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It was only one night, but beating the reigning NBA champions on their ring night was one hell of a way for the new-look Sixers to start the season.

Unsurprisingly, the Sixers’ starting five led the way. Tyrese Maxey had a team-high 28 points to go with five assists, four rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Jaylen Brown (19 points, eight rebounds, six assists) and LeBron James (14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists) delivered well-rounded performances. Joel Embiid couldn’t buy a bucket for most of them game (13 points on 4-of-15 shooting), but he looked more spry defensively than he has in years. And while VJ Edgecombe was relatively quiet (nine points, four rebounds, one assist), he made his impact defensively by harassing Finals MVP Jalen Brunson all night.

The offseason concerns about alphas were nowhere to be found Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden. While the Sixers might not maintain that level of defensive focus against the Sacramento Kings on a random January night, they showed a higher ceiling on that end of the floor than expected, too. (The concerns about their three-point shooting and their rebounding… that’s a different story.)

But while the starting five will command a majority of the headlines coming out of the season opener, Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gave Sixers fans even more reason to believe that this year will be different than years past.

In 25 minutes off the bench, Simons had 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting (including 3-of-8 from deep). KCP was more up-and-down, but he hit a pair of key triples in the fourth quarter and finished with 10 points, four rebounds, one assist and one block in 26 minutes. That was a stark contrast from last season, when the Sixers got precious little from their bench against the Knicks in particular.

In Game 2 of their second-round series (which they lost 108-102), Quentin Grimes, Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona combined for 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting. In Game 3, a 108-94 loss at home that effectively ended the series, the Sixers’ bench combined for 11 points. Grimes had six points on 2-of-6 shooting, Barlow had two on one shot attempt, and head coach Nick Nurse didn’t play any other reserve more than four minutes.

Granted, starters’ minutes tend to increase in the playoffs, particularly in close games. The Sixers’ bench feasted in garbage time in Games 1 and 4 of that series. But when the games were competitive, it was almost entirely on the Sixers’ starters to take care of business.

When healthy, that shouldn’t be the case this season.

While LeBron downplayed concerns about the Sixers’ long-range shooting after the game—they finished 11-of-40 from deep against the Knicks—Maxey is the only knockdown shooter in their starting five. LeBron, Brown, Embiid and Edgecombe aren’t total non-factors from deep, but none of them are particularly high-volume, efficient three-point shooters.

Whenever Simons and KCP are in the game, they’re going to be a release valve for the Sixers’ offense.

“Big shots by [Simons],” Maxey said after the game in reference to the trio of triples Simons knocked down in the third quarter that put the Sixers ahead. “He did a good job. We’re looking for him. When he gets in the game, we’re hunting for him. We want him to hunt his shots, and he did a good job with that tonight.”

“I thought we were generating a bunch of wide-open threes and just nobody could throw it in,” Nurse added. “And those guys kind of broke through on that and moved the scoreboard for us. And, I mean, it’s one of those things, if you’re making the right reads, and it’s a kickout, catch-and-shoot three, you’re gonna have to keep taking them all night, whether you’re making them or not. And it was good those guys kind of broke the seal open a little bit.”

Additional reinforcements should be on the way soon, too. Dean Wade missed the season opener with the ankle injury that he suffered in the preseason against the Boston Celtics, but he was questionable heading into the game, which suggests it isn’t a long-term issue. Barlow is out for at least two weeks with a “lumbar spine bone stress response,” but his eventual return should help fortify the Sixers’ frontcourt as well. The same goes for two-way signee Tacko Fall, who’s been out with a hip injury.

Wade in particular should be connective tissue for the Sixers thanks to his defensive versatility and three-point shooting. If long-range shots aren’t falling for the starters, he’ll be another plug-and-play option whom Nurse can call upon. Wade has never averaged more than six points per game in any of his seven NBA seasons, so he isn’t likely to emerge as a high-volume scorer in Philly, but he’ll still have value on offense if he spaces the floor and knocks down an open three or two every game.

One of the many benefits of having such a star-studded starting five is that Nurse can stagger his starters and still ensure that he has go-to options on the floor at all times. As defenses sell out to stop them, it should lead to wide-open shots for the likes of Wade, Simons and KCP. As Nurse said Tuesday, the key will be to keep firing away and, ahem, trusting the process even when the shots aren’t falling.

Even the most dynastic superteams in NBA history have needed their role players to come through in big moments on occasion. Robert Horry, Steve Kerr, Derek Fisher and plenty more were key contributors to championship teams. KCP himself has filled that role for two different title winners.

It’s only been one game, but Simons and KCP making that kind of an impact off the bench for the Sixers against the Knicks was validating nevertheless. If the Sixers get actual production from their reserve unit this season, they’ll deserve to be taken that much more seriously in the title conversation.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams are the final pieces to the Lakers’ much-anticipated starting lineup.

The free-agent acquisitions will join guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves and center Walker Kessler in the Lakers’ first starting lineup of the new season Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena. Lakers coach JJ Redick previously said he already knew three of the starting spots, marking down the team’s star backcourt and the center they traded four first-round picks to get, but left the other spots open for competition during training camp.

Williams emerged as a winner of the competitive preseason. He started both of the preseason games he played in, giving the Lakers the type of versatile defender they coveted to cover up for Doncic’s and Reaves’ defensive deficiencies. The 6-foot-9 forward who signed a veteran minimum contract showed willingness to pick up opposing ball-handlers full court. He also made all five of his preseason three-point attempts.

Thybulle, a 6-foot-5 wing, is a maestro guarding off the ball. The rangy defensive specialist had 1.3 steals per game during the preseason. He flummoxed his teammates during training camp practices by jumping into passing lanes.

Quentin Grimes was considered a strong option to start after he signed a four-year, $60-million contract this offseason. Grimes started the first four games of the preseason, averaging 12 points and 2.6 assists while 51.3% shooting in 25.1 minutes per game.

The Lakers are without guard Collin Sexton, who is out because of a right soleus strain. Sexton, who missed all five preseason games, was a full participant in practice Monday and did not suffer a setback, Redick said.

Read more:Lakers center Walker Kessler believes his competitive side will overcome pressure

“Collaborative decision with performance, everyone involved,” Redick said of the decision for Sexton to sit out Wednesday after previously participating in a full practice. “I always say this with soft-tissue injuries, the athlete has to have confidence and full confidence.”

Rookie Cameron Carr is out and day-to-day because of a right oblique strain. Forward Adou Thiero is sidelined with a left knee effusion. After struggling with chronic knee injuries during his rookie season, Thiero will be “shut down for a couple of days,” Redick said, then be considered day-to-day while he ramps up.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Point guard Darius Garland and the Los Angeles Clippers will begin the 2026-27 season against the Sacramento Kings at the Intuit Dome on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Garland will serve as the featured player for the Clippers this season after the departure of Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard was traded during the offseason to the Toronto Raptors for a package that included forward Brandon Ingram, guard Gradey Dick and various draft picks.

Ingram would've played a big role for the Clippers to start the season but is expected to miss time as he recovers from right heel surgery. He also has a partially torn right Achilles tendon.

Garland will be in the starting lineup alongside Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., Rui Hachimura and Isaiah Jackson.

A fast start for either of the last two tanking Nets teams would’ve been a disaster. 

But for a franchise finally trying to win, now it’s the goal. Maybe even the expectation.

Expectations that started with Wednesday night’s opener against visiting Charlotte. 

“It’s about us setting the tone, how we play, our staples and how we approach every single game,” Julius Randle said before the Nets’ 110-103 season-opening loss. “I’ve always been somebody that’s fallen in love with the process and the results usually follow. Yes, we’re playing every game to win. We want to win every single day. It’s about how we’re going about it every single day, and are we doing the right things? 

“You can win a basketball game and not do anything principle-wise how you’re supposed to do as a team. So, we don’t want to do that. We want to win every game playing our style of basketball, holding each other accountable, doing the things that it’s going to take not just to win games but just establish the culture and identity of the team that we want to be.” 

For a young, inexperienced Brooklyn team trying to turn the page after two overtly tanking campaigns — and three straight losing records — setting that culture early this season is going to be vital. 

Or more to the point, factory resetting it. 

A disappointing campaign in 2023-24 convinced the franchise to pivot into a rebuild. They tanked the next two years to get Egor Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr. 

But between owing a 2027 swap to Houston and the NBA’s lottery reform, now Brooklyn is trying to build a winning atmosphere. That started against the Hornets, and will continue through a nasty stretch of schedule. 

“Since I’ve been here, everybody’s focused on winning. It’s not like we’re putting development at the forefront. Obviously we’re all trying to get better and develop, but it’s what does it take every single day to come in and do the right things to win basketball games,” Randle said. “We’re doing all the necessary things to give ourselves the best possible chance to win every night.” 

Their first chance to win a game that counted in the standings was Wednesday. 

After that comes a stretch of six straight tough playoff hopefuls, so veterans like Randle and Moritz Wagner fully understood the importance of a solid start to build the right kind of momentum. 

“I think everybody knows that. … You want to start off the season right,” Wagner said. “Having a good start to the season — whether it’s one game or five games — means a lot. Yes, I do think it carries weight. It’s funny because I thought about that. We prepare so intensely for the first game, and then in February if you have a back to back you can barely prepare. It’s absurd because they count the same, but it does make a difference because you want to start off to a right start. You’ve worked so hard the last two, three weeks, you want to execute the things you worked on.” 

A slow start is a very real possibility, especially looking ahead at the slate. 

After Wednesday’s opener against Charlotte, the Nets have to run a gantlet of six straight Eastern Conference foes projected for at least 44.5 wins by Las Vegas oddsmakers. 

It’ll start on the road Saturday in Cleveland. And after playing the Pacers, at Boston, the Pistons and at Indiana, it’ll end Nov. 2 in the Garden against the reigning champion Knicks. 

“The East is so deep. There’s not one team where you can say, ‘They’re not good.’ The West, I haven’t even looked at [the schedule] much, but I feel like the league is so deep this year, so unpredictable,” Wagner said. “I just care about us and what we want to do, what we want to execute, and I care more about that momentum.” 

Well that didn’t take long.

Two-time Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, making his Miami Heat regular-season debut Wednesday, Oct. 21 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, immediately imposed his will and erupted in the first half. The problem, however, for Antetokounmpo and the Heat is that the rest of the team fell woefully flat.

The Timberwolves, thanks to a 45-point outburst from All-Star guard Anthony Edwards and a 21-point showing from new guard LaMelo Ball, smoked the Heat, 131-106, in their regular season opener.

Antetokounmpo finished the game with 35 points on an efficient 13-of-19 shooting. He added 6 rebounds, but recorded only 1 assist, as many of his teammates missed their catch-and-shoot looks when Antetokounmpo found them. That was where Miami imploded: from deep.

The Heat shot just 8-of-33 (24.2%) from 3-point range, compared to Minnesota’s onslaught from beyond the arc, where the Timberwolves drained 21-of-50 (42%), creating a 39-point advantage on 3-pointers.

Antetokounmpo scored his first bucket just 13 seconds into the game, on a 16-foot pullup jumper he laced with ease after the Timberwolves dared him to shoot. That would be the last time Minnesota would do that. Antetokounmpo actually scored Miami’s first eight points of the game and dropped a 14-point quarter to introduce himself to his new fan base.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra empowered Antetokounmpo to handle the ball and attack the paint at will, especially in transition. Antetokounmpo, who played just 36 games last season in Milwaukee because of various calf injuries, used his size, handles and length to charge to the rim. Another byproduct: Antetokounmpo got to the line in the first half, hitting 5-of-8 attempts.

The Heat acquired Antetokounmpo in a June blockbuster deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.

If you don’t have the SB Nation app, it comes in real handy for Game Threads. Just sayin’! You’ll see I’m commenting more during the game now. Why? Because I have the app!

Parking near Crypto.com Arena can cost Lakers fans an arm and a leg. Fortunately, Luka Doncic is picking up the tab.

Ahead of Wednesday night’s season opener against the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers superstar decided to make his first statement of the 2026-27 NBA season without even stepping onto the hardwood.

He put his money where his mouth is. 

According to the Lakers’ communications department, Doncic arranged free parking for fans at a lot near Crypto.com Arena and partnered with Metro Bike Share to offer complimentary rides throughout Los Angeles.

Doncic also purchased a full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times, delivering a passionate message to Lakers fans and pledging a relentless pursuit of an NBA championship.

It’s a savvy move from a superstar who understands that winning over Los Angeles requires more than dazzling passes, triple-doubles and expensive sneakers.

With LeBron James gone, the Lakers officially belong to Doncic. The franchise’s championship aspirations, its identity and the enormous expectations that accompany wearing purple and gold now rest squarely on his shoulders.

After a severe hamstring injury prematurely ended his 2025-26 campaign, Doncic enters this season with something to prove.

Of course, free parking won’t win playoff games, and a newspaper advertisement won’t hang another championship banner inside Crypto.com Arena.

But in a city where attending an NBA game for a family of four can feel like making a mortgage payment, Doncic’s generosity is a refreshing gesture.

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The champions were brought back down to earth. 

They believe they will be better off for it. 

“I think it’s good for us to kind of get knocked down off the mountain,” Jalen Brunson said after the Knicks’ 106-100 season-opening loss to the 76ers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. “Humble ourselves, put our egos in check and see what’s going to happen. I’ve told you guys since Day 1, whatever happens these first couple of weeks of the season, it’s gonna show who we truly are. So let’s see.” 

It only added to that dynamic that the 76ers — now with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown — have championship expectations and are considered one of the top threats to the Knicks’ chances of repeating. If the Knicks are now the hunted, it was an immediate litmus test against one of the most dangerous hunters. 

The pregame ceremony, when the Knicks raised the banner and collected their rings, was recognized by the players as the official end of the championship. They are no longer that team. They can’t just assume they will pick up right where they left off. 

And they don’t want to view themselves as champions. They’re back to square one, just like the rest of the NBA. 

“We shouldn’t sit there and think we’re the champions because we’re not,” Josh Hart said. “We’re 0-1. We’re the worst team in the NBA right now. So we need to play like it.” 

They were far from their normal standards in terms of pace, ball movement and help defending. Identifying those problems could be more beneficial in the long term than a regular-season win. 

“I want to win, don’t get me wrong,” coach Mike Brown said. “Don’t get that twisted at all. I want to freaking win, but not at the expense of us skipping steps in the process.” 

A bit of a humbling was an important part of that process. 

It’s finally time! After a long and arduous offseason, the 2026-27 NBA season has arrived, and with it the first game of the season for the Golden State Warriors, who visit the Los Angeles Lakers to kick off the year.

The Dubs, unfortunately, are far from at full strength for the first game of the year, while the Lakers are fairly healthy. Here’s the complete injury report for both teams.

Warriors

Out — Brandin Podziemski (bilateral low back soreness)

Podziemski figures to have a huge role in his fourth NBA season. He shined in the preseason, and recently inked a five-year, $110 million deal. So it’s a bummer that he’ll miss the opener, but after suffering from some back soreness late in camp, he won’t be able to suit up. Thankfully he isn’t expected to be out long.

Out — Charles Bassey (right patellar tendinopathy)

Bassey might have been in line to start tonight, as he did in the preseason finale, if he were healthy. Unfortunately, he suffered a mild injury in that finale, and that will cost him the opener. As with Podziemski, it’s not considered a serious injury, and he should be back on the court soon.

Out — Kristaps Porziņģis(not with team)

The latest news about Porziņģis isn’t good. He’s not with the team, the Warriors are already looking at trading his contract, and the Latvian All-Star is reportedly considering calling it a career. It’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever play for the Warriors again, and with both he and Bassey out, you can expect two-way center Graham Ike to get a lot of playing time.

Out — Jimmy Butler III (right ACL repair surgery)

No surprises here. Butler remains sidelined indefinitely, and is likely targeting a second-half return.

Out — Moses Moody (right patellar tendon repair surgery)

And no surprises here, either. Moody is likely a few months from returning from the knee injury that ended his 2025-26 season. There’s no set timetable yet.

Probable — Steph Curry (right ankle soreness)

When Curry limped off the court at open practice on Sunday, it seemed like he might be out for a while. Instead, he thankfully is expected to play in the opener.

Lakers

Out — Collin Sexton (right soleus strain)

Sexton figures to play a huge role in his first year with the purple and gold, but his debut will have to wait. He shouldn’t be sidelined long, but won’t play in the opener.

Out — Cameron Carr (right oblique strain)

Carr was a late first-round pick, following a breakout campaign at Baylor a year ago. He likely won’t have to wait long to make his NBA debut, but it won’t be tonight.

Out — Adou Thiero (left knee effusion swelling)

Thiero had a modest role last year with the Lakers, appearing in 25 games and averaging 6.0 minutes per game in his rookie season. He’ll look to build on that this year, but will have to wait as it won’t happen tonight.

Available — Walker Kessler (left finger splint)

LA’s big offseason acquisition was a question mark in the days leading up to the opener, but has now been cleared to play. The Warriors have a serious disadvantage in the paint between Kessler’s availability and their own lack of centers.

Enjoy the game, everyone! It tips off at 7:00 p.m. PT on ESPN.

Warriors' Yaxel Lendeborg ‘lost all respect' for Luka Dončić in fiery NBA debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

LOS ANGELES – Yaxel Lendeborg isn’t someone who grew up watching NBA games from start to finish across the league. He’s part of a new generation – the highlight generation. 

Among the many players Lendeborg loved watching highlights of, Luka Dončić always has been at the top of his list. Not anymore. 

After one regular-season game in the NBA, the Warriors rookie has a much different outlook on the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. 

“Being in there firsthand, just watching all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect, man,” Lendeborg said after the Warriors’ blowout loss to the Lakers on Wednesday night in the 2026-27 NBA regular-season opener at Crypto.com Arena. “That was awful. Like, me getting frustrated, it’s not about the foul being called, it’s about him complaining the entire game. And then you get the foul called, congratulations bro. 

“You want to talk to me like you did something great? C’mon dog. That’s just weak. It kind of threw me off for a little while, because, like I said, I had so much respect for him. Gone, man. Gone.” 

The shorthanded Warriors were waxed by the Lakers in an ugly 127-105 loss that could be the first glimpse of a long season. They trailed by one point after the first quarter, but the story of the game began in the second when Lendeborg and Dončić began trading barbs up and down the court on multiple occasions. 

Once it began, there was no stopping the two of them from letting the trash talk flow relentlessly. Dončić, who scored 28 points in 29 minutes on 7-of-18 shooting and went 5 of 12 from 3-point range, said Lendeborg was “talking crazy.” He didn’t divulge much more into what Lendeborg was saying.

But the already best and most honest quote in the NBA didn’t leave anything to the imagination at the podium. 

“I was telling him he sucks,” Lendeborg said. “He can’t score on me. You’re talking? You can’t score on me. I said it the whole game. I said a couple cuss words, obviously, that’s why I got the technical and all that. But I was letting him know because he was laughing and talking all this because of that one foul call. His only bucket on me was a banker from halfcourt. 

“I know that it’s a team sport. He had 28 on us as a team. Me, I took my matchup personally. Tried not to get called on the fouls. Tried my best. I was thinking about playing him with my hands by my back to see if that worked. I would have still got a foul called.”

Defending Dončić full-court, Lendeborg was physical with the six-time NBA All-Star who knows every trick in the book to get a whistle and make his way to the free-throw line. Lendeborg outwardly showed frustration, but he didn’t show any inclination of backing down. 

The trash talk continued when Lendeborg wasn’t even in the game. In one instance, Dončić scored a three in front of the Warriors’ bench and pointed right at Lendeborg, who brought the smack right back.

When Lendeborg returned, he continued battling Dončić and locked him up from long distance. On the way down the court, the talk increased and that’s when he was given the first technical foul of his NBA career. 

Warriors coach Steve Kerr didn’t agree with the call, saying postgame that it at least should have been a double technical, with Dončić also being dinged. 

“He got the rookie treatment,” Kerr said. 

And Kerr also expressed he “loved” the back and forth between the two players, and the fearless attitude his rookie displayed. To Kerr, this was a debut full of lessons for Lendeborg, who was a minus-21 in 28 minutes with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and four personal fouls. 

“He bit on a pump fake, he got a couple that were tough calls, but he’s probably going to have to learn,” Kerr said. “Those are calls that are made in the NBA, so you have to actually give ground in certain spots. … These vets, these superstars are going to play tricks on him, and he’s got to learn those tricks.” 

Whether it’s a rookie like Lendeborg or a veteran with more than a decade of experience, Dončić is going to get his. He’s a two-time scoring champion, including last season when he averaged 33.5 points per game. 

Yet Lendeborg, despite being whistled more than once guarding Dončić, did his job admirably against an all-time great. Lendeborg held Dončić to 1-of-6 shooting when he was his primary defender. The one made shot was a half-court buzzer-beater going into halftime. 

“Everybody’s going to be like, ‘Oh man, he shouldn’t talk to Luka. You should not talk to Luka,’ and I disagree with that s–t 1,000 percent,” Draymond Green said in the locker room. “You f–king gon’ talk to somebody, you talk until you can’t f–king talk no more. And if he busts your ass, guess what? You play him again three more times, and you go back at his ass again. And then you see him the third time, and you go back at his ass again. 

“I think in this league, everybody always be like, ‘Oh man, certain guys you gotta respect.’ I ain’t come in this league like that. Respect, you earn respect. So, you know, everybody’s like, ‘Oh man, the rookie learned his lesson.’ What did he learn? Next time you see him, go at his ass again.”

So with that, what exactly did Lendeborg learn in his first NBA game then? 

“Lot of flopping, lot of foul-baiting, lot of praying to the refs,” he said. “Interesting first game.” 

Next up on the Warriors’ schedule is their home opener against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at Chase Center, when Lendeborg can renew his rivalry with No. 3 pick Cam Boozer. Then comes Devin Booker and the Suns in Phoenix, Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets in Denver, and Anthony Edwards and the new-look Timberwolves in Minnesota before coming home to play Dončić and the Lakers again in San Francisco. 

All it took was one game for Lendeborg to have a giant target on his back. His teammates, notably Green and Steph Curry, believe he’s up for the task at hand. 

“He’s setting the table for himself to have to show up, and I like that,” Curry said. “Nature of the game, whether you do it between your ears or you let it out, I know he’ll be able to back it up.” 

His game will have to do as much talking as his mouth while Lendeborg’s rookie year progresses, and he already gave everyone numerous reasons to circle the Warriors’ next game against the Lakers in less than two weeks.

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