AROUND the NBA:

[SwisherPrice]

Anthony Davis is back! Will he stay healthy enough to make it to March for a revenge game against the Mavs?

[Knutsen]

And Kessler with a smooth 12 of 12 in his Lakers debut.

Is there a better thing than playing with Luka as a rim running and finishing center?

[SleepingHero]

Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA)
Worst plus-minus in a debut in NBA history:

Caleb Wilson: -45 (tonight)
Jalen Green: -37 (2021)
Amen Thompson: -34 (2023)

Raptors beat the Bulls by 43.

[Winter]

The Miami Heat, with a healthy Giannis and Bam, lost by 25 points.

The Phoenix Suns lost by a staggering 41 points to Portland. Phoenix was 6 of 31 from the 3-pt line.

[Chicagojk]

The yaxel and Luka thing was entertaining. I am not sure if Yaxel’s statement of Luka not scoring on”him” was correct though.

The mid Warriors team need his youth and energy. My advice to Yaxel though is compete hard on the court but it is better to be seen than heard as a rookie. No need to make yourself and immediate target to players and their fan bases. Vets like Steph and Draymond also don’t want to be asked Yaxel questions after every game. That will get old quick.

Make your name with your play. All the other stuff can come later….just hope not too much of it.

[Chicagojk]

The Miami Heat, with a healthy Giannis and Bam, lost by 25 points.

The Phoenix Suns lost by a staggering 41 points to Portland. Phoenix was 6 of 31 from the 3-pt line.

Could be a blip.   I should have been more bold that the suns may have a Texas a&m football bounce back after a surprising season.

They play hard and have good chemistry but just lack real talent.  Hearing the owner and fans talk, they seem to think they are much better than last year.  May prove true, but maybe they are really closer to what we thought last offseason.

[omahen]

The yaxel and Luka thing was entertaining.  I am not sure if Yaxel’s statement of Luka not scoring on”him” was correct though.

The mid Warriors team need his youth and energy.  My advice to Yaxel though is compete hard on the court but it is better to be seen than heard as a rookie.  No need to make yourself and immediate target to players and their fan bases.  Vets like Steph and Draymond also don’t want to be asked Yaxel questions after every game.  That will get old quick. 

Make your name with your play.  All the other stuff can come later….just hope not too much of it.

Yeah, that was really fun. It seemed to me that whole GSW team including Kerr joined in in putting Yaxel in a position to learn a lesson. It is not that Luka exploded in those minutes of them yapping to eachother, but Lakers went from a close game to a 20+ lead in that time. Luka did hit a halfcourt shot and had a couple of extremely nice passes in those minutes though. And Yaxel got a tech

[KillerLeft]

The yaxel and Luka thing was entertaining.  I am not sure if Yaxel’s statement of Luka not scoring on”him” was correct though.

The mid Warriors team need his youth and energy.  My advice to Yaxel though is compete hard on the court but it is better to be seen than heard as a rookie.  No need to make yourself and immediate target to players and their fan bases.  Vets like Steph and Draymond also don’t want to be asked Yaxel questions after every game.  That will get old quick. 

Make your name with your play.  All the other stuff can come later….just hope not too much of it.

https://youtube.com/shorts/fLK5_4idDfk?s...oYioIHY9fJ

Yeah, this was WILD. There's a longer version I couldn't find quickly, but it's worth checking out, even if you have to watch the entire interview. On one hand, I kind of agree with Lendeborg and it's refreshing to hear this type of honesty. On the other hand, what is this kid doing to himself here? Starting his NBA career getting dogwalked by Luka and then being a douche about it in the post game interview?? His first NBA game??

[Smitty]

https://youtube.com/shorts/fLK5_4idDfk?s...oYioIHY9fJ

Yeah, this was WILD. There's a longer version I couldn't find quickly, but it's worth checking out, even if you have to watch the entire interview. On one hand, I kind of agree with Lendeborg and it's refreshing to hear this type of honesty. On the other hand, what is this kid doing to himself here? Starting his NBA career getting dogwalked by Luka and then being a douche about it in the post game interview?? His first NBA game??

Here is a longer version: https://x.com/MrBuckBuckNBA/status/21131...74262?s=20


I have the same takeaway as you. Agree with him, but he probably hasn't earned the right to do all that in a post game interview. In the locker room, with his teammates, sure. One of the knocks on him was his personality, or whatever you want to call it. He's different. For better or worse.

It was entertaining to watch last night though.

[FireNicoHarrison]

And Kessler with a smooth 12 of 12 in his Lakers debut.

Is there a better thing than playing with Luka as a rim running and finishing center?

Gafford made the FGM record just a couple of years ago.

Yes, that Daniel Gafford.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Here is a longer version: https://x.com/MrBuckBuckNBA/status/21131...74262?s=20


I have the same takeaway as you. Agree with him, but he probably hasn't earned the right to do all that in a post game interview. In the locker room, with his teammates, sure. One of the knocks on him was his personality, or whatever you want to call it. He's different. For better or worse.

It was entertaining to watch last night though.

He's going to take the baton from Draymond when he leaves. I'm sure he's being schooled by him as we speak. Draymond Green on Yaxel Lendeborg going at Luka Doncic: “Everyone will say the rookie learned his lesson. What did he learn? The next time he sees him, go at his ass again.” In the postgame interview, coach Steve Kerr pointed out the 24-year-old Lendeborg's learning curve. “This was a great welcome-to-the-NBA game for him. Having to guard Luka, who is as tough to guard as anybody in the world. Having to learn all the little tricks that exist in the NBA. He had three fouls that probably wouldn’t count as fouls in any other league. But it's the NBA. He's gotta learn this stuff,” said Kerr in the video posted by The Athletic's Anthony Slater. “It's his first game. He's an unbelievable young guy, great talent. It was a frustrating night for him, but a lesson well learned, and he'll get better from here.”

Clutch Points

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Yaxel Lendeborg's odds of winning the 2026-27 NBA Rookie of the Year have climbed 4.5 points, from 6.7% to 11.2%, over the past 24 hours on Polymarket.

HoopsMatic

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Jon Krawczynski: Anthony Edwards said a Heat bench player was chirping: "I think it kind of crunk me up. He was talking pretty crazy. When I started talking to him, he didn’t really have too much more to say. I don’t really like that. If you're gonna talk shit, keep talking shit. Don’t get quiet."

bsky.app

[HoosierDaddyKid]

StatMuse: Ty Jerome vs. Utah: 45 PTS (career-high), 7 REB, 6 AST, 17-25 FG. The first Grizzly in franchise history with a 45/5/5 game on 65+ FG%.

x.com

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Charles Barkley on Ja Morant on the Blazers: "I think this was probably the worst place for him to go because I don't think he and Dame can play together. They both need the ball and they both small. They wouldn't be able to guard anybody. You put them little dudes out there against the top guards in the NBA they're two little leprechauns"

x.com

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

StatMuse: Ty Jerome vs. Utah: 45 PTS (career-high), 7 REB, 6 AST, 17-25 FG. The first Grizzly in franchise history with a 45/5/5 game on 65+ FG%.

x.com

WTF

[Scott41theMavs]

Here is a longer version: https://x.com/MrBuckBuckNBA/status/21131...74262?s=20


I have the same takeaway as you. Agree with him, but he probably hasn't earned the right to do all that in a post game interview. In the locker room, with his teammates, sure. One of the knocks on him was his personality, or whatever you want to call it. He's different. For better or worse.

It was entertaining to watch last night though.

To me, it’s just fodder for the sour grapes since we didn’t pick him.

It’s early, but Rez has a looooooong way to go to catch up to his two teammates in terms of NBA on-court impact. Hope he gets there.

[cow]

To me, it’s just fodder for the sour grapes since we didn’t pick him.

It’s early, but Rez has a looooooong way to go to catch up to his two teammates in terms of NBA on-court impact. Hope he gets there.

His tirade against Luka is a bit more than a bit much, but after SL, you could have talked me into a Yaxel for Rez do-over.

[KillerLeft]

To me, it’s just fodder for the sour grapes since we didn’t pick him.

It’s early, but Rez has a looooooong way to go to catch up to his two teammates in terms of NBA on-court impact. Hope he gets there.

Interesting. 

I have never for one second even wondered about whether I'd have rather had one of the other Michigan guys, and Rez is starting out better than I expected. I wouldn't touch Mara with a 10-foot pole, and Lendeborg seems likely to be a problem personality. 

I think the debate is about Burries, but I'm not even worried about that, really.

[Knutsen]

Gafford made the FGM record just a couple of years ago.

Yes, that Daniel Gafford.

Not bad getting first since Wilt and Shaq in the first game in almost a year:

The 7-foot-2 center finished 12-for-12 from the field in his first regular-season game since shoulder surgery in November. He became the first Lakers player to shoot 100% on at least 12 field goal attempts since Wilt Chamberlain in 1969. He also became the first player in franchise history to convert 10 dunks in a game since Shaquille O'Neal in 2003.

"When I was driving, [Kessler] stepped up," Doncic said. "When I was doubled, he played in the pocket. Very impressive game from him."
Lakers coach JJ Redick praised Kessler's "great opening statement" and credited the center's transition hustle for creating so many high-percentage scoring chances.