and he’s still doing some experimenting, too.

Using a challenge less than 30 seconds into a game is hilarious. He technically lost the second challenge but I’m not going to dock him for that as Giannis bowling over two defenders while giving them a shove and getting away with it was bonkers.

Grade: A-

Monday’s DNPs: Kevon Looney

Monday’s inactives: Arthur Kaluma, Chris Mañon, Adou Thiero

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

Well, this is pretty fun. The Rockets are not only winning, they’re rolling over most teams. Yes, they lost a winnable game in Dallas, with perhaps the wrong players missing, but they followed that up with a win over a depleted yet still dangerous OKC the next night. Now they’ve taken down Boston, admittedly on a back to back of their own, dropping their record to 5-2. That is to say, Boston had been very good so far, and beating them, even with a schedule advantage is no easy feat.

And yet, the Rockets are making it look pretty easy in most of their wins. Boston wasn’t depleted tonight, and the Rockets were fairly close to full strength as well, with recent absentees Reed Sheppard, Fred VanVleet and Marcus Smart playing tonight. Clint Capela was out, and that proved surprisingly troublesome at points in the game, as Boston is pretty big and physical at center, if generally fairly small elsewhere. Adams or Clint might have helped in that regard, but alas. Boston was without Classic Celtic Paul George, who was sitting on the second night of a back to back.

This game started out disjointed, and it more or less stayed that way. Lots of odd calls, anticipatory calls, and an illegible standard for fouls. Not terrible, but it did kill any hope of free flowing basketball. Until fairly late in the 3rd quarter the Rockets would step out to a small lead, of say 6-8 points, but couldn’t build on it. Boston would close the gap to a few points. The Rockets would build a small lead again. And repeat. In the fourth quarters the Rockets pulled away, and with the lead pushing 20 points, a bad shooting Boston could never catch up.

Boston lives or dies by three point shooting, and tonight, they died by it, going 12-42 from deep. Some of this was surely tired Celtic legs, but some of it has to be credited to the Rockets. It was a dismal shooting night from pretty much all the Boston stalwarts and quondam Rocket killers. Peyton “I cut my own hair.” Pritchard was 0-5 from deep. Jason “MSFT” Tatum was 1-7, Derek “Beardo” White was 1-5, and Sam”Snuggy” Hauser was 0-5. Only Baylor “Nebraksa!” Scheierman and Luka “The Other Luka” Garza had good shooting nights with any volume.

If you’d asked who’d be the high scorer tonight, Jason “Microsoft” Tatum, Kevin Durant or Alperen Sengun, would you have automatically picked Sengun? Possibly not, but Sengun has played not like an All Star, but an All NBA player this season. Tonight he went for 26pts on a very tidy 12-15 shooting, grabbed 7 boards, dished 10 assists to 1 TO, and made 1 of 2 of his 3pt shots, maintaining his great, though low volume, 3pt% percentage.

Tatum only scored 19, went 5-16, with nearly half his output coming from the free throw line. He had 6 boards, and 9 assists to 5 turnovers. Some in TDS land aren’t happy with Amen Thompson lately, but a lot of Amen’s value so far, in my view, has come from shutting down opposing stars fairly well. He’s still posting stats, he still is having trouble scoring inside, and also having any sort of effective mid range game. He seems to be struggling to find his place in a new order where even Kevin Durant isn’t notching high volume attempts.

We saw another great game from Jabari Smith, who is somehow turning into the “go to” guy for the Rockets when they simply have to have 3pt shot. Jabs was 5-10 shooting tonight, and 4-5 from three point range. He added 10 rebounds, and I think played some excellent defense, especially on the perimeter.

We also saw the Rockets Dr. Jeckyll and Mr Hyde player, Marcus Smart, in Mr. Hyde form tonight. He could not shoot it much at all, unlike last game, going 2-10 and 2-8 from three point range (though the makes came late to help seal the win). Smart did however open almost the entire Dark Arts Grimoire that so annoyed me when he played for Boston. I’ve never seen a player pick up not one, but two, fouls in a sequence with the ball not yet inbounded, but Smart did that tonight. I’m fairly sure both of those fouls were on Boston, but whatever the case, he definitely annoyed the hell out of Boston’s players. Even “Cap” himself, Jason Tatum showed human emotions at times. Did playing Boston mean something to Ime Udoka and Marcus Smart? Yes, I’d say it did.

Fred VanVleet continues his good playing, maculate shooting, and immaculate distribution. We also saw another quiet night, at a lowish 33 minutes from Kevin Durant, who took only 6 shots. He did add two blocks and a steal, and seems perfectly content. Opponents now have a tough choice with Sengun, Durant, and Smith. It’s really impossible to do what opponents did last season, and utterly pack the paint and dare the Rockets to make shots. It seems almost impossible to grab and blanket Durant as is the usual scheme against the Rockets and win. That message hasn’t permeated the NBA yet, and it will be interesting to see what the adjustment to the Rockets will be.

We saw a late return to shooting form from Reed Sheppard who played a pretty worthless stint in the first half, but contributed some good passing, defense, and two valuable three pointers as part of a Rockets run that buried Boston for good. Hopefully this will continue in his role off the bench. Tari Eason continues to be a force from the bench, mostly a force for good. Tonight he had 13pts on 5-8 shooting and a very strong 3-6 from three, and added 4 rebounds, 3 assists (2TO) and 2 blocks in his 27 minutes.

It’s all going very well, and I think we should not let the perfect (which the Rockets nearly are) be the enemy of the very good indeed.

If these trends continue? 70+ wins!

Anyway, the Rockets are alone at number one in the West, as Memphis was knocked off in OT by the Pelicans. I will admit that I didn’t think the Rockets would be #1 in the West at any point before the season started.

The Rockets play Antless Minnesota on Wednesday in Houston.

The Utah Jazz are a mess.

At the start of the season, Jazz fans were hyped. With the #2 pick in Darryn Peterson, Keyonte George on a new contract, and Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. healthy and ready to play, the season was extremely promising.

After tonight’s 119-97 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Jazz are now 1-6 and are in last place in the Western Conference.

Tonight was easily the worst showing from the Jazz all season, with the Jazz looking disjointed and chaotic on both ends of the floor for most of the game. As a team, Utah shot 35.4% from the field and 35.3% from three. Yes, the Jazz are young, and they’re missing Jaren Jackson Jr. to injury, but nothing looks easy with this offense. Credit goes to the Spurs for their excellent perimeter defense, but Utah never looked like it had an offensive rhythm. There are a lot of actions with the Jazz offense that come from a lot of movement, but those ended up in some pretty odd endings. Jaxson Hayes, for example, had 9 shots in this one but was just 4/9. Svi Mykhailiuk was 1/7 in this one as well. That’s not the worst thing in the world, but it feels like there are too many times when Utah’s offense doesn’t flow through the most important players: Keyonte George, Darryn Peterson, Lauri Markkanen, and Ace Bailey. That’s not to say Utah didn’t get shots for those players. Markkanen led the team with 16 shots, Peterson was next with 13, Keyonte George 12, and Ace Bailey 11, but at times the offense feels like it has no clear order, and a lot of role players hijack possessions that turn into bad plays.

Now, you could argue those shots being spread around were justified, given the bad shooting from those core players on the Jazz. Keyonte George has now had two bad shooting games in a row (3/12), and Ace Bailey is still finding his stroke from three (1/5), for example. But something has to be done to improve shot quality. Are there offensive tweaks that could give them more opportunities for easier shots? Can they simplify things somehow? The reality is something has to improve because Utah is not a very good team right now.

Tonight’s game had some really weird energy. Could it have had something to do with the news that Isaiah Collier had the team option declined on his contract?

Maybe it was that? Or maybe it was a residual effect of Will Hardy’s decision to bench Darryn Peterson for Brice Sensabaugh and Isaiah Collier? Speaking of that, it’s not great that Peterson was benched for a player who won’t even be on the team next year. It’s not a great sign. There’s no way to know as an outside observer, but the team did not look happy. Now, winning cures all, and Utah could really stand to get some wins soon to turn the season around, but if they play like they did tonight, it’ll take some time.

That’s not to say there weren’t some bright spots. Utah apparently made it clear they were not playing Collier and had Darryn Peterson running the show with the second unit. Things weren’t perfect, but Peterson and the second unit clawed their way back into the game. Peterson was just a -4 in a blowout loss, and those minutes with the bench were a big reason why. It’s a great sign for the future and confirmation that Will Hardy force-feeding Isaiah Collier minutes wasn’t the best play.

The takeaway from this game, besides learning to compartmentalize the difficult things in life, is to remember the team is only going to get better. The Jazz are evolving game by game in how they are running, and eventually those moves will lead to winning. It also looks like this season will turn around as soon as Darryn Peterson takes off as a player. That may take time though, so Jazz fans might need to find some patience.

SAN FRANCISCO ― The Golden State Warriors have rattled off five consecutive wins following their hard-fought 116-113 win against the Phoenix Suns on Monday, Nov. 2 at Chase Center.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry led the way with 34 points and seven assists, while backcourt running mate Brandin Podziemski dropped 20 points on 50% shooting in the game.

There was no love lost between these two teams, which saw each other on Oct. 24 when the Suns got the upper hand. In the rematch, it was the Warriors who came with energy and fight.

Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected for the first time this season following a foul against Suns center Khaman Maluach when afterward Green committed a takedown on Maluach. Suns guard Dillon Brooks confronted Green about the push and the two began a shoving match before receiving double technical fouls.

Golden State trailed by 11 points at the time of the technical foul and proceeded to go on a run to fight back into the game before taking over, putting up 42 points in the third period to tie the game 93-93.

The Warriors received a major boost from Charles Bassey, who was effective off the bench scoring 17 points and pulling down 8 rebounds in 23 minutes. Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg had 16 points on 3-of-10 shooting, grabbing five rebounds and five assists.

"Bass was great. What a big night for him," Kerr said after the game. "The rebounding, the scoring. You know he and Yaxel have a really good connection. The pick-and-roll game. He gives him a lot of threat. Yaxel sees the floor so well and he's so big that he finds him when he's behind the defense."

Golden State will host the Miami Heat on Thursday, Nov. 5, beginning at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors on a roll, get fifth straight win behind Steph Curry's 34-point night

Mikal Bridges was 1-for-7 in the third quarter on Monday and the Knicks were struggling. Some NBA head coaches would stick with their veteran in that spot. It’s easier to keep a player like Bridges - one who is signed to a large contract and was obtained for significant trade capital - on the court. 

But in this respect, Mike Brown isn’t most coaches. He didn’t hesitate to bench Bridges in the second half of the Knicks’ win over the Nets. 

We’re seven games into the season. Brown has pulled Bridges in the third quarter of three of those seven games. 

“Yeah, he's just got to keep playing. Everybody goes through those ups and downs throughout the course of the season, and obviously, it's the beginning of the season right now, so he's got to find his way,” Brown said after New York’s win over Brooklyn. “Not just with him  but with everybody, when you're in a funk you gotta find one or two things to hold your hat on. Mikal is one of the best runners in the NBA. 

"In both directions - offensively and defensively. So he's just got to try to hang his hat on that as well as his cutting and trying to do the other little things - rebounding and driving and touching the paint and spraying it. Then this shot will come eventually.”

Bridges is shooting 30 percent from the floor so far this year. If you’ve watched the Knicks during Bridges’ tenure, you know that he can be up and down over the course of the regular season. And you also know he can deliver in big playoff situations. Brown believes Bridges will ultimately be fine. 

“It's a matter of time in my opinion, before Mikal gets going,” Brown said.

But if the Knicks head coach thinks someone else gives the team a better chance to win on a given night, he won’t hesitate to sit Bridges. 

SHAMET, CLARKSON SPARK KNICKS

After a sluggish three quarters, Brown turned to Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek to start the fourth quarter. Clarkson, Kolek, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns sparked the Knicks early in the fourth. 

It was the second time in the past three games that Clarkson helped turn things around. The veteran had 18 points in New York’s comeback win in Chicago. But he has also basically been out of the rotation in three of New York’s seven games. 

“I think it shows his character more than anything else. He's someone that if he was on a different team, he could play 20, 25 minutes every night. He could score double digits. He could be that spark, that microwave off the bench. And he's here,” Hart said. “He was willing to sacrifice and take a smaller role, be a part of something bigger than himself. So it shows its character. 

"It shows his professionalism. To be able to go out and do those things. And when he's not doing it, he's out there coaching, not on the court, he's coaching guys up, talking to them, letting them know what he sees. So he's the ultimate professional. He's someone that you want on your team. And whenever he's given an opportunity, he’ll go out and play well.”

Brown also had effusive praise for Clarkson. 

“You have a veteran that's been there, done that. and he's willing to accept the role that most guys wouldn't accept - even guys younger that haven't proved as much as he's proven in this league. And he's willing to accept it,” Brown said. “So, in my opinion, if he's willing to accept it, which is what he did last year, and still try to uplift everybody, connect everybody while he's going through what he's going through, then everybody else should. That's that's the ultimate team player, I will say this about JC. I've been around some good teammates. He's got to be the best. He is the definition of ultimate pro.”

Additionally, Landry Shamet led the team in scoring with 22 points off of the bench in 29 minutes. The veteran shot 4-for-6 from three, 6-for-8 from the field, and was a perfect 6-for-6 on free throws.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors didn’t have Steph Curry or Draymond Green when they visited the Suns on the second half of a back-to-back last weekend.

Hosting the Suns, again coming off a game the previous night, Golden State set things up to make sure its two veteran stars would be available for the rematch.

The training staff’s best efforts ended up for naught.

After sitting out Sunday’s win over the Clippers, Green spent most of the second half Monday night in the locker room. Green was ejected two minutes into the second half.

And that was precisely when the game turned for the Warriors, who pulled out a 116-113 win after falling behind by as many as 17 points and not holding a lead until the fourth quarter.

The Warriors have won five straight since their 131-122 loss in Phoenix last Saturday.

When Green was tossed from the game, Golden State trailed 68-57. Immediately after play resumed, the Warriors’ energy changed and they went on a 16-5 run to tie the score at 73.

Curry didn’t exactly seem freshly rested as he struggled for nine points in the first half. But he exploded for 25 after halftime to lead the Warriors, finishing with 34.

After going off for 37 points without Curry the previous night and leading the Warriors with 26 the last time they faced Phoenix, Yaxel Lendeborg was contained to 16 on 3-of-10 shooting.

But the Warriors didn’t shy away from running their offense from the rookie with Curry off the floor, and his eight second-half free throws on nine attempts kept the Suns at bay. 

With 44 and 31 his past two games, Curry notched the 25th streak of his career of three straight games with 30 or more in the scoring column. In six games this season, Curry has scored at least 20 in all of them, averaging 30.0, trailing only Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic.

With Devin Booker pouring in 26 to lead the Suns and Mikal Bridges adding 21, Curry couldn’t do it by himself. He got an unlikely assist in the form of center Charles Bassey, who picked up many of Green’s second-half minutes to finish with a career-best 19 on 7-of-10 shooting.

Brandin Podziemski also contributed 20 points, including 14 after halftime. He tied the game at 93 on the Warriors’ final possession of the third quarter on a kickout from Lendeborg.

A cutting Bassey converted one of Curry’s team-high seven assists on the Warriors’ first possession of the fourth quarter that gave them their first lead of the game, 95-93, and the margin never got wider than seven in either direction the rest of the way.

The Warriors followed in Curry’s footsteps in the first half, knocking down just two of their first 17 attempts from 3. But the ball started falling for Curry and his teammates after halftime.

Golden State drained 11 of its final 25 attempts from 3, including five from Curry.

The Phoenix Suns fall to 1-4 on the season and have lost 3 straight games. There was progress overall, but the ultimate goal is to win games, and the Suns broke down late with key turnovers and missed free throws.

The Suns led by as many as 17 points, survived a Draymond Green ejection and a Stephen Curry heater, and still lost it at the free-throw line.

Golden State won 116-113, dropping Phoenix to 1-4. The Suns won the first half at the stripe 13-of-14 to 8-of-10, then watched the Warriors go 23-of-27 in the second half to their 9-of-16. Devin Booker fouled out with under a minute left and Phoenix down five.

Devin Booker led Phoenix with 26 points on 8-of-18 shooting, 2-of-4 from three and 8-of-8 at the line, with 5 assists in 34:58 before fouling out.

Miles Bridges added 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting, 3-of-5 from three, with 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Dillon Brooks scored 18 on 5-of-8 shooting with 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Oso Ighodaro was perfect at 6-of-6 for 14 points off the bench, and Jalen Green filled it up with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Luke Kennard finished +15 in 17:42.

Stephen Curry led all scorers with 34 points on 9-of-21 shooting, 5-of-13 from three and 11-of-12 at the line, with 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Brandin Podziemski added 20, Charles Bassey had 19 points and 8 rebounds off the bench, and Yaxel Lendeborg scored 16 with 8-of-9 at the line.

Game Flow

First Half 

The Suns opened with Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Miles Bridges, and Man Man, and the defense set the tone right away. Golden State’s starting five went a combined 3-of-14 from the floor for 8 points.

The Warriors lived behind the arc and paid for it. Golden State went 2-of-15 from three, including Stephen Curry at 1-of-4, while Phoenix hit 2 of its 5 attempts. The Suns shot 60% overall (12-of-20) and turned Warriors mistakes into 9 points off turnovers and 8 fast-break points, compared to 3 and 2 for Golden State.

The bench kept the pressure on. Oso Ighodaro went a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and 2-of-2 at the line for 8 points, the most of anyone on the floor. Phoenix closed the quarter with Bridges, Luke Kennard, Jordan Goodwin, Collin Gillespie and Ighodaro, and Kennard posted a +9 in under four minutes without scoring.

The only area Golden State matched Phoenix was inside, where both teams scored 20 points in the paint. Charles Bassey led the Warriors with 7 points off the bench, and the Warriors won second-chance points 6-5. Booker led the Suns at +10 with 5 points and 2 assists, and Brooks added 5 points on perfect shooting.

Phoenix led after the first quarter, 31-19. A drastic first quarter improvement defensively from the opening 4 games.

After a 2-of-15 first quarter, the Warriors went 5-of-9 from three in the second and shot 50% overall (10-of-20). Yaxel Lendeborg hit both of his threes for 8 points in the quarter, and Brandin Podziemski added 6 on a pair of triples.

The Suns lost their grip on the paint. After winning the paint 16-12 in the first, Phoenix went 2-of-8 inside in the second for 4 points while Golden State scored 10 there. The Warriors also won the quarter on the boards 11-5.

Devin Booker kept Phoenix ahead. He scored 11 in the quarter on 3-of-4 shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 at the line, and the Suns went 8-of-8 at the stripe as a team. Luke Kennard knocked down two threes for 6 points off the bench, and Miles Bridges chipped in 7.

The Suns pushed the lead to 16 at 55-39 with 3:45 left in the half. Then the offense stalled. Golden State ripped off a 12-0 run over the next 2:42, cutting it to 55-51 at the 1:03 mark.

Golden State won the second quarter 32-26.

Phoenix led 57-51 at the break. Booker paced the Suns with 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 5-of-5 at the line. Bridges added 11 points and 5 rebounds, and Jalen Green posted a team-best +10 with four boards.

Second Half

There was a huge blow to start the second half, as the Suns announced Jordan Goodwin would not return due to a calf injury.

As you’d expect, Dillon Brooks and Draymond Green got into it.

Draymond threw Khaman Maluach to the ground to start the altercation, and Dillon Brooks went to pull him back from heading towards Khaman who was on the ground. Green grabbed Brooks by his neck before the situation de-escalated.

Green was assessed a double technical and ejected, and Brooks received a technical.

Green played just two minutes in the third before his exit. He finished with 4 points on 1-of-2 shooting, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 16:46.

Losing Green didn’t slow Golden State. Quite the opposite, actually. Phoenix did not have an answer for Charles Bassey, who had 6 points and 4 boards off the bench in the quarter. Stephen Curry took over with 18 points in the quarter on 6-of-9 shooting and 4-of-5 from three. Brandin Podziemski added 10, and the Warriors shot 59.1% in the period.

The free-throw line flipped on Phoenix. After going 13-of-14 in the first half, the Suns went 6-of-12 in the third. Jalen Green missed all four of his attempts.

Brooks kept the Suns afloat with 9 points on 3-of-3 shooting, and Man Man went 2-of-2 for 5 points. Jalen Green dished 5 assists in the quarter. Devin Booker scored 8 but went 2-of-7 and picked up four fouls in the period.

After three, it was tied at 93.

Tied at 93, the fourth turned into a grind. Golden State made just 5 field goals in the quarter on 5-of-17 shooting, and Stephen Curry went 1-of-5. It didn’t matter. The Warriors lived at the line, going 12-of-13 in the period while Phoenix went 3-of-4.

The Suns won the glass 13-8 and grabbed five offensive rebounds, but gave it right back with seven turnovers. Jalen Green battled for 7 points and 4 rebounds, three of them offensive, but had three of those turnovers. Phoenix went 1-of-7 from three in the quarter.

The final minutes came apart in a hurry.

Booker fouled out on a flop from De’Anthony Melton, called for an offensive foul with under a minute left and Phoenix down 113-108. He finished with 26 points on 8-of-18 shooting, 8-of-8 at the line and 5 assists, but managed just 2 points on 1-of-3 shooting in the fourth.

Golden State won the fourth quarter 23-20 and the game 116-113.

Up Next

The Suns will host the Blazers team that destroyed them on Opening Night on Wednesday in Downtown Phoenix.

The clash between Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo received top billing Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Doncic leads the league in scoring with 37.7 points per game for the Lakers, and Antetokounmpo is fifth at 28.2 for the Miami Heat.

But this matchup didn’t quite live up to the hype after Doncic continued his early season dominance in the Lakers’ 138-117 win.

Doncic was masterful, producing 42 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds. He was 14 for 24 from the field and six for 15 from three-point range.

Read more:'Like a supernova.' Luka Doncic's 45 points only eclipsed by his defense in Lakers' win

“Feels good. Like I said, obviously when we win, it feels way better,” Doncic said. “And that’s the only important stuff. But obviously it feels good. You know, when you win by [21] against a team like Miami, it’s really awesome, especially on a back-to-back.”

Antetokounmpo finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, but he also had seven turnovers as he battled tight defensive coverage.

“I think we did OK. We did good enough to get the win,” said Ziaire Williams, who played after missing three games because of soreness in his left foot. “Wasn’t perfect. He’s a freak of nature, man. It takes three, four guys loading up to him. One-on-one, he’ll go through anybody in this league, and that’s just the truth.”

Doncic was better, but he had more help. Austin Reaves scored 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting and Walker Kessler finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double.

“Yeah, he’s a big piece for us,” Doncic said about Kessler. “I think when he plays good, he gives us a way better chance to win. So, he just needs to keep going like this. Like we told him, we have his back. ... But what he’s been doing, it’s helping us win.”

The Lakers (6-2) shot 57%, including 44% (19 for 43) from three-point range. They also notched 39 assists on 51 successful shots.

“The 39 assists, that’s the most assists we’ve had since I’ve been the [coach],” JJ Redick said. “So, it’s a really good offense that we’re playing right now. And a lot of that, of course, is Doncic and what he’s able to do and bend the defense. And his shot-making creates a lot of problems, and then he can make every pass.”

Doncic has been on a scoring tear for the Lakers.

In the third quarter, Doncic missed a three-pointer, but Jake LaRavia hustled to collect the rebound. He passed the ball to Doncic, who then made a three to give the Lakers a 93-74 lead. The play forced the Heat (2-5) to call a timeout as Doncic pointed at LaRavia in appreciation.

Doncic started strong like usual, with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds in the first quarter as the Lakers took a 37-30 lead. Doncic, who was called for a technical foul late in the first half — his second of the season — had 24 points by halftime.

In his previous four games, Doncic had scored 45, 37, 41 and 52 points.

“Like the defensive mindset in me is always like, ‘Why are they not blitzing him or why are they not doubling? Or why are they just letting him just walk to his spot and just do whatever he wants out there?’ But they’re trying,” Williams said about defensive strategies Doncic faces. “He just is that good and he just makes it look that easy.

“He’s unbelievable, man. Even a better person. And yeah, I’m happy to be on his side for sure.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Dallas Mavericks (4-3) were riding high after beating two previously undefeated teams, but followed that up with a loss to a winless Kings (1-6) team, 115-100. No Kyrie Irving (rest) didn’t help the cause, but Cooper Flagg had a rough night, and the Mavericks simply could not connect from downtown as a team.

The silver lining? If the Mavs slept on arguably the worst team in the NBA, they’ve learned the lesson that you just can’t do that in this league.

Let’s get to the grades!

Cooper Flagg: C-

17 PTS / 4 REB / 6 AST / 2 STL / 40 MIN

The good news is that hopefully Flagg got his worst game of the season out of the way. He had a dreadful shooting night (3-of-19) from the floor, didn’t have much interest in taking available three-point shots and seemed frustrated to the point it threw his game off entirely. He chipped in little bits elsewhere and bolstered his scoring with excellent free throw shooting, but it wasn’t nearly enough with the overall messiness of the game.

Max Christie: N/A

0 PTS / 2 REB / 0 AST / 8 MIN

You never want to see a player get injured as happened to Christie (hip), but it’s the only thing that spared him from a solid “D” grade. He was 0-of-5 – all from downtown – before the injury and sadly has brought very little to the team this season inclusive of Monday night’s performance.

Caleb Martin: C

5 PTS / 6 REB / 21 MIN

Martin wasn’t on my starter Bingo card as the guy who would take Kyrie Irving’s place in the starting lineup, but keeping the bench unit of Zaccharie Risacher, Morez Johnson and Marcus Sasser made sense. He was fine, but didn’t play starter minutes and didn’t contribute all that much. So, while he didn’t necessarily hurt the team, he didn’t quite help it in any appreciable way either.

P.J. Washington: D

12 PTS / 5 REB / 1 AST / 2 STL / 38 MIN

Washington backslid a little from previous games, appearing a bit disengaged with a stat line to back that up. 2-of-9 shooting (with six misses from deep) and not nearly enough production for the amount of time he spent on the floor made for a bad night. This was a game Washington could have at least locked in on defense, but that is where the disengagement seemed to be apparent. Something was off in Dallas on Monday night, and it definitely got to Washington.

Daniel Gafford: A

20 PTS / 7 REB / 1 STL / 1 BLK / 26 MIN

If not for Gafford, it’s difficult to imagine how bad this game would have been. He was by far the best player on the floor for the Mavs. An offensive juggernaut hitting 9-of-10 shots and both of his free throw attempts. He made the absolute most of limited minutes and it’s a shame it was largely a wasted effort.

Walter Clayton, Jr.: A

20 PTS / 1 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 24 MIN

Alongside Gafford, Clayton, Jr. was another bright spot. He was the only player on the team even remotely locked in from deep, hitting 4-of-5 three point attempts and 6-of-9 overall. In hindsight, he should have taken Irving’s place as a starter, but who could have predicted that from the outset? This was a very nice night for Clayton, Jr. and hopefully something to build off as he will likely have opportunities on night’s Irving rests.

Final Thoughts

This is simply a game you flush. Look around the NBA on any given night, and a team that has no business losing is getting waxed. Tonight it was the Mavs’ turn. Almost to a man, they were completely off their game and plainly could not get anything going outside of a few bright spots. Learn from it and get ready for the next one.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.

LOS ANGELES — Luka Dončić has had himself a day.

Dončić, over a 24-hour stretch, dropped a staggering 87 points in consecutive Los Angeles Lakers victories, the latest Monday, Nov. 2 in a 138-117 domination over the Miami Heat. In the process, not only did Dončić outshine Heat star Giannis Antetokounmpo, he’s proving that Los Angeles is close to unbeatable when he’s besieging opponents with buckets.

Case in point: entering the night, NBA teams were averaging 113.7 points per game; the Lakers, by the end of the third quarter, were already at 111. For reference, that was four points off from tying the most allowed by the Heat through three quarters in their history.

One night after he dropped 45 in a win over the Toronto Raptors, Dončić toasted the Heat to the tune of 42 points on 14-of-24 shooting, scooping 7 rebounds and dishing out 13 assists.

It didn’t matter who Miami sent at Dončić. Versatile defensive wing Andrew Wiggins started the game on Dončić, but Pelle Larsson and Davion Mitchell each got their turn. Later in the third, after Dončić was creeping toward 40 points, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra dug deep in the bench and deployed defensive-specialist guard Dru Smith. The Heat threw double-teams at Dončić, but that didn’t matter, either.

Dončić zipped and lofted passes to open teammates who had been left neglected because of those double-teams. By the end of the third, he had already posted double-digit assists.

This is the bewildering thing about defending Dončić: even when you try to rush him, he stubbornly plays at his pace, parries away the additional defensive attention – almost teasing blitzing defenders and daring them to get close – only to pinpoint passes right into his teammates’ shooting pockets.

This was an efficient Dončić. He did not need to strafe the rim with shots. He was under control. He was never flustered. And, at least on Monday night, he made his teammates better.

Antetokounmpo, by comparison, finished with 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting, adding 12 rebounds and 7 assists.

The Lakers improved to 6-2 and Dončić is now averaging 38.3 points per game, which is a full 4 points greater than the next closest player. They wield one of the top 3 offenses in the NBA. And as injuries have plagued some of the top teams in the West, like the Oklahoma City Thunder, there could be an opening for the Lakers to blossom into a legitimate title threat with Dončić as the unquestioned anchor of the team.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luka Dončić shows how unbeatable Lakers can be in rout of Heat

After pushing the San Antonio Spurs to overtime last Wednesday, the Utah Jazz tried to make a similar stand in Alamo City on Monday night. But the home team, spurred on by a raucous crowd, had other ideas, outmuscling the visitors 119-97. It was Utah’s second blow out loss in a row, leaving fans (and this fan in particular) scrambling to find a silver lining. I won’t say the dark clouds are lifting just yet, but there are a few glints of sun filtering through.

Lauri Markkanen A-: After a disappointing performance against Portland on Halloween, Lauri brushed off some of the cobwebs, finding his range from three and also setting up his teammates, delivering perfect lobs for both Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba. He was active around the basket, raking in a team high 8 rebounds, and led Utah’s spirited (but short lived) come back effort in the second quarter.

Josh Okogie A: Josh was excellent tonight, forcing turnovers and pressuring the Spurs’ guards into giving up the ball. He also showed some of his offensive skills, getting to the free throw line, where he was 6 of 6. The Jazz just have a different intensity when Okogie is on the floor, something they desperately needed on a tough shooting night.

Mo Bamba A: Another solid night from Mo, scoring 8 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and blocking two shots in just 18 minutes. He is finding ways to impact opponents’ shots without fouling, not an easy task when facing a physical team like the Spurs.

Ace Bailey C: A difficult night for Ace, who missed his first six shots from the floor. The Jazz could have really used his scoring, especially in the first and third quarters. On a positive note, he did find some other ways to impact the game, picking up 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.

Keyonte George C: I think Keyonte has spoiled us with his consistent play to start the season. Tonight he struggled against the length and aggressiveness of the Spurs’ guards. He was only 25% from the field and 20% from three, and had no assists. He was active on the boards, pulling in 7 rebounds.

Darryn Peterson B: The rookie led the team with 6 assists and also showed some defensive grit with 3 steals and 3 blocks. He took care of the ball, which was in his hands a lot, committing only one turnover. His shooting is still a little streaky—he shot 0-5 in the first half—but once that becomes more consistent, then the sky is the limit.

Josh Green C: There is no denying the effort, but Josh’s impact on the game was minimal, hitting one three and grabbing one rebound in 15 minutes on the court.

Brice Sensabaugh D: Brice’s most notable play was a flagrant foul, pushing Harrison Barnes to the ground after catching an elbow in the nose. It showed some of the fight that I’m sure Coach Hardy would like to see more of. But Brice’s shooting at the Frost Bank Center was mainly ice cold, going 20% from the field and 1-6 from three.

Svi Mykhailiuk D: Svi, normally ready when called on, also had an off night, going 1-7 from the field and 1-4 from three.

Isaiah Collier B: We didn’t see Isaiah until the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach. It would have been nice to see his speed and physicality earlier, as it brought an energy to the Jazz’s offense (albeit against largely bench players).

Kyle Filipowski C: Kyle has largely been the forgotten man this season, pushed further down the bench by the emergence of the two Joshes. He came in tonight for the last 8 minutes, getting 1 point from the free throw line and grabbing 2 rebounds.

Tony Bradley B: Tony also came in for the last few minutes of the game and was active, muscling in a bucket and grabbing 3 rebounds and a steal.

The Lakers had a red-hot offensive night against the Heat on Monday to pick up a second straight victory, downing Miami 136-115.

LA shot 56.8% from the field and hit 19 3-pointers at a 44.2% clip. They had 39 assists on 51 made shots and dominated the paint, outscoring Miami 58-38.

LA quickly took a 10-point lead on the shoulders of Luka Dončić, who was already in double figures with 12 points. The Heat cut the deficit to two with Davion Mitchell and Klay Thompson combining for 11 points.

Walker Kessler had six points for Los Angeles. 

Despite hot shooting from the field, the Lakers couldn’t build much of a cushion. Giannis Antetokounmpo now led the Heat with eight points. Sandro Mamukelashvili provided a nice spark off the bench with five points.

The purple and gold were up seven at the end of the first. 

Miami started the second period with the first four points before Austin Reaves drained a triple. The shots from behind the arc started to fall for Los Angeles with Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams each knocking one down.

Miami cut the deficit all the way to one thanks to Giannis continuing to have a dominant first half as he was up to 17 points. As a team, the Heat were shooting 88% from the field. 

LA’s bench put in the work, combining for 27 points. Mamu led the way with nine. Much of the rest of the half remained a back-and-forth affair. The purple and gold went into the locker room up seven after shooting 67% from the field while Miami shot 59%.

Los Angeles also held a 36-24 advantage over the Heat in points in the paint.

Luka and Austin led the second period early, scoring nine points combined and forcing a quick Miami timeout. Out of the break, the Heat turned the ball over, leading to a layup from Kessler on the other end. 

At the 10:18 mark, the Lakers led by 18. 

The star duo of Luka and Reaves continued to lead the way for LA, combining for 11 points, extending Los Angeles’ momentum throughout the quarter. Williams’s first game back from injury was stellar as he had nine points and two assists. 

Bam Adebayo remembered he could play basketball and entered double figures with 11 points, but it didn’t matter much as the Lakers still had all the momentum. They ended the third up 18. Luka had 37 points.

The final frame saw the Lakers start by scoring four in a row, but Tim Hardaway Jr. attempted to help Miami come back by draining two triples. It didn’t matter as LA continued to shoot at an excellent rate from behind the arc, with Luka, LaRavia, Reaves and Mamu all knocking down threes. 

Los Angeles subbed in its bench with 1:22 left, and they kept the lead this time without making it unnecessarily interesting. 

Key Player Stats

Luka finished with 42 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists. Reaves ended with 27 points and five assists while shooting 10-15 from the field. Kessler notched 15 points with 15 rebounds. 

In his return from injury, Williams poured in nine points off the bench. Mamu pitched in with 13 points and four assists.

The rest of the role players all had positive impacts in small ways across the board. Thybulle scored six points with two assists, Grimes had seven points with four assists, Collin Sexton logged six points and LaRavia finished with seven points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. 

The Lakers’ next game will be against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday at 7:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.