NBA round-up of the 7 games played on 8 November 2026.
Chicago Bulls 121-127 Philadelphia 76ers
No defending allowed until the last quarter. Philadelphia took a game in which they barely pressed the accelerator and in which defensive resistance was conspicuous by its absence. An insulting dominance of the offensive glass (20 rebounds, 33 second-chance points) and the occasional flash of the 76ers’ talent tipped the balance. Jaylen Brown (29) and Tyrese Maxey (27) combined for 56 points.
In Chicago, Jalen Smith (4 blocks), Matas Buzelis (19 points) and Josh Giddey were especially good, the latter dishing out 15 assists as the Sixers let him step into the paint and split the defence on practically every possession.
LeBron James became the all-time leading scorer against the Bulls.
Detroit Pistons 116-121 Los Angeles Lakers
A shotmaking exhibition from Austin Reaves on a night without Luka Doncic, against what had been the best defence in the league. The guard scored 43 points on better than 50% shooting from the field and hit two-thirds of his three-pointers. The incredible thing is that none of his shots, apart from the free throws, were easy.
The Lakers put the game on track in the first quarter with a 38-14 run, taking advantage of Detroit’s 7 turnovers.
The Pistons recovered with a red-hot Dennis Jenkins from three (8/15 from deep for 31 points) and a clear improvement in ball security and defence. Cade Cunningham was somewhat apathetic and less involved than usual (15 points and 8 assists). Walker Kessler had his most impactful game of the season as a rebounder (16) and interior defender (3 blocks).
Minnesota Timberwolves 115-100 Utah Jazz
The Wolves’ good run without Anthony Edwards continues with their fourth consecutive win, at the expense of a poor Utah Jazz side who once again had to do without Lauri Markkanen. Darryn Peterson had the best night of his career with 26 points that fell short.
LaMelo Ball keeps showing he can be the leader of a serious team, with another 24 points and 5 assists that do not overshadow contributions from team-mates such as Ayo Dosunmu (26 points) or Jaden McDaniels (16). Rudy Gobert had a good game controlling the paint against the Jazz’s weak frontcourt rotation.
Brooklyn Nets 93-130 Dallas Mavericks
A good second quarter was enough for the Dallas Mavericks to wrap up the game and coast through the second half. Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving shone, scoring 25 and 21 points respectively in under 30 minutes on court. Flagg also dished out 12 assists, playing downhill and imposing his physique at will before finding the open man (14 of 35 from three for the Mavs and 57% from the field).
Santi Aldama played his second game of the season with the Dallas Mavericks, scoring 12 points in 14 minutes and earning praise from Dusty May
Milwaukee Bucks 97-117 Boston Celtics
Incredibly, the Celtics trailed by 14 during the first quarter. Jayson Tatum, in fact, had to go up to 16 points to keep his side afloat. But once the second period began, the Mazzulla Ball hit cruising speed and they finished it off with some comfort.
Milwaukee held their own from three (18 for Boston to 15 for the hosts), but clearly lost the battle of possessions on the boards and in turnovers. They were also unable to get to the paint against a great Neemias Queta.
Paul George finished the game sharing the honour of top scorer with Kyle Kuzma (!), with 27 points.
New Orleans Pelicans 123-139 Los Angeles Clippers
The surprise of the night? The Pelicans had been playing better and had the chance to get to a 50% win record for the first time in a very, very long time. Sadly for them, Darius Garland (24 points, 10 assists) and the Los Angeles Clippers had other plans.
The Angelenos feasted on NOLA’s poor defence, especially inside, and posted their best scoring total of the season. The Clippers’ bench, with a certain Baba Miller in its ranks, was superb in sweeping aside the Pels’ second unit (59-38 in the battle of the reserves).
Sacramento Kings 108-114 Miami Heat
A win tighter than is advisable for a Heat side who still aren’t quite clicking. Miami needed 29 points and 14 rebounds from Giannis Antetokounmpo and 7 threes from Klay Thompson to beat Darius Acuff and his colleagues by just 6 points. The rookie again scored more than 30 points (32 to be precise) and dished out 10 assists, becoming the only teenager to manage more than one game of that kind alongside, as you know, LeBron James.
Antetokounmpo was +19 on court and Bam Adebayo -5. Draw your own conclusions.
(Cover photo by Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
