Buildup to Sunday’s action, with a bumper WSL fixture list before Liverpool host Arsenal in the Premier League
It is not going well for Oliver Glasner at Nottingham Forest, to say the least.
“For me, I go home and have breakfast with my family, so it’s not the worst situation,” Glasner said. “Nobody needs to have pity with Oliver Glasner. If I want, I could start in two weeks somewhere else. I won’t do it. But the players, the staff, they remain in the same situation. And it’s the same shit situation that the club had last year. So you need to change and rebuild from the bottom to the top. And this is clear for me. And this is what I will do. And without any compromises, zero, zero.”
Régis Le Bris, Sunderland’s head coach, said: “I don’t think they are not aware of the situation. We are exposed this season with this busy schedule, it’s really demanding.
“Is it unexpected? I don’t think so. Many clubs last year experienced exactly the same situation. First year in Europe, you know you will have on average 10 less points. It’s our reality.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - OCTOBER 31: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 31, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. 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 (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The San Antonio Spurs have not outgrown Halloween. Before the holiday, members of the Spurs of the team discussed the player most likely to go all out.
The team did not diasppoint.
Victor Wembanyama walked in as Geralt from The Witcher.
Historically, Wemby has embraced the holiday and stepped into the arena in costume.
Carter Bryant came in as Ace, Wood Harris’ character from Paid In Full.
Spurs draftee Tarris Reed, Jr. showed a more comedic side stepping in as the three-hole punch Jim dressed as from Season 5’s Halloween episode of The Office.
And of course De’Aaron Fox got the whole family involved in an homage to Toy Story. They were voted the best dressed on a poll that play-by-play announcer and color analyst Sean Elliott hosted during the DAZN airing.
To infinity, and beyond! Happy Halloween from Woody, Jessie, Buzz and Bo Peep🎃 pic.twitter.com/NVmwvOsnO0
In addition, Julian Champagnie dressed as Shrek and visited patients at Methodist Children’s Hospital on Friday. This NEWS4 article shares multiple photos from the visit:
During Saturday night’s Spurs Live pregame show, Julian Champagnie sat with Dan Weiss and discussed the visit. Knowing there were children that were missing Halloween due to health concerns, he took time to visit and offered a trick-or-treat experience in the hospital. He never ceases to amaze. His dedication to the community and his passion for children is evident throughout the season as he attends and hosts multiple events.
Of course, the most famous Spurs Halloween story has got to be 2009, when Manu Ginobili single-handedly took out a bat.
Spurs are back in action for a Dia De Los Muertos matchup against the Utah Jazz on Monday.
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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 1: Justin Crawford #2 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after hitting a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on April 1, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Nationals 6-5. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Don’t forget to turn back those clocks, folks. The Phillies probably wish they could turn back the clock to the days when they had the better offense.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 15: Rece Hinds #62 of the Baltimore Orioles makes a catch during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Hailey Leonard/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Hello, friends.
There are 143 days remaining until the next scheduled Orioles game. Much sooner than that, only a month away, will be the start of the lockout that will leave the question of when the next game will happen in doubt for months afterwards.
For now, the baseball offseason is proceeding. It’s not exactly a normal offseason, because everyone knows that this month of November is all that there is going to be before things get weird for a while. What is normal is that all the usual offseason dates will be ticked off in the meantime.
We are currently in the “five days after the World Series” period where teams have exclusive rights to negotiate with their own departing free agents. It is unusual for big deals to be struck in this time period, but it does exist. The only Orioles free agent who might be worth something here is Trevor Rogers. My guess is that there’s not much talking going on because they already know he’s looking beyond the price range they’re willing to pay. Regardless, that period ends tomorrow.
Also tomorrow is the deadline for teams or players with contract options to decide whether or not to exercise them. We already know that Ryan Helsley opted in for next year, and that the Orioles declined an option for Zach Eflin. I expect before the deadline we will hear about team options declined for Ryan Mountcastle and Luis Robert Jr. as well.
With the exclusive window ending, teams will also decide who to extend a qualifying offer to. Again, that’s going to be Rogers and that’s it. When Mike Elias traded for Taylor Ward, I think he hoped Ward would play well enough to get a QO. Ward did not, and they traded him besides. Helsley’s signing may have been in this category also, hoping that the closer would pitch so well that he’d opt out and they could give him a QO – the same move they played with Tyler O’Neill a year earlier. It didn’t work for O’Neill and it didn’t work for Helsley.
One last bit of recordkeeping that awaits tomorrow: The 60-day injured list stops being available, meaning players who were on it must be placed back on the 40-man roster. The Orioles have five players who will have to come back onto the roster.
The team acted on Saturday to clear space on the 40-man, with a variety of moves announced. They officially declined the Robert option. They announced that the one of the 60-day guys, Colin Selby has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment. So has non-injured pitcher Codi Heuer. Two more players cleared waivers – José Barrero and Albert Suárez – though they had the option to take free agency rather than an assignment to Norfolk, and that’s what they did. These all leave the roster at 33 players. Plenty of room to add back the four guys remaining on the 60-day injured list.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
Orioles re-sign Rece Hinds (MLB Trade Rumors) This is news from Friday, but it’s still relatively fresh and this is my first opportunity to rant about it, so here you go. This is a classic case of a Mike Elias galaxy brain where he thinks he’s doing something smart and it’s actually just a stupid waste of time. This article details how the “advantage” here is that this contract is to be for slightly more than whatever negotiated major league minimum comes out of the new CBA – literally $4,700 more – and therefore this makes it less likely that some other team will claim him if he is designated for assignment.
Here’s the thing. Why does it matter if the Orioles retain the rights to Rece Hinds? Did they not see enough of this player in the 12 games that he played for the team this past season? Was that not enough of a negative to convince them? Apparently not! They were the worse for having Hinds on the roster! He couldn’t hit for anything and he was bad at fielding too. They should have just called up Enrique Bradfield Jr. rather than try to reclaim this player who has never been good for any substantial length of time at the major league level. He should have been an easy 40-man roster cut right here to make room for players returning from the 60-day injured list, and instead they’ve gone out of their way to keep him.
True, yes, it’s almost certain that Elias does not intend for Hinds to remain on the 40-man roster for long. I’m not too worried about Hinds losing games for the 2027 Orioles. Just, what is the point? Why bother? Why jump through hoops to keep this guy?
Coby Mayo’s history of offseason improvement bodes well for the Orioles (The Baltimore Banner) Look, I want to believe in Mayo more than most people do, but like, he stunk until July. This idea of offseason improvement is not guaranteed to hit at the start of next season, whenever that ends up being.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 1960, the first Oriole to win the Rookie of the Year award was announced, with shortstop Ron Hansen getting 22 of the 24 votes for the award. The other two votes went to teammates Chuck Estrada and Jim Gentile.
In 1979, the Orioles were sold to Edward Bennett Williams for $12.3 million. In today’s money, that’s around $55 million. David Rubenstein and partners purchased the team two years ago at a valuation of about $1.725 billion.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2021 pitcher Eric Hanhold, 2012 infielder Steven Tolleson, 1993 pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, and 1955-57 outfielder Jim Pyburn.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Frankish king Louis the Stammerer (846), Revolutionary War admiral Toussaint-Guillame Picquet de la Motte (1720), baseball Hall of Famer Bid McPhee (1859), and actress Toni Collette (1962).
On this day in history…
In 1512, Michelangelo’s painting of the ceiling of Rome’s Sistine Chapel was first unveiled to the public after four years of work.
In 1765, the Parliament of Britain passed the Stamp Act, intended to raise additional taxes from the North American colonists. The colonists rather famously did not enjoy being taxed without having representation in the body.
In 1938, Baltimore’s own Pimlico race course played host to a match race between the previous year’s Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, and a lesser-known horse named Seabiscuit. The underdog triumphed in the head-to-head race.
In 1997, Titanic premiered at a Tokyo festival. Its wide release in the United States did not occur until December 19. The film went on to become the highest-grossing movie in history for the next 12 years and when adjusting for inflation is still the third-highest-grossing movie of all time, behind Gone with the Wind and Avatar.
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on November 1. Have a safe Sunday. Don’t forget the clocks turned back!
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 30: Paul George #13 of the Boston Celtics celebrates 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
I’ve been a Celtics fan most of my life. For the first time, I had to be something a bit more than that.
On Friday, October 30th, I had the incredible honor of making my debut as a credentialed media member for CelticsBlog when the Celtics faced the Bulls in the NBA Cup.
Growing up in Massachusetts, I’ve been all about Boston sports since I was a kid.
Me at 13 for my first Celtics Game
My love for basketball and the Celtics intensified as I got older, and I’ve spent the last 10 years studying the game hard, finding a relationship between improving my own skills on the court and understanding the intricacies of NBA hoops.
At some point along the way I had more opinions, and needed room to share them without bugging everyone in my life. I took to Twitter, finding community among like-minded fans who loved the game and a good argument. Over time, that sharpened my ability to understand what I was seeing and articulate it to others.
Flash forward to now, this voice I’ve found — boosted by several seasons writing for CelticsBlog — has allowed me to fulfill a dream, and it was honestly surreal.
From receiving the notice that my credential request was accepted on Tuesday, to driving into Boston on Friday, I felt a sense of jitters that have only really been exceeded by my wedding day.
It wasn’t nerves based around fears, rather it was about passion and the fulfillment of something that I care deeply about. I wanted to do a good job, and make the most of this opportunity.
From the moment I walked up to the arena, I had to embrace the uncertainty. I immediately asked for guidance from a parking attendant on where I could find the media entrance.
Once I made my way inside, I asked for more directions and was pointed toward the desk to pick up my credentials. I clumsily walked through the metal detector with my backpack on, laughing at myself for the mistake — one I had just read that my colleague Grant Burfiend made as well.
With Grant’s other cautionary tale in mind, I made sure to ask for the appropriate floor in the elevator. Once I reached my destination, I tentatively followed the labyrinth of hallways until I found the media dining room.
I plopped my bag down at a table, poured up a hot coffee and tried to take stock of where things were at, looking around occasionally to see if there were any familiar faces. I downed the coffee and decided it was probably time to find the press conference room for the pregame availability.
I’d like to preface this by saying that I generally think my navigation skills are pretty solid, but I needed the assistance of about three people to get me through the maze of hallways and toward the conference room.
My welcome to the NBA moment came during this time when a large voice offered a polite “Excuse me”. I moved to the side, now a little less confident about where I was going, and watched as the colossal Mitchell Robinson strolled past me.
Eventually, I ended up in what clearly looked to be the press conference room. Though as I took my seat and waited for several minutes as the only person seated in there, I questioned if I was in the right place. Fortunately my initial instincts were correct, and people started filing in over the next 10 minutes or so.
Where is everyone
There were a ton of people I recognized, but didn’t quite have the right level of ease to start introducing myself before the availability kicked off. I listened as Tony Dobbins filled in for Joe Mazzulla, answering questions about their big man group, and Mitchell Robinson’s performance so far.
Once the questions concluded, I followed the herd out of the room and found a moment to introduce myself to Noa Dalzell and Jack Simone. They both offered a bit of insight, and led the way to the room for the visiting team’s availability.
While waiting for Tiago Splitter to enter, I said hello to the wonderful Sam LaFrance. Sam gave me some more valuable info, including the important fact that dinner would be $10, cash only. With no cash in my wallet, he graciously offered to cover it for me and would not accept my Venmo offer later on. That was a great gesture, and one I hope to pay back at a game in the future.
Meeting those three helped me feel more relaxed, and I shared my dinner with another introduction to the great First to the Floor trio of Ben Vallis, Jake Issenberg, and Wayne Spooney. I spoke with them for a while, along with CelticsBlog’s Gio Rivera, who I relied on for more guidance on getting from the dining room to the court for warmups.
I spent time taking it in court side and chatting more with the First to the Floor lads. As we watched different players get warmed up, a chaperone with the Boston Children’s Hospital spotted our press passes and commented that being this close must feel regular for us.
Not quite. With it being my first game with a pass and the freedom to roam the perimeter of the court, I mentioned that it felt just as exciting for me.
With about 40 minutes before tip, we made our way up to the press seats, again navigating through curtained entrances and unclear corridors. Once in my assigned seat, I took another moment to appreciate the gravity of the evening. This was something I’ve thought about for a long time, and my goal was to just be present and enjoy.
My view from press row before tip-off against the Bulls.
As the game got underway I locked into analysis mode. The press seats are in the highest perch of the arena, but several of us agreed that the vantage point is actually great for seeing everything unfold during a possession.
In press row, my lens had to change. There’s no cheering, just observation and objectivity. I found accepting that really helped me focus on the finer points of the game, and analyze the trends worth writing a game piece about.
Occasionally I could feel my inner fan rising. It’s hard to watch Payton Pritchard drain a three after making Norman Powell stumble without having some type of reaction.
I spotted a lot of aggressive defensive coverages that resulted in deflections and turnovers — a trend that I’ve been tracking since preseason. As the game carried on I settled on that being the direction I wanted to take, with the hope that I could get a question or two answered in post-game availability.
After the final buzzer, the group in the balcony trekked down the stairs after the freight elevator refused to arrive. We made it down three floors, and walked into the great migration of fans leaving through the main stairwell. We accompanied that group for a few flights before exiting into the loge level. From there we walked down through the court and into the tunnel.
We made it back to the press conference room and took our seats to wait for Mazzulla.
I spun my question around in my head for a while, trying to land on the right words that could garner some level of interest from Mazzulla. Before I found the right combination, all questions had been asked, and the coach was on his way out the door. I missed the window, but fortunately there were responses that hit the right notes for me to work with.
After a few minutes Pritchard stepped into the room. He was introspective about meeting the standards Mazzulla holds him to, highlighting his defense as a point of emphasis against the Bulls.
Payton Pritchard’s postgame availability
I was still getting a feel for the etiquette of question asking. From my perspective, it was a discreet and well practiced dance of eye contact, head nods and half-raised hands to make it known that you’d like the microphone. I hadn’t found the rhythm of that yet and went 0/4 on the night for chances to ask a question.
While slightly disappointing, it’s hard to feel that bad about it. I was basically an undrafted rookie in a room of established vets. The answers given were enough, and I was able to complete my piece on their defensive impact in good time.
I walked 12 minutes to the parking garage, reflecting on the evening as I passed endless streams of costumed Bostonians celebrating Halloweekend.
I felt grateful to CelticsBlog for helping to facilitate this, and a reassuring sense of confidence that with a lot of the unknowns now understood, I could come back in the future focusing on the most important parts of the job.
It was great to meet and watch many of the journalists I respect, and to get to know them a bit. It’s given me a greater appreciation for the machine that is game day coverage.
Hopefully with enough reps I’ll manage to learn the secrets of securing a microphone and can break my current streak of unasked questions. For now, I’m glad to have stumbled my way through an unforgettable evening with occasional spurts of grace.
Ashleigh Gardner has demonstrated the leadership the Sixers value with an epic knock of 124 from 60 balls setting up a massive 87-run win for her Sixers over Hobart.
How will Liverpool and Arsenal fare today? Here is what to know, including kick-off time, TV channels and live stream options
Five straight victories, including Wednesday’s Carabao Cup penalty shootout win over Chelsea, give the impression that Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool are heading in the right direction. A win over the champions Sunday would certainly add to that sense.
Arsenal are winless in their last 13 Premier League visits to Anfield, a run that stretches all the way back to September 2012. With Bukayo Saka and William Saliba out and Declan Rice uncertain, the Gunners could be vulnerable.
Dart, a qualifier, was competing in her first WTA final
Britain’s Harriet Dart won her first WTA title after coming from a set down to beat Lilli Tagger in the final of the Guangzhou Open in China. Dart, who saved three match points in her semi-final win over Sun Xinran to reach her first tour-level final, edged a thrilling match against the 18-year-old from Austria 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Dart, the British No 5 and a qualifier, dropped serve in the opening game and had to save a break point in her next service game before finally getting on the board against the fourth seed. The 30-year-old from Hampstead broke back for 4-4, but Tagger, who won the 2025 junior French Open, hit straight back before wrapping up the first set.
The Islanders’ misfortunes were self-inflicted, Pete DeBoer said, but perhaps exacerbated by fatigue concluding a busy travel-heavy week. [Isles | Newsday | Post]
This a deep biomechanical (and even psychological) dive into what might be keeping Mat Barzal out. [Reconditioning Hub]
Isaiah George was recalled from Hamilton with Ryan Pulock out. [Isles]
The Wild are trying to put Max Shabanov in a position to succeed. [Athletic]
The Oilers did not like that knee-on-knee against Isaac Howard that got Emil Heineman tossed. [TSN]
Elsewhere
The Lightning say Nikita Kucherov is committed to being there this season, and they have zero intention of trading him. [Post | Sportsnet]
His teammates say all that is Kucherov’s business. [NHL]
And his former teammates in Toronto are wondering what’s up with all this. [Sportsnet]
Elliotte Friedman, who broke the Kucherov news, also says Dylan Larkin might further alter his 22-team no trade list. [Sportsnet]
Jeremy Roenick likes Keith Tkachuk and says he should be a Hall of Famer. I’m unmoved by the HOF case, but it is true he took care of trainers and staff, and he’s clearly taught his sons to do the same. [NHL]
Tkachuk did play an old-school game, and was just the 13th American to be drafted out of high school in the first round. [NHL]
General Manager of the Yankees, Brian Cashman watches batting practice. Tuesday, October 9, 2018 Alds Game 4 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: The Yankees decided not to renew the contracts of Omar Minaya and Brian Sabean. The longtime executives had been working as special assistants to general manager Brian Cashman. Sabean of course spent decades with the Giants and helped build San Francisco’s World Series teams in the 2010’s, though he actually got his start in baseball as a scout with the Yankees back in the ‘80s. Minaya had stints as the GM for the Expos and Mets. Both had been working in Cashman’s office since 2023.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: At the outset of 2026, Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. weren’t necessarily expected to play huge roles for the Yankees in the big leagues. By the end of the year, however, both were key starters, and the Yankees are looking for big things from the duo next season. “That’s something as an organization that we’ve tried to address over the last few years,” Aaron Boone said. “In ’24 when we went to the World Series, we were a little more one-dimensional, but really good at that one dimension. I think we’ve gotten more athletic over the last couple of years.” Players like Jones and Lombard do bring an added element of speed and defense (theoretically, in Jones’ case), but at the end of the day the quality of their production, rather than the shape of that production, will be the key to what roles they play for the 2027 Yankees.
FanGraphs | Matt Martell: Only tangentially Yankees-related, but here Martell contextualizes the dominant postseason run Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby just submitted. By Win Probability Added, Ashby’s 2026 playoff performance was the most consequential by a reliever in MLB history, narrowly edging out a great Yankees reliever from the dynasty era. That’s right, now in second place is John Wetteland, whose 1996 playoff run previously held the record for highest playoff WPA from a reliever. In third through fifth place, you’ll find the name you were expecting, as Mariano Rivera’s 2003, 2000, and 1999 postseasons round out the top five.
Two weeks into the 2026-27 NBA season, Acuff leads all rookies, averaging 26.3 points per game. The Chicago Bulls’ No. 4 overall pick, Caleb Wilson, is second at 21.2.
But while Acuff looks like a budding superstar, the Kings are 0-6 after a 136-105 drubbing at the hands of the 6-0 Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at FedExForum.
Kings coach Doug Christie didn’t waste any time after Saturday’s loss identifying what needs to change.
“Man, we have to help him,” Christie told reporters in Memphis. “It’s an absolute must. The kid is special. He’s highly competitive. He wants to win. I truly enjoyed coaching him and watching his growth already in just these games. I think the opponent, a lot of times, tells you what they think about your players and last time we faced these guys, I think they put seven people on him.
“So in his third game, that’s telling you who they think he is and that’s what we already know, management, obviously, and myself, is, he’s special, continues to develop, continues to compete. We put him in position to win ball games and he’s going to win a lot of them.”
Acuff scored a career-high 38 points in Saturday’s loss, two days after scoring a then-career-high 34 points in the Kings’ 12-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. He has scored at least 33 points in three of his six NBA games.
Against the Grizzlies, only three other Kings players scored in double figures: De’Andre Hunter had 19 points, while veterans Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis finished with 11 apiece.
Sacramento’s bench, led by veteran guard Malik Monk, scored 20 total points in Memphis and is averaging an NBA-worst 19.5 points per game.
On defense, the Kings are giving up 128.3 points per game, second-worst in the NBA behind the Bulls, who are allowing 129.3 points per game.
But Sacramento is scoring just 109.3 points per game, leading to an NBA-worst 19.0-point differential.
“Yeah, it’s good to have a flow going but we got to hang our hat on the defensive end, just try to come up with more stops, we’ve got to keep communicating and just try to stay together,” Acuff told reporters when asked about his performances so far as a rookie.
Pushed to talk about making an NBA-rookie record-tying nine 3-pointers against the Grizzlies, Acuff still wasn’t in the mood to talk about himself.
“It’s good, personal-wise, but it don’t matter because we’re losing, so them two don’t go well together. So it doesn’t really matter,” Acuff said.
Christie and Acuff know the rest of the Kings’ roster needs to step up. Maybe injured players like Maxime Raynaud, Keegan Murray and Dylan Cardwell will help when they return.
But until they do, Sacramento needs more from LaVine, Sabonis, Hunter and Monk.
Otherwise, Acuff might be on an island for a while.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -OCTOBER 31: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs drives for two against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half at Frost Bank Center on October 31: 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Antonio Spurs delivered the tricks and took home the treat on Halloween, earning a 121–111 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Frost Bank Center on Saturday night, sending the fans home with smiles on their faces and candy in their bellies.
The victory is the fourth straight for San Antonio, who started the season 0-2 after losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.
Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson informed reporters before the game that guard Stephon Castle was suffering from a migraine and was a game-time decision. He would eventually be in the starting lineup and play 22 minutes.
San Antonio opened the game with one of their strongest defensive efforts of the season, holding the Timberwolves to 37 percent shooting in the first quarter. At one point in the period, the Spurs led 11-2, but the Timberwolves went on an 11-0 run to briefly take a one-point lead. De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama combined for 19 of the Spurs’ 34 points.
“We want to just try to make sure we can get the best shot in every possession, and that’s never going to happen,” Coach Johnson said after the game. “But I think if you just constantly keep that at the front of your brain and at the at the forefront of the conversation, and if everybody, for the most part, over time is putting their energy into that, you’ll land in a pretty good spot.”
Wembanayama knew he needed to be more aggressive and he acted like it. From the opening tip, he was calling for Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle to lob him the ball. He scored 24 points in the first half (43 points for the game), including throwing the ball to himself off the glass for a dunk that got the crowd on its feet and had Minnesota head coach Chris Finch asking for a timeout.
“He’s just so dominant,” Harper said of Wembanyama. “I feel like he goes out there and when he puts his imprint on the game, he’s unstoppable, and he did that tonight from the jump to end of the game. So I mean, hey, I was okay with him taking those shots. Those are all good looks, and my biggest thing with him is just if you’re gonna take the shot, take it, be confident.”
San Antonio went up double digits, but turnovers allowed the Timberwolves to get back into the game, turning the deficit for Minnesota into a one-point lead at halftime. The Spurs committed four their 15 turnovers in the second quarter.
With Minnesota missing stars Anthony Edwards, Rudy Golbert, and Donte DiVincenzo, Finch relied on newly acquired guard LaMelo Ball. The new Minnesota guard saw himself in foul trouble, racking up four personal fouls in the first half. He would eventually foul out of the game, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds.
The final quarter saw the Spurs turn it on, leaving no doubt on which team would go home with the treat of a win on Halloween. San Antonio outscored Minnesota 28-23 in the period, led by Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, and De’Aaron Fox. The sophomore guard finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists as he got aggressive with Wemby on the bench to begin the period.
“I love games like this,” Harper said after the game. “I love games where the other team starts talking first because when you respond, it’s not your fault when you talk.. the competitive nature that the Timberwolves brought kind of brings the best out of us. And obviously, when a team’s that competitive, it brings the best out of me.”
De’Aaron Fox had a solid outing, including hitting key shots when Minnesota threatened to come back. He finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists; crediting Wembanyama for making everyone better.
“His gravity is like Steph (Curry),” Fox said. “If he rolls to the basket, he’s going to have two or three defenders. To use that gravity, makes it easier for the rest of us.”
Game Notes
Luke Kornet had a strong outing after a string of poor games. He finished with 2 points and 8 rebounds, including four offensive boards.
Carter Bryant came off the bench and hit two threes. He played with confidence and that’s a welcome sign.
San Antonio will need to cut back on the turnovers, but they made up for it with solid defense in the final two quarters.
Julian Champaignie had 12 points off the bench, going 3-f0r-7 from beyond the arc.
Coach Johnson said pregame that the team will not rush Tobias Harris back to the court amid all the gruesome injury news around the league over the past week. I’d expect it to be a few weeks until he makes his debut.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 30: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after the Lakers made a basket against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 30, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Austin Reaves is never one to duck the blame or shift the focus to something else. When he’s bad, he’ll admit he’s bad. And on Friday, he was bad.
Reaves turned the ball over eight times, shot 9-19 from the field and had a plus-minus of -13, worst among the starters. He was not the sole reason the team blew a 25-point first half lead to the Warriors and lost by double digits, but when you get the superstar contract, you also get the superstar treatment in losses.
Debating just how much blame he deserved is irrelevant as Reaves was as brutally honest about his game as anyone else would have been.
“I was terrible again. That’s it.”
Harsh, but fair.
When Luka Dončić was on the floor, the Lakers were great, though mostly because of him. When he sat, the Lakers were bad, with Reaves at the center of it.
If you were looking for an excuse, the fact that those non-Luka groups consist of many players who joined the team this offseason is a fair one. Those units are looking for chemistry, but when asked if that’s legitimate rationale for their struggles, Austin wasn’t interested in any excuses.
“It’s real, but that doesn’t give that second unit an excuse to be pretty terrible,” he said. “And that starts with me. I’ll watch the film and try to be better. But you have to learn on the fly and pick up things quickly. As I said, I have to be better to start that.”
Austin has modeled his career around constant improvement, so there’s little doubt this is just another hurdle he’ll have to climb. Even if he’s run second units without Luka before, they’ve often come flanked by LeBron James. This is a new challenge and teams have him one rung higher on the scouting report now.
The word is out that the way to disrupt Austin is to throw doubles at him on ball screens and try to overwhelm him physically into a turnover. That’s the punch defenses are throwing and now it’s time for Austin to throw a counterpunch.
DENVER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 31: Nazem Kadri #91 of the Colorado Avalanche battles for the puck against Morgan Frost #16 of the Calgary Flames during the first period at Ball Arena on October 31, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
It was a night where there were more treats than tricks as the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Calgary Flames on Halloween night. The game began well after the candy was handed out but Colorado tasted the sweet 5-2 victory at the end of the night. Artturi Lehkonen continued his hot streak with two goals and Cale Makar finished with four assists.
The Game
To start this game, the Avalanche generated many shots but no goals until Nathan MacKinnon broke through with just over five minutes remaining in the first period. A rebound found it’s way right to MacKinnon in his favorite spot on the left side and he nailed the post and it bounced into the net behind Arsenii Sergeev making his second career NHL start for the Flames. Calgary got a few good looks on Mackenzie Blackwood but he shut the door especially on Matt Coronato by making a sprawling save with eight seconds to go to preserve the 1-0 lead.
On this Halloween night things got scary as the Avalanche received a power play early in the second period. As the first unit remained on the ice for nearly the full duration, Martin Nečas finally scored from the left circle and continued his hot streak of scoring on Halloween.
Martin Necas can add to his Halloween point total tomorrow when the @Avalanche host the @NHLFlames, who have the League’s best points percentage on Oct. 31 (.833 P%). 🎃 #HockeyHalloween
Minutes later, Arturri Lehkonen continued his own hot streak scoring his 11th goal on the season and Brock Nelson soon after. At that point the game entered garbage time as the clock began approaching midnight both on the evening and this game. Calgary tried to make it interesting when Joel Farabee made a spin move at the net front and finally got on the board to make it 4-1. Nothing much else happened in the period except for Brock Nelson got hit in the head on a Cale Makar shot but he returned to the bench by the start of the third period.
Speaking of the final frame, Colorado was feeling generous when a Brent Burns turnover behind the net led to a Martin Pospisil goal. Two minutes later, however, the Avalanche got it back as a Cale Makar shot was deflected by Lehkonen for his 12th goal of the season. Not much else happened other than Fedor Svechkov got chopped in the face and had to leave the ice for repairs and the Avalanche got a four-minute power play but they couldn’t cash in. Therefore the 5-2 score stood at the final horn and Colorado secured their victory.
Takeaways
Lehkonen is on pace for 72 goals this season after scoring his 12th in 14 games. Never mind that it’s on 28 shots on goal or what the ramifications of this will be but the Avalanche will take a hot streak to help them in the standings right now.
The four points he generated tonight is a sesson-high for Cale Makar. His high mark previous to this was a three-point effort when the Avalanche visited the Flames earlier in the month. That’s nearly half of the 15 points Makar has on the year courtesy of Calgary. The Avalanche don’t see the Flames again until April so Cale will have to find a new favorite team to play against.
Upcoming
The start of another quick road trip featuring a back-to-back. The fun begins on Monday, November 2nd at the Chicago Blackhawks. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. MT.
