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VJ Edgecombe was ready for the moment yet again

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 30: Vj Edgecombe #77 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates a three-pointer during the second half of an Emirates NBA Cup game against the New York Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images

One of the main schools of thought stemming from the “there’s only one ball to go around” critique of this year’s Sixers team was that it would hinder the development of VJ Edgecombe, especially going into a crucial second season.

Five games into his sophomore season and that hasn’t been a problem at all for the guard from Baylor. The Sixers have won all five games he’s appeared in and he’s made big plays down the stretch in just about all of them.

As the New York Knicks looked prime to pull off a devastating comeback in Philadelphia, Edgecombe hit a three to extend the Sixers’ one-point lead to four with 32 seconds remaining. It’s the type of clutch shotmaking the coaching staff has come to expect from Edgecombe after he made a habit of it his rookie year.

“He just does that, it’s really who he is,” head coach Nick Nurse said after the game. “We all know it.”

Nurse, nor any Sixer, had a problem with Edgecombe taking that shot despite missing his previous three attempts from deep on the night. He plays with a level of fearlessness and confidence that’s earned that trust from his teammates.

Even some of his newest teammates have picked on Edgecombe’s knack for big moments.

“He doesn’t shy away from the moment,“ LeBron James said. ”[He’s a] young, young kid, but thrives in the moment.“

It was a bit relieving that it was a three ball from Edgecombe that saved the day. For all his contributions this season, shooting the ball from deep has been one of his rare struggles. He’s shot just 29% from three through his first five games of the campaign.

“Early I haven’t been making a lot of threes, but they’re gonna fall, and I’m gonna keep shooting the ball,” Edgecombe said. “Tonight, even though I was 0-for-3 at the time, I still shot it. That’s just the confidence I have in myself.”

What Edgecombe has done a great job of this year is using the attention of his superstar teammates to cut into wide open lanes and scoop up easy baskets. He’s also become one of the best rebounders on the team while usually guarding the other team’s best player.

He’s done an especially good job cutting for Joel Embiid, a big reason Embiid is up to averaging 4.8 assists per game so far this season.

“When they go double him, obviously you know teams gonna rotate,” Edgecombe said, “and so I just try to find that gap where I can cut or just find a window for him.”

It’s the type of complementary basketball required to make a group with this much talent work together. Many worried before the season there wasn’t anywhere on the roster the Sixers would get those types of contributions from.

“It’s great to just have those guys, those complementary guys out there on the floor where we can all complement one another,” James said. “‘Rese getting double teamed, VJ has the confidence that Tyrese gonna give him the ball and he can knock down shots and vice versa.”

Edgecombe is clearly fifth in the pecking order in the healthy starting five when it comes to shot distribution, but that hasn’t stopped him from being one of their most important players when he’s on the floor. Being vital to helping a team with championship expectations pick up wins on a nightly basis has been just fine for his development so far.

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Trading away Elly De La Cruz would be a metaphor for the Cincinnati Reds as a franchise

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Elly De La Cruz #44 of the Cincinnati Reds returns to the dugout after hitting a solo home run, his 30th home run of the season, in the third inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on September 24, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Imagine you are a last place Major League Baseball club, one devoid of both recent success or generational success. You also find yourself without a ready-made farm system that’s poised to step up immediately and begin to pick up the pieces strewn across the floor.

You’ve got a bona fide ace, albeit one whose elbow gave out for the second time already since you lucked into him in the draft. He’s going to miss the entire season after you just finished in last place, again.

You have the worst hitter in the sport on your roster. You traded viable pieces to actively go get him just a year ago, and it has turned into one of the more egg/face deals in recent memory. You even bailed out your fellow divisional cellar-dwellar to facilitate it.

Your starting catcher walked into free agency. You’ve got a former 1st round pick at 2B in whom you continue to trust who is three full years removed from a shoulder surgery that rendered him a completely different player than he was before, yet you just can’t bring yourself to admit it.

You’ve got the worst hitting outfield in the sport.

It doesn’t take too much effort to look up and down what you possess to understand that it’s a walking, talking organizational failure. If a house has peeling paint, rotted sills, a leaky roof, toilets that run, squeaky floors, knob & tube wiring, and mice in the walls, it’s not the fault of the house itself – it’s the people tasked with taking care of the place who’ve simply let every single aspect of it fall by the wayside.

You have, though, perhaps the best shortstop in the game. A 30/30 player who oozes 40/70 upside, a guy who’s just 24 years old playing the premium position on the infield who has a full decade of sustainable promise ahead of him. How you lucked into getting him the baseball world may never figure out, but in him you have one of the most singular, most dynamic players in the sporting world right there on your roster.

Front offices often go entire careers without the chance to have such a player under their control. The nature of the baseball contract system means that star has even been cheap – cheap! – for three full years already, and will remain that way for another three relative to the prices of even the most average of free agents. Major League Baseball, both the sport itself and the salary system within it, has given you a literal gold mine of opportunity within this unicorn, a baked-in cheat code given that rosters fix at 26 players and funds, in your case, are finite elsewhere.

In theory, there should be no other player in the sport today around whom it is easier to build a competitive team than that. He plays the toughest position, hits in the most important part of the order day in, day out. He’s cheap. Still, you get to look at yourself sitting in last place in the standings from the most recently completed season while also seeing that the basement is right where you’re projected to be next year, too.

It’s the kind of environment that pushes free agents away. Who, in their right mind, would want to prioritize playing for such a club when given the option of playing for 29 other franchises? Not even a ‘hometown’ kid could be persuaded to ride in to the potential rescue. Your ballpark is so tiny no pitcher in their right mind would actively choose to pitch there in half their games, an unnecessary self-own you’ve handed yourself on top of all your other issues.

Yet there he is, your star shortstop – the one thing you somehow managed to get correct amid the rest of the shambles. He sticks out like a sore thumb within all this, so much so that it’s impossible for every other franchise in the sport not to notice. Not just notice, really – it’s impossible for the entire rest of the sport to do anything other than stare and gawk.

It had been the case for a series of years that it was impossible for them not to dream. At this juncture, though, it’s impossible for those other clubs to not stare reality in the face.

You have gone nowhere. You aren’t going anywhere. You’re not going to make it where you hoped before this one special player is eligible for free agency, and you’ve failed to sign him to a contract to further open than window. Your own organizational and tactical failures have now foisted themselves onto both of his shoulders, the weight of it all too much for even the most deserving and capable players out there.

You have failed to win with him. You have backed yourself into such a horrible corner that there’s zero chance you’ll win with him next year. It’s so obvious that every other team out there now realizes you’re cornered, the two lone moves being either thumb your nose and lose like an idiot out of spite or cave, the hope being in the latter scenario that someone gifts you the multiple pieces of coal out of which you can mold a few diamonds.

You are the Cincinnati Reds. You’ve gotten away with it to this juncture, but the gendarmes know right where you are. They’re circling, they’re barricading. They’re asking again for you to come out with your hands up, though their tone is getting a bit more focused.

Your gig, as they say, is up.

*************************************************************************

While concrete rumors surrounding Cincinnati Reds superstar shortstop aren’t there, that hasn’t stopped the immediate rumblings across the baseballverse. He’s entering arbitration and will command a salary of some $8 million in 2027, with two more seasons after that remaining before reaching free agency. He has reportedly turned down a contract offer from the Reds already, and the Reds – without Hunter Greene yet again – have a roster that scares few AAA clubs heading into 2027.

Trading a superstar for a blockbuster return must sound enticing to a Reds front office that has no other methods to build a team at this point. They have failed in so many other areas – the draft, in development, in free agency, internationally – that One Big Patch™ must be appealing to them at this point even if making that call would be just about the only other way in which they could disappoint those who’ve trusted in them all these years.

Those who’ve worked within the industry know it. Those who’ve never seen a baseball before know it, too, since why in the world is there a player this good still on a team that’s consistently this bad?

Leatherpants is getting a lot of credit for being the person breaking the concept that Elly could ‘absolutely’ be traded this winter, but let’s be real here – the consistent and thorough failings of the Reds front office and ownership group for the better part of two decades are what is ‘breaking’ this news as a reality. Absolutely nothing they have done whilst being in charge for 20 years has suggested they should, would, or could have any idea what to do with a player of his caliber, let alone one who is finally about to get paid what he deserves.

But they’re precisely the kind of front office and ownership group who knows they need not one, not two, not three lottery tickets to even attempt to replicate such a gold-mine find. They need four, five, six, and the longer they hold on to Elly the lesser the chances of asking for that much become. They are running steadfast into the tipping point of not getting peak value for the most talented player they’ve ever come across, as well as the realization that going beyond that point would be the latest, greatest failure on top of all the others.

I don’t know how they’ll rectify that. I don’t know if the spite will be so embedded that they’ll simply shrug it off, keep Elly around for another year of 90+ losses, and show the baseball world they still have the upper hand they think they hold. I don’t know if the Los Angeles Dodgers, or the Boston Red Sox can woo them with a toolsy prospect package big enough to make them flinch this winter.

What I do know, though, is this – the Cincinnati Reds never had any clue how to manage what they had in Elly De La Cruz, and they aren’t going to going forward. And giving him away for anything – anything – is as much an admission that they should be giving control of this franchise to someone else who knows how.

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2026 Atlanta Braves Player Review: Carlos Carrasco

ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 17: Atlanta pitcher Carlos Carrasco (59) pitches during the MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves on June 17th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Carlos “Cookie” Carrasco made his MLB debut back all-the-way-back in 2009 with the Cleveland Indians. Coming into 2026, he’d made 335 appearances – including 284 starts in 16 seasons – and he’d add to that with the Atlanta Braves last season.

How acquired

The Braves signed Carrasco on July 28, 2025 to a minor league deal and he’d end up making three starts with Atlanta across several big league stints with poor results. Despite his lack of success with the Braves in 2025, Atlanta signed him to minor league deal in early February 2026 with a Spring Training invitation.

What were the expectations?

Carrasco, who turned 39 prior to the start of the regular season, was veteran organization pitching depth but when injuries set the organization’s starting pitching depth aflame, Carrasco’s value increased as Spencer Schwellenbach, Joey Wentz and Spencer Strider were lost as option to start the season before and during Spring Training.

2026 results

Carrasco’s 2026 results with Atlanta were less about the numbers he produced as it was about what he was able to provide the team by protecting other pitchers. He pitched in eight games with Atlanta, absorbing 16.2 innings allowing 21 hits, including three home runs, while striking out only seven batters. But, he finished six of the appearances he made; with six of those games including more than one inning pitched.

When all was said and done, Carrasco was selected to the big league roster eight times between April 23 and July 9, 2026. He’d opt to sign in the KBO where he’d make 11 starts for the LG Twins in late July.

What went right?

Until his final MLB game, Carrasco had been effective as a junk-baller with a 3.68 ERA in 14.2 innings limiting damage in part by only giving up one walk. His only appearance in a Braves victory was his first, finishing the game in a 7-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on April 23. He twice allowed two runs in four innings of blow-out losses, saving the team’s bullpen from additional innings.

What went wrong?

Although his performance was likley more appreciated by the organization and his teammates than Braves fans, Carrasco’s last big league game in 2026 – a possibly the final one of his career – was his worst. In two innings, he allowed five runs on five hits and a home run and walked twice as many batters has he had coming into the game.

Maybe the worst part about that contest was that he entered the game against the New York Metropolitans in the eighth inning with the Braves trailing 5-3. After working a scoreless eight, Braves manager Walt Weiss left him in the game in the ninth where he proceeded to implode, allowing five runs.

Atlanta would then rally for six runs in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn’t complete a miraculous comeback, falling 10-9.

Despite that final sour experience, it is hard to consider Carrasco’s overall season anything but helpful, despite his 5.94 ERA that was inflated by his July 5th appearance.

2027 outlook

Despite never having been an All-Star, Carrasco has notable 17-year career that include leading the American League in wins and finishing fourth in the AL Cy Young Award in 2017, being honored with the Roberto Clemente Award and AL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2019 after an in-season battle with cancer. He’s won 105 big league games and tossed 1,704 innings.

Was 2026 the last one for Carrasco?

Maybe, but if he wants to continue his professional career in the U.S., his effectiveness in Korea is likely to bode well for another minor league contract. Given how Atlanta’s organization prioritizes veterans who are good locker room, it shouldn’t be shocking if the Braves given him a minor league deal to at least be a mentor to the organization’s young pitchers in Triple-A.

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Some Offseason Trade Targets for the Guardians

With a young core of MLB ready players under team control for many seasons to come, a highly touted farm system, and a bottom of the league payroll, the Cleveland Guardians have many resources and means to improve a team that just went to game 6 of the ALCS against a legitimate contender. The Guardians have plenty of spending room (given payrolls we’ve seen the team run out in the not so distant past) to take on salaries of veteran players, and plenty of talented young players in the farm system to use as pieces to acquire controllable talent for the upcoming seasons.

Today we are going to look at a few players as trade targets that could be difference makers or reasonable improvements to turn the Guardians into a legitimate postseason threat for 2027 (if there’s a season) and beyond. For the purposes of today, we will just be going over some players and the advantages and disadvantages of bringing them on. Hashing out exact trade packages is not part of this exercise, as I firmly believe that the Guardians have the talent to acquire any of these players, and believe it’s best to leave hashing out the details of the transaction to the professionals.

Shortstops

Zach Neto

Neto is a RHH SS who’s posted a career 113 wRC+ and 12.0 fWAR in about 3.5 seasons with the Angels. He’s got 3 years of arbitration left on his contract, so he wouldn’t come cheap, but he would be a strong candidate for an every day player in the middle of the lineup. In 2026 he posted a well above league average 11.9 Barrel % and posted his 3rd consecutive 20/20 season, so he can steal some bases as well. His range at SS has been well below average, but the offensive production would almost certainly make up for it.

CJ Abrams

Abrams is coming off a career year offensively. He had his first career 30/30 season in 2026, and he was one homer in 2025 and 2 homers in 2023 short of having 4 straight 20/20 seasons (all of which he stole over 30 bases in). His wRC+ in 2026 of 124 was significantly higher than the 105 and 104 marks he put up in the previous 2 seasons, but even with some regression, he looks to be a reliable 20/20 guy that also could fit in the middle of the Guardians lineup nicely. Defensively he’s a weaker option than Neto, but if he can be more like the 2026 version of himself going forward, he could also make up for the weaker defense. Abrams also wouldn’t come cheap, as he has 2 years of arbitration left on his contract, but definitely is an option worth considering.

Jeremy Peña

Peña is in the final arbitration year of his rookie contract and is by far the most experienced SS on this list. In his last 2 seasons, he’s put up a 136 wRC+ and a 124 wRC+. The home run numbers don’t blow you away, but he’s missed almost 90 games in those 2 seasons combined, and having an .800 OPS both years is of course very good. He’s also below average defensively at SS, but like the others, if his bat can be as good as it’s been the last couple years, it should make up for the poorer defense. As long as he can stay on the field for this season, he could be another option to target in a trade.

First Base

Alec Burleson

Burleson has 2 years of arbitration and is coming off back to back 124 or better wRC+ seasons. He also played in 160 games in 2026, showing he’s able to play every day if needed. Burleson is a LHH who can’t hit LHP, but his thump vs. RHP cannot be denied. And with an offense that is consistently near the bottom of the league in all major categories, you’ll take every extra bit of power that you can. Burleson also was a well above average defensive first baseman in 2026.

Spencer Steer

Steer, like Burleson, also has 2 years of arbitration remaining on his contract. While I’ve listed him as a first baseman, he’s played all over the field for the Reds. He doesn’t have quite the defensive ability of a guy like Daniel Schneemann, but he does have that level of  defensive versatility. Steer also mashes LHP. In 2026 he had a 188 wRC+ vs. lefties. His career splits are a little more modest at 128 wRC+ vs. LHP and 97 wRC+ vs. RHP, but both of those are very playable, and he could even be a serviceable bat vs. righties too.

Outfield

Brandon Marsh

Marsh is coming off a bit of a down year in 2026. After having wRC+ totals of 124, 106, and 115 the previous 3 seasons, he dropped to a 90 mark in 2026. He’s a bit in the Burleson class, as he’s a LHH who’s struggled vs. LHP in his career, but he’s on the final year of arbitration in his contract and could be a great addition if he can find his way back to his 2023-2025 form. He’s also been a solid defender (apart from in 2026), which he would also need to recapture to be a contributor to a contending team. But given multiple seasons of success in the past, it’s not unreasonable to think he can do that.

Wyatt Langford

Langford would likely be one of the most expensive pieces listed here, but it’s hard to deny he’s worth the price. With 3 years of arbitration still on his contract, he has a lot of team control. Despite dealing with off and on injuries this season, he almost had a second 20/20 season in a row, and ended with a 115 wRC+ in 2026 (right on pace with his career average). He has a career 126 wRC+ vs. LHP and 111 vs. RHP, so he’s very capable of being an everyday contributor.  Langford is also a plus defender in the outfield.

Pitching

Reid Detmers

Detmers had a career season in 2026 and has 2 seasons of arbitration on his contract. He pitched 185 innings in 2026, with a 3.36 ERA, a 3.01 FIP, 211 strike outs, and just 48 BBs.  The Angels have finally started to look like they’re willing to make more reasonable deals, and as far as SP options, there weren’t too many better than Detmers in 2026.

Logan Gilbert

Seattle is in a bit of an in between situation. They looked like they were poised to be a contender again with their SP, but after underperforming in 2026, a lot of their offensive pieces are headed to free agency, and Logan Gilbert is on the last year of his contract with them. Gilbert’s 2026 was a bit lower than average for him, but 186 innings with a 3.73 ERA and 205 Ks is hardly anything to scoff at. He would be a very nice compliment to an already solid looking Guardians rotation.

I’m not going to hold my breath on the Guardians’ front office going all out to acquire any of these guys, but if we’re talking hypotheticals, we might as well swing for the fences. If there was ever a time to unload the farm system and make a real run for the Guards, now is the time. The core is young, under control for an extended amount of time, and they all look Major League ready. It’s time to bring in some experienced players, round out the roster, and take a real shot at ending baseball’s longest active championship drought.

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Astros hire former Ranger as g.m.

ARLINGTON-JUNE 2: Randy Flores #50 of the Texas Rangers pitches the ball during the game against the Kansas City Royals at The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas on June 2, 2002. The Rangers won 8-6. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Houston Astros announced yesterday the hiring of Randy Flores as their new general manager. Flores replaces Dana Brown, who was fired in late August.

The 51 year old Flores is a former major league pitcher who is also a former Texas Ranger. If you don’t remember him, well, that’s understandable. On August 31, 2001, the Rangers traded Randy Velarde — who they had acquired the previous offseason from the A’s in exchange for Aaron Harang and Ryan Cullen in what was a rather unfortunate move — to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later. That player to be named later ended up being Randy Flores.

Flores pitched 20 games for the 2002 Texas Rangers — a bad team with a very bad pitching staff. Flores threw only 12 innings, and faced just 52 batters, in those 20 games, in which he posted a 4.50 ERA. He ended up being put on waivers and was claimed by the Colorado Rockies, for whom he put up a 9.53 ERA in eight appearances. He returned to the majors in 2004 with the Cardinals, and spent the next several years as a more or less replacement level reliever.

That 2002 pitching staff also included such luminaries as Hideki Irabu, John Rocker, Chris Michalak, C.J. Nitkowski, Dan Miceli, Rudy Seanez, and the immortal Rob Bell and his Loch Ness curve. On the position player side, there was, among others, Ruben Rivera, Carl Everett, and Kyler Murray’s uncle.

You will be interested to know, I’m sure, that Flores wasn’t the Astros’ top pick. Per Chandler Rome, Jim Crane had been courting Matt Kleine of the Milwaukee Brewers, and offered him the job right after the World Series. Rome indicated that there were rumors that Kleine wanted either a higher salary or a president of baseball operations title. Apparently, when a deal couldn’t be done with Kleine, Crane pivoted to Flores.

Flores had been with the St. Louis Cardinals for a decade-plus prior to joining the Astros. Ironically, he joined the Cardinals to replace Chris Correa, the guy in the Cardinals organization who went to jail for hacking the Astros’ front office database because 0f his belief that Jeff Luhnow, who had been hired by the Astros from the Cardinals, had taken information he shouldn’t have when he left St. Louis.

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Yankees dump Omar Minaya, Brian Sabean in front office shakeup after 2026 flop

An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman, team adviser Omar Minaya, team adviser Brian Sabean, and assistant GM Michael Fishman stand in the dugout in Tampa
Yankees front office dump

Brian Cashman will be back on a new deal, but the front office around him will look differently next season.

The Yankees are not renewing the contracts of grizzled top advisers Brian Sabean and Omar Minaya, as The Post’s Jon Heyman first reported.

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The behind-the-scenes changes also will include two professional scouts — Tom Wilson and the retiring Pat Murtaugh — not returning, The Post’s Joel Sherman reported.

Meanwhile, the Yankees have hired former major league reliever and Harvard grad Frank Herrmann as supervisor for global evaluation/player development integration.

Herrmann had worked in the Blue Jays’ front office.

Sabean and Minaya had been hired ahead of the 2023 season, the former as executive adviser to Cashman and latter as a senior adviser.

Both had been the lead decision-makers with other organizations — Sabean for the Giants, Minaya for the Mets and Expos — both brought decades of experience in the game and in New York, and both had Cashman’s ear for the past three seasons.

Former Giants GM Brian Sabean, right, and adviser Omar Minaya stand in the dugout at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Informing the pair this early in what will be an expedited offseason, given the impending lockout, allows them to seek employment elsewhere.

Sabean’s baseball career began as a scout with the Yankees in 1985 for an organization that Cashman joined as a college intern in 1986.

Sabean rose to vice president of player development/scouting, a role in which he helped bring in the Core Four — Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte — then left for San Francisco in 1993, won three World Series as GM in 2010, 2012 and 2014, eventually was phased out of the front office and returned to the franchise where it all started, a seasoned pair of eyes chiming in on player evaluation for the Yankees.

Minaya, who also began his career as a scout, is best known locally for three different stints with the Mets, including serving as GM from 2005-10.

New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman, from left, team adviser Omar Minaya, team adviser Brian Sabean, and assistant GM Michael Fishman stand in the dugout in Tampa. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

He also had worked for the Expos, Rangers, Padres, Players’ Association and MLB, a baseball lifer whose established relationships aided the Yankees in several notable pursuits over the past few years: Minaya was influential in the trade for Juan Soto executed with a Padres front office that he knew well, and was part of the teleconference that lured Max Fried to The Bronx.

Fried had been drafted by the Padres when Minaya was San Diego’s senior VP of baseball operations.

Sabean and Minaya, more traditional baseball men, were brought on by Cashman at a time some believed his front office had leaned too heavily toward the analytical side. It will be curious whether, and if so by whom, they are replaced.

The Yankees have not won a World Series since 2009, and frustration from the fan base may be reaching a zenith after the club was swept by the Rays in the ALDS.

For the team’s ultimate failure, Hal Steinbrenner placed the blame on players who he believes underperformed — which may lead to changes within the coaching staff, particularly within their hitting team — rather than issues with the front office or at manager. Cashman has agreed to a new contract, and manager Aaron Boone will be back for the last year remaining on his pact.

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Warriors’ comeback vs Lakers unprecedented: ‘25, it’s the new 12′

An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry smiles after scoring a 3-point basket during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Image 2 shows Brandin Podziemski of the Golden State Warriors points toward the Los Angeles Lakers bench at Chase Center, Image 3 shows Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shouts to get an official's attention during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers

SAN FRANCISCO — It was deader than dead inside Chase Center after the first quarter Friday night, a fitting graveyard-like atmosphere on the eve of Halloween.

A motivated Luka Doncic exploded for 21 points and the Lakers built a 23-point lead by the time Steve Kerr gathered his team on the Warriors’ bench between periods.

They should have been spooked.

It was about the worst 12 minutes of basketball Golden State had played this season. It appeared Kerr’s squad was headed for a second rout in 10 days at the hands of the Lakers.

Then, everything flipped.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) smiles during an NBA Cup basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in San Francisco. AP Photo/Justine Willard

Austin Reaves got to the foul line on the Lakers’ first possession of the second quarter, extending their advantage to 25 points, 40-15, and that’s as wide as it would get.

De’Anthony Melton scored the next seven points, and Golden State went on to come all the way back — and then some — for a convincing 112-95 win over Doncic and the Lakers.

From the end of the first-quarter timeout on, the Warriors outscored Los Angeles 97-57.

“I don’t think I got too upset. I was trying to stay poised,” Kerr said. “We couldn’t have played any worse, and they knew it. I didn’t need to tell them. I just said it’s a long game.

“I don’t think I said anything about the modern NBA — I didn’t say anything to our players — but what I would [say] is 25, it’s the new 12. These games happen nightly in the league.”

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shouts to get an official’s attention during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in San Francisco on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. Getty Images

They don’t usually happen quite like this, though. In fact, the Warriors’ Jekyll-and-Hyde act produced a kind of game that had never been seen in the NBA, at least not in recent history.

As poor as the opening period went for the Warriors, the second was just as bad for JJ Redick’s squad. By halftime, Golden State had erased the entire deficit to pull even at 53.

It was the first time since the NBA started tracking play-by-play (in 1996-97) that a team had trailed by 25 or more in the first half and come back to even the score at halftime.

The final 17-point margin of victory was the largest by any team that has trailed by 25 or more.

“These games are wild,” Kerr said. “With the pace and the 3-point shooting, there are just these wild swings. You just have to stay with it.”

While Kerr kept his cool after the disastrous first quarter, the assistants in the second row of the Warriors’ bench let the players have it. They committed 10 turnovers, double their number of made baskets, and seemed to be rattled by Doncic’s furor in his rematch with Yaxel Lendeborg.

Anthony Vereen was the “lead voice” in calling out the Warriors players, Steph Curry said.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots a 3-point basket against the Los Angeles Lakers in an NBA Cup basketball game, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. AP Photo/Justine Willard

“You need that kind of fire to see how we’re gonna respond,” Curry said.

And respond, they did.

After coughing up the ball 10 times in 12 minutes, they turned it over only six times over the remaining 36. Only one team ended up with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, and it wasn’t the one that jumped to the early 25-point lead.

The Lakers ended up turning the ball over five more times than Golden State (20-15) and assisting on 13 fewer buckets (31-18).

Brandin Podziemski of the Golden State Warriors points toward the Los Angeles Lakers bench at Chase Center in San Francisco, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. Getty Images

“Everything went wrong,” Kerr said of the first quarter. “It was just a weird quarter. It was not anything strategy related. We didn’t change anything after the first quarter.

“Sometimes when you come back off a weeklong road trip and you have a day off, no shootaround, that first few minutes can be a little rough. That would be my excuse for tonight.”

In addition to his 21 first-quarter points, Doncic looked unstoppable as a playmaker, dishing out five assists. He finished with 37 points to best Curry’s 31, but he didn’t set up another Lakers bucket for the rest of the game.

“Luka had an unbelievable first quarter,” Curry said. “He looked very determined coming into tonight. Our offense got stagnant. Turnovers the first four or five minutes were deflating. 

“We had a lot of chatter at the end of the first quarter, and it was kind of cool to see the second unit — just the overall execution on both ends in the second quarter.”

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LeBron James on 5-1 76ers: 'I'm more than happy I made the decision to come here'

"Best game all around. He's been good, but that was his best game for sure."

That was how coach Nick Nurse described LeBron's performance Friday night, via Noah Levick at NBC Sports Philadelphia. LeBron finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, leading Philadelphia past New York — again! — on Friday night, but the numbers don't tell the story. He was the glue that made the entire 76ers project fit together, and when it mattered most he had the dagger putback.

It's just six games, but LeBron said he couldn't be happier with his offseason decision to come to Philadelphia, via the Associated Press.

"I'm having a great time," James said. "I love what we're bringing to the table every night. I love our competitive spirit. Guys show up to work. Guys are ready to work hard. It's a fun group, too. I'm like a big-ass kid, to be completely honest. These guys are great to be around and I'm more than happy I made the decision to come here."

LeBron got plenty of help as his friend Tyrese Maxey dropped 27 points, and Anfernee Simons came off the bench and hit five 3-pointers on his way to 21 points. That covered for a rough night from Joel Embiid on the offensive end, where he shot 3-for-12, but he still had seven assists and seven rebounds.

Jalen Brunson started making plays in the fourth quarter, as he so often does, and the Knicks walked down an 11-point 76ers lead in the fourth to make it a game late, and he finished with 24 points. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 12 rebounds.

However, when it mattered most, LeBron settled the 76ers down. That's what he brings most to the table, Maxey told NBC Sports Philadelphia.

"Leadership. Calming presence. He helped get a lot of rebounds. He'd help get the ball and calm it down. He was great. At the end of the day, it's LeBron James. At the end of the day, he can do stuff like he did tonight, getting a couple of big buckets."

His leadership has Philadelphia off to a 5-1 start — and LeBron is healthy and happy. That's all the 76ers can hope for this early in the season.

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Senators Call Up Reinforcements From Belleville For Saturday Matinee In San Jose

The Senators continue their five-game Western road trip in San Jose on Saturday afternoon, with a couple of new faces expected to join the lineup.

Belleville's top two scorers, Philip Tomasino and Xavier Bourgault, were recalled on Friday after injuries to Warren Foegele and Andre Burakovsky, along with a two-game suspension to Hayden Hodgson, left the club desperately short of forwards.

Shane Pinto says the Sens need to find a way to bring Thursday's third period performance into their game in San Jose on Saturday afternoon (Senators YouTube).

Foegele suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights and is expected to miss an extended period. Burakovsky was injured in Thursday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings, while Hodgson received his suspension for a vicious hit on Kings defenceman Brandt Clarke.

The three absences left the Senators with just 10 available forwards, forcing them to turn to Belleville for reinforcements.

Tomasino brings considerable NHL experience to the lineup. The former Nashville Predators first-round pick has played more than 200 NHL games and has been producing offensively in Belleville, collecting 11 points in 10 games this season.

Bourgault, a former first-round selection of the Edmonton Oilers, has also been off to a strong start with nine points. 

Senators Looking to End First Losing Streak

For the first time this season, the Senators find themselves on a losing streak, although Thursday's thrilling comeback in Los Angeles provided at least one encouraging sign.

Trailing 5-1 with less than 13 minutes remaining in regulation, the Sens scored four unanswered goals to force overtime before Quinton Byfield gave the Kings a 6-5 victory.

It was a remarkable comeback that salvaged a valuable point from a game that appeared completely lost.

Still, the Senators have some defensive issues to address. Since losing starting goaltender Linus Ullmark to injury, they've surrendered 20 goals in four games. Granted, four of those were empty net goals against, but that still tracks to a goals against average of 4.00 in game since Ullmark was hurt.

The Senators enter Saturday's game with an 8-5-1 record, good for third place in the Atlantic Division. They'll be looking to turn the momentum from Thursday's comeback into a much-needed victory.

Cozens Rounding Into Form

Saturday's game will also be an opportunity for Dylan Cozens to continue his success against the Sharks.

Cozens has 11 points in 11 career games against San Jose, including five goals.

He's also picked it up after a sluggish start. After just three points in his first 11 games, he now has five in his last three.

Shark Week

San Jose enters Saturday's game with a 7-6-1 record, good for fourth place in the Pacific Division, with a 5-3-0 home record.

The Sharks are coming off a 3-2 comeback victory over the Vancouver Canucks and have already enjoyed success against the Senators this season.

The teams met just nine days ago, with San Jose winning 6-2. The result included two empty net goals in a game the Sens dominated for long stretches but couldn't score.

Macklin Celebrini continues to lead the Sharks offensively with 16 points, while Will Smith has six goals on the season.

The Senators have historically enjoyed success against San Jose, holding a 24-19-4-2 record in the all-time series.

Modest as it is, the Sens are on their first losing slide of the season, but they still haven't lost back to back games in regulation. They would like to steady the ship before heading to Anaheim for Sunday night's game.

But much of that will depend on one of their backup goalies stepping up. The disparity between Ullmark and his backups so far borders on the outrageous.

Image

Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET at SAP Center in San Jose.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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JJ Redick is confused about the lack of consistency in flopping technicals

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 30: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers complains after he thought he got fouled by Brandin Podziemski #2 of 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

Coming into the season, the point of emphasis that drew the most attention was the added focus on push-offs by offensive players. However, through the opening week-and-a-half of the season, it’s been the theatrics on the other side of the ball that have been punished.

Flopping technical fouls have been the flavor of the week for the Lakers. Starting with a post-game fine levied on Ziaire Williams last weekend, the purple and gold have become very familiar with the new point of emphasis.

After being the victim of Scott Foster’s antics that featured a trio of flopping technicals in quick succession against the Blazers, Tony Brothers strolled into San Francisco and created his own drama, including the most erroneous flopping call yet.

Later on in the fourth quarter, another sequence drew the ire of the Lakers as Brandin Podziemski attempted to draw a foul with a particularly theatrical sequence. But not only was no common foul called, but neither was a technical foul for flopping.

It’s all added up to some head scratching for the Lakers and head coach JJ Redick, who spoke about the flopping technicals after Friday’s loss to the Warriors.

“We all recognize we want the offensive players to stop fouling,” Redick said, referencing himself and fellow coaches around the league. “All of our flopping fouls have been defensively. The reality for the officials, each crew is so different and what they interpret is so different. I think the consistency – the explanation I got for the Podziemski play was there was contact. But if you look at our flopping fouls that we’ve been called for defensively, there’s been contact. Whether or not there’s contact is irrelevant.

“We’re looking for something theatrical and extra. So if that’s not a foul and then throwing yourself back, I would assume that, to me that’s kind of the definition of flopping. Again, that was the explanation I got was there was contact. But, again, there was contact on a push off when Ziaire moves his hands back because they called it an offensive foul. So, there was contact but I guess the consistency, we’re still searching for it.”

The problem with these flopping technicals is that not only will different officials consider different things flopping, as Redick said, but it’s also never going to be called consistently. The Lakers went multiple games before a flopping technical was given to them, then saw it called in a flurry of games.

There is no standard flopping motion as there is with other violations. For example, you know when a player goes over the back or when a defender reaches in for a steal and hits a wrist or arm.

With flopping, though, it can take so many forms and, thus, some officials may view some movements as flops and others not as much.

In theory, it’d be great to get flopping out of the league. But right now, they’re not addressing the issue that existed but, instead, are creating a new one.

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

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Marlins exercise Alcantara option, King leaves Padres and Bichette stays with Mets

NEW YORK — Sandy Alcantara was blocked from becoming a free agent by the Miami Marlins, while Michael King went on the market Friday and Bo Bichette decided to keep his contract with the New York Mets.

Starting pitchers Sonny Gray and Nick Martinez also will become free agents after their teams declined mutual options.

Miami exercised its $21 million option on Alcantara rather than pay a $2 million buyout, a decision that guarantees the pitcher $75 million over six years as part of the deal he agreed to in November 2021.

A 31-year-old right-hander, Alcantara was 13-11 with a 3.87 ERA in 33 starts and three relief appearances this year, his second season following Tommy John surgery.

King, also a 31-year-old right-hander, is a free agent for the second straight offseason after declining a $28 million player option in favor of a $5 million buyout. He agreed in December to a deal guaranteeing $75 million over three seasons that allowed him to end it after one year and $22 million. He was 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA in 32 starts.

King was among 14 new free agents Friday, raising the total to 155 in the two days following the World Series. About 40 more players potentially could go free by Monday, the deadline for exercising options.

Bichette agreed in January to a $126 million, three-year contract with the Mets that included a $40 million signing bonus, a $2 million salary for 2026 and $42 million player options for both 2027 and 2028.

A two-time All-Star shortstop in Toronto, Bichette shifted primarily to third base in New York, where Francisco Lindor plays shortstop. The 28-year-old Bichette hit .260 with 18 homers and 78 RBIs for the disappointing Mets.

AL champion Tampa Bay declined mutual options on Martinez and outfielder Cedric Mullins.

Martinez, 36, had a $20 million mutual option with a $4 million buyout as part of a $13 million, one-year contract. He set a career high for wins, going 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA in 31 starts and became a first-time All-Star, then went 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA in four postseason appearances that included a start in Game 1 of the World Series.

Mullins, 32, hit .205 with 15 homers, 48 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. He had a $7.5 million, one-year deal that included a $10 million mutual option with a $500,000 buyout.

Boston declined a $30 million option on Gray, who gets a $5 million buyout payable in five $1 million installments on each Jan. 15 from 2027-31. If the Red Sox had exercised the option, Gray could have opted out and received the $5 million as a buyout payable on the same dates.

Gray, a right-hander who turns 37 next week, agreed to a $75 million, three-year contract with St. Louis in November 2023 and was traded to Boston last November. He tied for the major league lead with 18 wins this year and posted a 2.72 ERA, his best in a full season.

Dustin May, who started Game 4 of the World Series for Milwaukee on Tuesday, went free when he declined a $20 million mutual option with the World Series champion Brewers in favor of a $500,000 buyout. May agreed to a $12.5 million contract with the Cardinals in December and was acquired by the Brewers at the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The 29-year-old right-hander went 7-9 with a 4.70 ERA in 31 starts.

Chicago Cubs left-hander Matt Boyd and catcher Carson Kelly declined mutual options.

A 35-year-old left-hander, Boyd agreed to a $29 million, two-year contract before the 2024 season that included a $15 million mutual option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout. He became a first-time All-Star in 2025, going 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA, and was 10-5 with a 3.91 ERA this season.

Kelly, 32, gets a $1.5 million buyout rather than a $7.5 million salary as part of the $11.5 million, two-year deal he reached in December 2024. He hit .258 with 10 homers and 58 RBIs in 120 games this year.

Baltimore declined a $25 million mutual option on pitcher Zach Eflin and owes a $2 million buyout as part of a one-year contract guaranteeing $10 million. The right-hander made one appearance, on March 31, and had Tommy John surgery on April 8, his 32nd birthday.

First baseman Josh Bell became a free agent after his $10 million mutual option was declined by the Minnesota Twins. He gets a $1.25 million buyout as part of a $7 million, one-year contract. The 34-year-old hit .255 with 21 homers and 96 RBIs.

Minnesota also declined a $13 million mutual option on right-hander Joe Ryan, who gets a $100,000 buyout as part of a $6.2 million, one-year contract. Ryan remains under club control and is eligible for salary arbitration.

The Athletics declined options on infielder Jeff McNeil and left-hander Jeffrey Springs.

McNeil had a $15.75 million club option with a $2 million buyout as part of a $50 million, four-year contract he signed with the Mets after leading the major leagues with a .326 batting average in 2022. The 34-year-old was acquired in a trade last December and batted .264 with nine homers and 59 RBIs.

Springs’ $15 million team option was declined in favor of a $750,000 buyout, completing a $15 million, four-year contract he signed with Tampa Bay. The 34-year-old left-hander, acquired by the A’s in a December 2024 trade, was 4-14 with a 6.18 ERA in 29 starts this year and allowed an AL-high 35 home runs.

Kansas City declined a $13 million option on reliever Carlos Estévez, who gets a $2 million buyout as part of a $22 million, two-year contract. The 33-year-old right-hander led the major leagues with 42 saves in 2024, then made just one appearance this year during an injury-decimated season, allowing a game-ending grand slam to Atlanta’s Dominic Smith on March 28.

Estévez was placed on the injured list April 1 because of a bruised left foot, strained the rotator cuff in his pitching shoulder during rehab and had shoulder surgery in September.

Kansas City exercised a $2.5 million club option on right-hander Tony Gonsolin, a 2022 All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers who signed in mid-August for a prorated portion of a $1 million salary. He had right elbow surgery in August 2025, made four minor league injury rehab appearances for the Royals last Aug. 26 to Sept. 17 and returned to the major leagues when he allowed five runs over 2 2/3 innings against the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 22.

Houston declined a $5 million team option on Ryan Weiss and owes a $500,000 buyout as part of a $2.6 million, one-year deal he signed after two years with Hanwha in South Korea. The 29-year-old right-hander was 0-3 with a 7.62 ERA in two starts and seven relief appearances, then was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on May 5 and spent the rest of the season at Triple-A.

Robert Stephenson’s $2.5 million option was declined by the Los Angeles Angels. A 33-year-old right-hander, Stephenson signed a $33 million, three-year contract before the 2024 season and pitched just 10 innings over 12 games during the deal. He had Tommy John surgery in April 2024, returned to make a pair of appearances for the Angels in late May 2025, then went on the injured list with right biceps inflammation. Stephenson made eight more appearances in late August and September, was bothered by thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms during the offseason and had ligament and flexor tendon surgery this April.

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Canadiens’ Fowler Is On Track To Contend For Calder Trophy

It wasn’t supposed to be that way. The plan was for Jacob Fowler to storm in and take the Montreal Canadiens’ starting job this year. Despite a good training camp, the Florida native was sent down to the Laval Rocket, a victim of the circumstances and the fact that he is in the second year of his ELC and doesn't need to clear waivers. Little did he know, though, that he would only have time to play two games with the Rocket before Samuel Montembeault got injured at practice on the eve of his first game of the season. His call-up came at a time when Jakub Dobes was having a crisis of confidence of sorts and not playing his best hockey, giving Fowler a golden opportunity, which he grabbed with both hands.

Since joining the Habs this season, Fowler has a 6-1-0 record, a 1.54 goals-against average (fourth among all goalies and second among masked men who have played at least five games), and a .942 save percentage (second among all netminders). Those are fantastic numbers, but a deeper look at his game with NHL Edge shows his season start is even more impressive.

Game 14 – Canadiens vs. Penguins: Getting Another Shot At This
Canadiens’ Caufield Has Grown Into Quite A Leader
Canadiens: Hutson Overtakes The Pocket Rocket

At 5-on-5, he has a .939 SV, the fourth-highest total in the league, which isn’t surprising given how confident the Canadiens are playing with the Florida native in net. It feels like the Habs believe they’ve got nothing to fear when he’s backstopping them. A looser team means a better team, even if the Sainte-Flanelle is currently playing without important players like Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov.

The Canadiens’ keeper leads the league in mid-range save percentage this year with an impressive .982 and ranks fourth in high-danger save percentage at .885 among goaltenders who have played at least six games this season. In his 46-save shutout against the St. Louis Blues, he saved an incredible 18 high-danger opportunities; that’s the most among all goaltenders in a single game this season.

The Habs penalty kill has been impressive of late, and Fowler is a big part of it. When the Tricolore is down a man, he has a .950 SV, fourth-best in the league.

Those are impressive numbers, and if the youngster stays the course, he will no doubt receive votes for the Calder Trophy. As things stand, Toronto Maple Leafs’ Gavin McKenna leads the rookies in scoring with 11 points in 15 games, but Boston Bruins’ James Hagen is hot on his tail with 10 points in 14 games, and two other players have nine points (Vegas Golden Knights’ Trevor Connelly and San Jose Sharks' Ivar Stenberg). McKenna isn’t running away with it.

In the year Lane Hutson won the Calder Trophy, he scored 66 points in 82 games, and the runner-up was goaltender Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Flames, who posted a 20-16-8 record, a 2.64 GAA, and a .910 SV. The last goaltender to win the Calder was Steve Masson in 2008-09, when he posted a 33-22-7 record, a 2.29 GAA, and a .916 SV. Fowler currently eclipses those stats, and he’s miles ahead of the other rookie netminders. The New York Rangers’ Dylan Garland ranks second in GAA (2.69) and SV (.899). Granted, it’s still early, but if nobody separates themselves from the lot among the skaters and Fowler holds the starting job in Montreal and leads the team to the playoffs, he’ll be a serious contender.

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Steph Curry drops Luka Doncic — and finds his joy

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry confers with head coach Steve Kerr during a game, Image 2 shows Steph Curry warming up with a basketball on the court

SAN FRANCISCO — Steph Curry dribbled through his legs and then jabbed hard to his left, sending Luka Doncic flying onto the ground. Curry stepped back, seemingly stunned that his closest defender was on his butt. He swished a 3-pointer.

Curry put both hands over his head. He shimmied his shoulders.

It was poetry. It was vintage Curry. It was the embodiment of joy.

“I didn’t expect it to get that nasty,” Curry said in his postgame interview with Amazon Prime Video after the Warriors’ 112-95 win over the Lakers. “It was one of those [moments] you kind of got to keep your composure. I remember James Harden used to do the shimmy to get himself open back in the day. I don’t know. I haven’t been that open in a long time.”

Doncic was still on the ground as Curry elevated midway through the third quarter. The league’s leading scorer was dropped by the greatest shooter of all time. Curry is still him.

The Warriors have now won three games in a row, including turning a 25-point deficit into a 17-point lead on Friday. They’re finding their groove. They’re fueled by Curry’s joy and a sprinkle of something new: his palpable acceptance that this isn’t going to last forever.

He’s engaging the crowd. He’s putting on a show. He’s savoring this.

“I just love this game,” Curry said. “All my mannerisms are all over the place because I’m just having fun. In those moments, especially at this stage of your career, you’re just appreciative of the ability to keep playing at this level. And I want that joy to continue until I’m done.”

We’re seeing glimmers of what Warriors basketball was at its peak. It comes in spurts, such as in last season’s play-in win over the Clippers when Curry went into a flow state, scoring 35 points, and Draymond Green transformed into a full-blown defensive beast, holding Kawhi Leonard to two points in the fourth quarter.

Curry breaking Doncic’s ankles was another example of that. It was a master at his craft making us all shake our heads and smile. It was the type of moment that will be memorialized.

When Curry is having fun, we’re having fun.

And when he’s having fun, the Warriors are dangerous.

Steph Curry warms up before a season-opening game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. London Entertainment

They’ve turned things around following a sluggish 0-3 start to the season. Against the Lakers, Curry had 31 points, including going 8-for-14 from deep. That performance followed a 44-point, eight-rebound, six-assist stunner from Curry in the Warriors’ 119-114 win over the Timberwolves on Wednesday.

Curry is the master of the show. But the team is getting contributions from everywhere.

Yaxel Lendeborg is putting on a Rookie of the Year campaign, though he had a quiet six points and one rebound in his much-hyped showdown against Doncic following their trash talk in the teams’ season opener on Oct. 21. On a night in which Lendeborg was a nonfactor, the Warriors’ bench outscored the Lakers’ reserves, 50-7.

… Making things even more interesting: Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody will return in a few months.

Could the Warriors actually be good?

Everyone had counted them out, something Curry rejected.

When a reporter asked Curry on Warriors media day about the team not being expected to make the playoffs, he balked. “That’s how bad? Not make the playoffs? It went from championship to —.” Curry then put his hands up and uttered a few lighthearted “damns” as he walked out of the room.

At the time, his reaction was funny. But, hey, maybe we erroneously overlooked the Warriors. Maybe we erroneously overlooked him.

Steph Curry warms up before a season opener between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. London Entertainment

The runner’s knee that caused the 38-year-old to miss 27 straight games last season is looking bionic. He’s shining. He’s refusing to accept the reality that he’s aging or the narrative that the league’s modern-day dynasty that won four championships in eight years from 2015-2022 is flailing.

When Curry is on, he’s still the best show in the league.

Lendeborg didn’t hesitate when asked to describe Curry’s play on Friday.

“The stuff he was shooting and making, it was just like what are you doing?” Lendeborg said. “How are you even doing that? The people on the bench call him a sicko. I don’t even know. It was astonishing. Dude doesn’t get tired. He dribbles like that all day and doesn’t get tired.”

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, right, confers with head coach Steve Kerr in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Denver, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Lendeborg — and everyone else who watches Curry — is regularly left stunned.

It has been that way for the last decade. And even though he’s about to turn 39, that hasn’t changed.

Curry dropping Doncic amid a 42-point swing was epic. It was instant basketball lore. It was the league’s legendary shooter teaching its current superstar a history lesson on national television.

It was Curry reminding everyone of his greatness.

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Lakers’ Austin Reaves has blunt 4-word response to turnover woes

An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball while guarded by De'Anthony Melton of the Golden State Warriors, Image 2 shows Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass against the Golden State Warriors, Image 3 shows Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass against the Golden State Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO — A lot went wrong for the Lakers to blow their 25-point lead to the Warriors on Friday night at Chase Center. 

Cold shooting from the Lakers. Steph Curry’s highlight-reel-worthy plays, including eight 3-pointers.

And turnovers. 

Austin Reaves (15) once again struggled with taking care of the ball. NBAE via Getty Images

Lots of turnovers.

The Lakers committed a season-high 22 turnovers against the Warriors, sparking easier shots in transition against a defense that wasn’t set.

The biggest culprit of the Lakers’ lack of ball security was star guard Austin Reaves. He finished with eight turnovers against the Warriors, the same number of turnovers he had in Wednesday’s win over the Clippers.

Reaves didn’t hold back when it came to assessing his performance.

“I was terrible again,” he said postgame. “That’s it.”

Austin Reaves was honest about his performance. NBAE via Getty Images

Reaves entered Friday coming off his worst game of the season so far.

The sixth-year guard had 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting to go with eight turnovers in Wednesday’s road win over the Clippers.

Against the Warriors, he didn’t perform as poorly but came close.

Reaves had 21 points on 9-of-19 shooting to go with five assists and four rebounds, but he once again struggled with taking care of the ball.

Austin Reaves will need to handle two-on-the-ball defensive coverages better. Getty Images

Reaves struggled early with the Warriors’ defensive pressure and strategies, recording six of his turnovers in the first half. 

His three turnovers in the second quarter, which the Warriors won 38-15 to tie the game at 53 after the Lakers led 40-15, were especially costly. 

“Just bad — we were bad,” Reaves said. “That first group that started the second was bad. And like I said, it starts with me, so I’ll be better.”

For Reaves, getting better means handling the more defensive coverages with more poise.

And for the team, it looks like building chemistry over the regular season will help avoid situations they found themselves in that led to turnovers on Friday.

“I mean, it’s real, but it doesn’t give that second unit an excuse to be pretty terrible,” Reaves said. “And that starts with me. And I’ll watch the film, try to be better. You got to learn on the fly and pick up things quickly. But as I said, I have to be better to start that.”

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Wrigley Field historical sleuthing: Two Hall of Famers from a visiting team

This photo is significant for a number of reasons.

First, it shows two members of the Houston Astros visiting Wrigley Field in the first year the team from Houston was called that. They’d renamed from “Colt .45s,” often shortened to just “Colts,” to mark the opening of the first MLB domed stadium, the Astrodome, in 1965.

The players are Joe Morgan and Nellie Fox.

And so, even though we can’t see the Wrigley Field scoreboard in this photo, we can absolutely narrow this down to one specific date.

Morgan was a rookie in 1965, though he had played briefly in September callups in 1963 and 1964. Fox played for Houston in 1964 and 1965. But we already know, based on the uniforms, that this is ‘65.

In those days, all teams played 18 games against each other, nine home, nine road. The Astros were at Wrigley Field for a four-game series from May 7-9, 1965. But the ivy is too full in the photo for it to be early May.

The Astros were also at Wrigley Field for a four-game series from Aug. 20-22, 1965, the Aug. 20 date a doubleheader from a June 29 rainout.

But Fox had been released by Houston on July 31, ending his career.

The June 29 date was part of what was supposed to be a two-game series. Thus, this photo had to have been taken on the other date, Monday, June 28, 1965.

The Cubs won that game 7-2. Morgan went 1-for-4, a home run off Cubs starter Larry Jackson. Fox batted for Houston starter Dave Giusti in the sixth inning and singled. Giusti would later become an ace reliever for the Pirates, starring for them in the 1971 World Series, and posting a 2.97 lifetime ERA with 15 saves in 73 games against the Cubs. He pitched briefly and ineffectively for the Cubs in 1977 before retiring.

Morgan was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990. Fox, who died of cancer in 1975, way too young at 47, was elected to the Hall by a Veterans Committee vote in 1997.