Smackin’ ‘bows for 4-0.
5 stories in today’s edition 🏀
Oct. 29, 2025
Perfect Storms: Philly & OKC ignite late rallies to stay unbeaten – with stars leading the way
Roundup: Clutch Giannis, defensive Dubs and rising Heat take us ‘Coast 2 Coast’
Tonight On ESPN: C’s eye statement win against Cavs, Lakers & Wolves meet again
League Pass Spotlight: Joker goes for triple-double history amid an 8-game slate
NBA Cup East Breakdown: Brian Martin’s key takeaways and predictions for all three East groups
But first … ⏰
A new weekly doubleheader starts tonight …
Ten games tip off tonight, headlined by an ESPN doubleheader. First, last year’s top two seeds in the East collide as the Cavs visit the Celtics (7 ET), before the Wolves face Austin Reaves and the Lakers for the second time in six days (9:30 ET).
The Emirates NBA Cup 2025 begins in two days as Group Play opens with an eight-game slate on Halloween night. See Section 5 for a full East preview.
1. SIXERS & THUNDER STORM BACK TO STAY PERFECT
Down 9 with 3:34 left in Boston.
Down 10 with 5:24 left versus Charlotte.
Down 10 with 3:04 left in D.C.
Still unbeaten.
76ers 139, Wizards 134 (OT): Trailing by 19 early in the 4th, Philly flipped the switch again, outscoring Washington 32-16 in the quarter to force OT, where Tyrese Maxey capped another offensive eruption by single-handedly outscoring the Wizards 9-8 to keep the Sixers perfect at 4-0. | Recap
- Tyrese Takeover: Maxey finished with 39 points and 10 dimes, including 23 in the 4th quarter and OT, capped by the game-sealing free throws
- Only Two: Maxey (150 pts, 33 ast) joins Russell Westbrook (2016-17) as the only players in NBA history to tally 150+ pts and 30+ ast through the first four games of a season
- Maxey Magic: Only one Sixer has ever scored more through the opening four games. His name? Wilt Chamberlain
Philly Fight: Last season, the Sixers didn’t notch four wins until Nov. 30 and finished 28th in 4th-quarter net rating.
Now, it’s that same late-game stretch that’s defining their 4-0 start, with Tuesday’s rally serving as the latest example of a tougher, more resilient Philly squad.
- Stars Shine: Joel Embiid steadied the team throughout (25 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast), while rookie VJ Edgecombe continued to flash (14 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 4 3s)
- Grimes Again: After Saturday’s game-winner against Charlotte, Quentin Grimes (12 of 23 pts in 4Q) splashed the game-tying trey with 39 seconds left to force OT
- Bona-Fide: That’s where Adem Bona delivered the go-ahead putback and game-clinching block in the final minute – marking his fifth rejection of the night
The Result: The Sixers went 0-26 last season when trailing by double digits entering the 4th quarter. This year, they already have three such comebacks – the most through the first four games of a season in the shot-clock era (since 1954-55).
Sarr Shines: Alex Sarr powered the Wiz (31 pts, 11 reb, 5 ast, 2 blk), becoming the youngest player in franchise history to tally 30+ points and 10+ rebounds in a game (20yr, 185d).
Speaking of storming back, the Thunder keep rumbling.
Thunder 107, Kings 101: Trailing by 7 with 5:55 left, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk) and Ajay Mitchell (18 pts) ignited a 17-4 closing run, as OKC roared past Zach LaVine (23 pts) and Sacramento to improve to an NBA-best 5-0. | Recap
- Electric Charge: SGA (9) and Mitchell (7) combined for 16 points in the 4th, as OKC won the final period 27-16, including a patented Thunder strike to take the lead for good
- Same Identity: It’s SGA’s fourth 30+ point outing this season, while OKC’s defense hasn’t allowed more than 101 points in any non-overtime game
- New Spark: Mitchell’s stepped up with Jalen Williams out (wrist), averaging a career-best in points (18.2) and minutes (26.6)
2. TUESDAY ROUNDUP: STARS SHINE ‘COAST 2 COAST’
NBC & Peacock’s ‘Coast 2 Coast Tuesday’ debuted with a showdown of two red-hot stars, and it was Giannis who came up clutch.
Bucks 121, Knicks 111: With two East powers trading blows, Antetokounmpo swiped a breakaway dunk to tie the game at 103, the first of his 11 points in the final six minutes, spurring Milwaukee’s 8-0 run to win it. | Recap
- Freaky First Four: Giannis added another near triple-double (37 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast) to become the first player ever with 140+ pts, 50+ reb, and 20+ ast through the first four games of a season
- Bright Lights: Ryan Rollins’ career-high 25 points in 26 minutes (4-4 3PM, 4 ast, 4 stl) had NBC’s NBA Showtime crew calling him “Giannis’ guy”
- Brunson Battled: Jalen Brunson logged 36 points to lead New York, despite laboring through an apparent lower-body injury in the 4th quarter
In the second leg of ‘Coast 2 Coast Tuesday,’ the Dubs were golden.
Warriors 98, Clippers 79: James Harden scored all 20 of his points in the 1st half as the Warriors clamped down in the 2nd, holding the Clips to 37.5% shooting, while Jimmy Butler III (21 pts, 5 ast) and Steph Curry (19 pts, 8 ast) led the way offensively, moving Golden State to 4-1. | Recap
- Bay Buckets: Everything was falling for the Dubs as they buried 17 triples, including a Quinten Post moonball that had Steph in disbelief
Heat 144, Hornets 117: Miami shot 44.4% from 3 to unseat the Hornets as the league’s top-scoring team (131.5 ppg), despite missing leading scorer Norman Powell (groin). Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s season-high 28 pts led seven Heat players in double figures. | Recap
- Rookie Range: A game-high 5 triples gave Kon Knueppel the NBA record for most made 3s (16) through the first four games of a career
3. TONIGHT ON ESPN: CELTICS & CAVS CLASH BEFORE WEST REMATCH
Jaylen Brown hasn’t wavered from his belief in the new-look Celtics. When the team lost its first three games of the season, his message of confidence didn’t change.
“Every game is different,” said Brown last week. “I believe in my guys.”
Monday, the team around Brown put his words into action, earning their first victory.
Tonight (7 ET, ESPN), the Celtics eye a second win as they host the Cavaliers. It marks a matchup between the top-two seeds from last year’s East Playoffs – a combined 125 regular-season wins – and both of whom reached the Semis.
- JB For 3: Brown is responsible for 26 ppg, and last Sunday, tallied a season-high 41 points while playing through a hamstring injury
- Anfernee’s Arrival: Anfernee Simons had his best game as a Celtic with 25 points in their defeat of the Pelicans
Cleveland has its sights set on four straight following a 21-point win over Detroit. Donovan Mitchell is again leading the way, but in a different manner than he did a season ago.
- Sir Selfless: The veteran guard is coming off a year in which he posted his lowest scoring average (24 ppg) since 2019-20, committing to the Cavaliers’ heavy ball movement
- Watch Him Work: With his All-Star running mate Darius Garland out, Spida’s taken matters into his own hands, averaging 31.3 through four contests and twice dropping 35
- “He’s underrated. First Team All-NBA, I don’t know why people don’t talk about him more,” said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson after Monday’s win. “He’s no controversy, lowkey, humble.”
The Austin Reaves show continues when the Lakers visit the Wolves (9:30 ET, ESPN), and with big names out on both sides, others could enjoy the spotlight.
- Revenge Of The Reaves: He drew plenty of oohs and aahs in his last two games, racking up 92 points on 25-for-44 shooting in Luka Dončić’s absence (finger/leg)
- Howlin’ Loud: In place of Anthony Edwards (hamstring), the trio of Jaden McDaniels (18) Naz Reid (17) and Donte DiVincenzo (14.5) have combined for 49.5 ppg
- You Look Familiar: Los Angeles and Minnesota met last Friday — a battle the former won, 128-110. What might transpire in the second edition of this 2025 Playoff rematch?
4. LP SPOTLIGHT: JOKIĆ CHASES HISTORY AMID 8-GAME SLATE
This season is already filling up the record books with historic scoring performances.
Yet, without even cracking the top 70 in shot attempts, Nikola Jokić is chasing history and elevating the Nuggets in his own, unique way.
Pelicans at Nuggets (9 ET): Tonight, Jokić can join Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson as the only players to begin a season with four-straight triple-doubles. But another versatile star potentially stands in his way.
- Shareables: Joker’s 11.7 assists per game lead the league, something the 3-time Kia MVP has never achieved for a full season. It’s helping lift Denver’s shooting to 52.4%, up from last year’s league-best 50.6%
- Golden Attack: As Jokić positions Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray ahead of himself as the team’s top scorers, Denver has surged up to 130.3 ppg, trailing only Miami (131.5)
- Mile-High Scores: That includes a career-high 50-point game from Gordon last week and a 43-point night from Murray in Monday’s win over Minnesota
- MVPelican: Like Jokić, Zion Williamson (questionable) leads his team all over the stat sheet (27 ppg, 9.5 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl), despite nursing a foot injury
- Stepping Up: In his absence, New Orleans has leaned on Jordan Poole (20 ppg) and Trey Murphy III (14.7 ppg, 7.3 reb, 4.3 ast)
Kings at Bulls (8 ET): Elsewhere on League Pass, longtime Bull Zach LaVine returns to Chicago for the first time since departing at the 2024-25 trade deadline, along with another former Bull in DeMar DeRozan.
Six more games get underway on League Pass, including Cade Cunningham and the Pistons hosting Paolo Banchero and the Magic (7 ET), before Lauri Markkanen looks to follow up his 51-point night as Utah faces Portland (9 ET).
- Rockets at Raptors (6:30 ET)
- Hawks at Nets (7:30 ET)
- Pacers at Mavericks (8:30 ET)
- Grizzlies at Suns (10 ET)
5. EMIRATES NBA CUP COUNTDOWN: EAST GROUP PLAY PREVIEW
The 2025 Emirates NBA Cup is just two sleeps away.
Today, we turn to the East, with NBA.com’s Brian Martin breaking down what you need to know about the three groups.
East Group A: Cavs, Hawks, Pacers, Raptors, Wizards
Proven contenders and retooled squads define East Group A. That starts with Cleveland and Indiana – last year’s No. 1 seed entering the Playoffs and the conference champs, respectively. Atlanta adds Cup experience after its 2024 semifinals run, while Toronto and Washington look to make a statement. | Read More
East Group B: Celtics, Magic, Nets, Pistons, 76ers
Young cores highlight East Group B. Orlando enters the Cup healthy after earning last year’s Wild Card spot without Paolo Banchero, while Detroit looks to build on its breakout season behind Cade Cunningham.
Joining the spotlight? The league’s newest dynamic duo of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, who will look to keep the streaking Sixers rolling. Boston and Brooklyn, on the other hand, hope to find a spark. | Read More
East Group C: Bucks, Bulls, Heat, Hornets, Knicks
The reigning Cup champs lead a group of teams that found success in both the in-season competition and the NBA postseason. Milwaukee looks to defend the trophy, while New York aims to return to the Knockout Round and beyond. They’re joined by the unbeaten Bulls, a 3-1 Heat squad and the Hornets. | Read More
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